USF Football: Where things stand after five games
Although the South Florida Bulls are heading into their open date 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play, there’s still reason for optimism moving forward.
Every loss USF has sustained so far this season has come at the hands of currently ranked opponents such as No. 10 BYU, No. 20 Florida, No. 23 NC State and No. 24 SMU. Even through the difficult schedule, the Bulls have shown noticeable improvement from Week 1 to Week 5.
After getting trounced by the Wolfpack in the season opener Sept. 2, the Bulls went on to outscore Florida 17-7 in the second half in Week 2, pick up their first win of the season against Florida A&M in Week 3, nearly knock off BYU in a comeback effort in Provo, Utah on Sept. 25 and went into the fourth quarter against SMU the next week only down 10 points despite a number of missed opportunities.
It hasn’t yet translated to many wins, specifically any wins against FBS opponents, but it appears as if coach Jeff Scott and his team are finding their way a bit. Whether it was a reported impassioned halftime speech by former USF defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, or the pieces just finally coming together, the improvement and progression of the Bulls seems evident.
Beyond the overall success of the team, the first five games of this season have also shown USF has some foundational pieces to build on moving forward, namely in freshman quarterback Timmy McClain.
McClain didn’t begin the season as the starter, but the Sanford native quickly rose to the top of the depth chart by Week 3 and officially won the job with an impressive performance in Week 4.
It hasn’t all been success for the true freshman, however. McClain struggled against SMU and missed on at least two throws down the field that were surefire touchdowns. He also had a lapse in judgment just before halftime where he ran around and extended the play for too long, leading to the game clock running out and costing his team a chance at a field goal.
But that’s the reason you play a freshman quarterback this early into his career, for mistakes like that. At the end of the day, this season was likely never going to lead to a bowl game or anything of that sort, so it’s good to let him get these hiccups out of his system and learn from them now before the importance of future games ratchets up.
Aside from McClain, offensive weapons such as junior Xavier Weaver and freshman Jimmy Horn Jr. have begun making their marks in the receiving game. Weaver has established himself as the bonafide alpha with 17 receptions for 328 yards, and Horn Jr. recently had the first 100-yard performance of his collegiate career against SMU.
A speedy threat and a former high school teammate of McClain, Horn Jr.’s performance against the Mustangs very well could have been a preview of what’s to come in the future.
The bottom line through the first five games of the season is there has been real progress made. Going up against what the ESPN College Football Power Index calls the 16th strongest schedule in the country was always going to be a challenge.
But coming out of the bye week, tangible results look to be realistically attainable. The Bulls have two full weeks to prepare for Tulsa, a very beatable opponent, and then welcome Temple to Tampa the following week for back-to-back home games.
The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger, but it's important to be patient and embrace the little things, as long as clear progression is still being shown.
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