TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 2, 2022) – Tomorrow is the much-anticipated season opener versus No. 25 Brigham Young (0-0), and the entire South Florida Bulls (0-0) community is eager to see just how much this team has improved in the off-season.

This is the third game in four seasons between the two teams. The Bulls earned a 27-23 victory at home in 2019, but they were not so lucky last season, losing 35-27 in Provo. USF is slated to return to Provo in 2026. A win this week would prove to be a huge step forward for the program head coach Jeff Scott is working to build.

USF trails only BYU in returning production according to ESPN's Bill Connelly, bringing back 85 percent of their output from a year ago.

USF OFFENSE

There is a buzz around this offense and new quarterback Gerry Bohanon this year. Last season Bohanon was just one of three quarterbacks to take down BYU. In 2021, Bohanon passed for over 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading Baylor to a 10-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory. The offense will rely heavily on him this week as he looks to prove himself to this team.

Junior Xavier Weaver and sophomore Jimmy Horn Jr. will lead the receiving core. Weaver was the Bulls leading pass catcher last season with 715 yards and two touchdowns. Horn followed with 408 yards and a touchdown. The Bulls also brought in a few transfers at receiver. Including 6-foot-3, 220-pound Ajou Ajou from Clemson, 6-foot, 190-pound Kahfre Brown from North Carolina, and 6-foot-3, 180 Yusuf Terry from Baylor. Overall, this group will be used heavily on Saturday.

The Bulls running back group has been highly praised by Jeff Scott as one of the deepest positions on the team. Returning are three of the top rushers last season: senior Jaren Mangham and sophomore Brian Battie. Mangham led the Bulls last season, racking up 671 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, with Joiner close behind, rushing for 480 yards. Clemson transfer junior Michael Dukes adds depth and redshirt freshman K’Wan Powell has returned from a knee injury that kept him off the field last season. Junior Kelley Joiner broke a small bone in his foot during a scrimmage. During his Aug. 16 press conference Scott said Joiner, who rushed for 480 yards and led the Bulls with 6.2 yards per carry last season, would have surgery and miss about six weeks.

BYU DEFENSE

The Brigham Young defense looks very similar to last season as they return 97.0 percent of their production – which ranks first in the country by a considerable margin.

Sophomore linebacker Ben Bywater leads the defense. In 2021 Bywater led the team with 102 total tackles. Assisting him is fellow linebacker Max Tooley who finished last season as the Cougars second-leading tackler with 68. Also returning are duo ball hawk defensive backs, Jakob Robinson and Malik Moore. Both snagged three interceptions last season, leading their team. The BYU defensive line is dominated by sophomore Tyler Batty. In 2021, Batty boasted 43 tackles, seven for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

BYU OFFENSE

Returning as quarterback for BYU is junior Jaren Hall. Last season he led his team to a bowl game appearance with a 156.1 passer rating throwing over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns, with only five interceptions. Some of that success can also be credited to the BYU receiver core. Returning this season are pair receivers Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney. Each had 100-yard receiving against the Bulls last season. Both missed practice time ahead of the Cougars flight to Tampa so questions abound on whether both will be in uniform Saturday.

In the offseason, BYU had a tremendous gap to fill at running back after their star back Tyler Allgeier was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft. They looked to the portal where they found Christopher Brooks. The junior bruiser back transferred from California, where he led the Bears in rushing yards for three seasons. He will have no trouble rushing the ball with the O-Line BYU has formed. Three starters returned from a top-graded unit last season in pass protection and run blocking. A vital member of this group is junior Blake Freeland. Freeland posted a 91.6 pass-blocking grade last season, the best in the country among returning tackles.

USF DEFENSE

The Bulls defense, yet again, is led by senior Antonio Grier. The 2021 second-team All-Conference linebacker is a workhorse, recording 92 stops, three sacks, eight tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles last season. He and fellow senior linebacker Dwayne Boyles will protect the middle of the defense for the Bulls this season.

Headlining the defensive backs is returning senior Mekhi LaPointe. With junior Matthew Hill assisting at the safety position. Returning cornerbacks Daquan Evans, Christian Williams, and TJ Robinson look to lock down the talented BYU receivers.

The Bulls defensive line went through some changes in the offseason. With the addition of eight new linemen, new D-Coordinator Bob Shoop seeks to reshape USF's run defense and sack game. Keep an eye on freshman defensive end Michael Williams. A four-star recruit in high school, Williams recorded 23.5 sacks in his senior year – two shy of tying a 40-year-old Michigan state record. The Bulls also added five transfers to the defensive line, expecting to strengthen the team. An intriguing addition to this unit is former USF basketball player Bayron Matos. The 6-foot-9, 286-pound, Matos won’t be difficult to spot when he is on the field.

SHEWEY'S SUMMARY

Coach Scott stated recently, this is a game to see where they are as a team. BYU is a very tough opponent, but the Bulls believe they made moves this offseason to improve themselves. These are two high-powered, fast-paced offenses. Weather permitting, the ball will be moved through the air a lot, and the tempo will be quick. The key to the Bulls success in this game is to win the turnover battle. If they can do that and keep their team on offense as much as possible, they should be able to pull through the victory. The BYU offense is elite, and Hall will look to spread the ball around. The Bulls defense needs to get off the field on third downs and avoid giving up the type of big plays that hurt them in the first quarter in Provo last season.

Twelve points favor the Cougars. The game will kick off at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.