EAST HARTFORD, CT — Losses can stick to a team badly, to where things start to go downhill shortly after. As for the South Florida Bulls, this is the week to pick up the slack and brush off a devastating last-second loss to the Houston Cougars this past week. Falling out of the Top 25 and not being in the first College Football Playoff ranking, USF still has a chance at their first conference title and bowl implications. This Saturday at 3:30 PM ET, The Bulls will face a Uconn team that’s allowing 38.5 points per game to their opponents in East Hartford, CT at Rentschler Field. This Bulls team averages about the 30 points on offense as UConn is coming off of a blowout loss to Missouri, and it doesn’t look any easier.
Sitting at 7-1, USF looks to keep its season intact with QB Quinton Flowers looking to revive its spirits. While the team doesn’t show gaudy statistics in the passing game, Flowers has a remarkable TD/INT ratio. Throwing 12 scores and only three picks, Flowers has the offense in control and also threw for 325 yards last week. While not throwing any touchdowns against Houston, he scored twice with his legs and padded up his numbers. RB Darius Tice has rushed for 726 yards, and nine TD’s while Flowers is second on the team with 620 rushing yards. RB D’Ernest Johnson sits behind them with 601 yards and six TD’s as well, and the team ranks 9th in the nation in rushing. The team should have no problem succeeding against a suspect Connecticut defense this upcoming weekend.
After last week’s blowout loss to the Missouri Tigers, UConn’s hopes of a postseason berth were likely shattered. Riding a two game win streak, the Huskies were on a mission to salvage somewhat of a lost season. They now have to win three of their last four games to have a chance at a bowl game, but face the top scoring offense in the country in UCF this following week. QB Bryant Shirreffs has been the white light of this team, passing for over 2,000 yards and adding 172 rushing yards. The problem is, there isn’t much after him. He ranks fourth on the team in rushing but only has 139 yards less than the leader, Freshman Nate Hopkins. He has distributed the ball well as six of his receivers have over 200 yards on the season, but needs more help from the supporting cast to have a chance at these great teams.
USF is looking to redeem themselves this upcoming week, and that will be a huge problem for the Huskies. The Bulls will likely come in motivated for a big win and are looking toward a possible high stakes matchup against UCF in two weeks. Coach Charlie Strong has his team in second place in the AAC East, and they have not forgotten what still lies ahead of them. This game will be a must-win for both sides, which shall make for an interesting matchup.
