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Bulls Unable to Capitalize on Opportunities, No. 4 Tide Top USF 42-16 in Tuscaloosa

Mike Cusimanoby
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The Bulls fought relentlessly against the No. 4 Alabama but were unable to capitalize on key opportunities. Dive in to see what went down in Tuscaloosa as the Bulls find themselves 1-1 heading into Week 3 against Southern Miss.

There’s nothing like going from week one against Bethune-Cookman to week two against the fourth ranked team in the country in the Alabama Crimson Tide in front of a roaring crowd of over 100K.

With no home field advantage in sight like a season ago, the Bulls pulled out all the stops and threw all the punches Alex Golesh and co. could muster, but could not capitalize on key opportunities to strike throughout the game to swing the score in their favor.

Let’s recap the Bulls 42-16 loss against the Crimson Tide, I digress.

Offense – Running Game Sound, Passing Game Incomplete

For only putting up 16 points the entire game, it might surprise you to know that the USF offense still put up 309 total yards on offense, falling short of the Tide’s 393. However, it was Alabama’s ability to find the endzone six times to the Bulls one that separated the two teams on the scoreboard at the end of the day.

Kicker John Cannon connected on three out of four attempts during the game where the Bulls offense couldn’t find themselves in the endzone whether due to lack of execution, penalties that set the Bulls back or simply just a good Alabama defense that toughened up in critical moments.

Running back Ta’Ron Keith found the endzone in the 3rd, his second touchdown of the year. Other redzone opportunities resulted in field goals which is an area that the Bulls must focus on improving in as the season progresses.

Quarterback Byrum Brown led the Bulls in the running game against the Tide, going for 108 yards on 23 attempts (4.7 yards per carry) with Nay’Quan Wright following behind with 64 yards rushing on 11 carries (5.8 yards per carry).

The story on offense can be summarized in two areas:

1) Inability to establish the passing game.

2) Converting on 3rd Down

Byrum completed just 43% of his passes against the Tide with several throws that he would absolutely love to have back with his receivers’ finding openings against the Alabama defense. BB will hit those passes as the season goes on, but going 2-18 on 3rd Down is not a successful formula on offense in sustaining drives and scoring touchdowns instead of field goals.

Look for the Bulls offense to bounce back next week with this game serving as an early adversity test just two games into the 2024 season.

Defense – Strong Through 3.5 Quarters, Unable to Finish Through 4

Much like the Bethune-Cookman game a week ago, the Bulls defense didn’t seem to miss a beat through most of the contest against the Tide. Three sacks to go along with six tackles for loss haunted the Alabama offense, who ended the 3rd quarter with only 14 points. That’s right, 28 points were scored on the USF defense in the fourth alone where the team seemed to run out of gas once the game went 21-16 Alabama with 6:45 left in the game.

The Bulls defense forced two fumbles in the game, one on the play below by linebacker Mac Harris and another on special teams by cornerback Ben Knox that was scooped up by true freshman kicker Nico Gramatica. Speaking of Mac Harris, The Villages, Fla. native was all over the field on Saturday night, posting 7 total tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble on the game.

Tennessee transfer (who is very familiar with the Tide) De’Shawn Rucker led the Bulls defense with 10 total tackles and 1 pass breakup, flashing his ability to be an enforcer against the run and stout in pass coverage against a good Alabama receiving core. 

What’s Next?

On Saturday, September 14th, 2024, South Florida will take on the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at 7 PM ET in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Catch the game on ESPN+ to see if the Bulls can bounce back and go 2-1 on the season.

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