Key to the game: Bulls at Owls

USF (3-4; 1-2 Americans) at FAU (2-5; 0-3 Americans)
Friday, November 1 • 7:30 p.m. (ET) • FAU Stadium (30,000) • Boca Raton, Florida.

SURFACE: Of course, Bermuda

TV: ESPN2: Anish Shroff (P-by-P),
Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (part-time)

AUDIO: 102.5 – HD2 The Strike & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)

SERIES: USF leads 3-2
IN TAMPA: Draw, 2:2

IN BOCA RATON: USF leads 1-0; last, W 35-23, '07

LAST TIME: FAU won 56:14 in Tampa in 2023
– was the first meeting since 2013

STRAND: FAU, won the last two

LAST USF WIN: 2010, 31-3 at Tampa

USF GAME NOTES

BOCA RATON, FL. -In Alex GoleshThe world is about focusing on the task at hand and moving forward – always moving forward.

The USF head coach sees nothing but opportunity as the Bulls (3-4, 1-2 American Athletic Conference) prepare to face the Florida Atlantic Owls (2-5, 0-3) in Friday night's ESPN2 showcase game. to compete.

But he is only human. And every living, breathing, green and gold-clad person would have the same feelings when it comes to FAU.

Last season, at USF's home opener, the Owls defeated the Bulls 56-14 at Raymond James Stadium. Additionally, with a 45-point lead, the Owls executed a successful onside kick late in the fourth quarter.

Is that a clear message?

There's still a score to settle.

Fittingly, it is FAU's homecoming game as the Bulls return to the field where they defeated the Syracuse Orange 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl on December 21st.

“We are really excited to play this game on Friday night,” Golesh said. “We are fully aware (of last season's FAU game). “It won't be hard to get up for it. That shouldn't motivate you to watch a game on national television on Friday night, right? And I don't think we necessarily need that in that regard. “But our players know exactly what happened.”

The calendar has turned to November – a welcome change for the Bulls, who endured a mixed October with two hurricanes, two game weeks and just two games (a 21-3 loss to Memphis in Orlando and the hopeful 35-25 comeback win against UAB).

As the Bulls prepare for five games in November with a chance to secure a second straight bowl game, look for the influx of new faces and enthusiasm from young players on both sides of the ball. Against UAB, Golesh said the Bulls played 17 freshmen and he believes many of them will continue to fill key roles.

Speaking of keys…

Here are the keys to USF's win over FAU:

Rally around the QB

If Bryce Archie As he makes his third consecutive start at quarterback, his supporting cast must continue to create an environment for the QB to thrive.

Archie isn't as prone to running out of the pocket Byrum Brownwho has been out since his injury on Sept. 28 at Tulane but is finding a good rhythm in the passing game. Against UAB, Archie was 17 of 31 for 201 yards and two touchdown throws, including a 67-yarder for the redshirt freshman Keshaun Singleton. There was also a 77-yard score for the redshirt freshman JeyQuan Smithbut it was canceled due to a penalty.

“Hopefully Byrum continues to heal quickly, but until he's ready to get going, Byrum needs to continue to improve and build on the things he's proven,” offensive coordinator said Joel Gordon said. “Like everyone else, it’s all about growth and getting better week after week.”

“Against UAB, we had two guys (Singleton and Smith) who rushed down the field and their throws were great. Bryce took a hit every time the ball came out of his hand, but it was perfect protection. That's what we had.” “We waited for everything to fall into place and we made it happen.”

It was a significant improvement from the previous game against Memphis in Orlando (six dropped passes). When the receivers catch effectively and the blocking is in place, Archie has shown he can perform at a high level. But he also needs another element that leads us to the next key to Friday night's game…

Run, run, run

USF finally got going, running for 131 yards against UAB in the second half, a needed turnaround after a month-long walkabout (62 yards rushing against Miami, 26 against Tulane, 24 against Memphis).

Bulls coaches have long believed that a strong running game is the key to USF's fast-paced offense. So when Kelley Carpenter With 94 yards rushing (77 in the second half) against the Blazers, the Bulls reached a rhythm they hadn't seen since mid-September.

The Bulls would also welcome a return to form No, Quan Wrightwho ran for 105 yards at Southern Miss on Sept. 14 but has only managed 72 rushing yards in the four games since.

There's a huge opportunity here: FAU has performed terribly over the course of the season, ranking 121st nationally (out of 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams) in allowing an average of 200.7 yards per game on the ground.

Opportunistic defense

The USF defense gave up 485 yards against UAB, but the Blazers were shut out for much of the final period of the game as the Bulls closed with a 28-6 run.

There were four sacks by UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna. After allowing just 345 yards against Memphis, there are encouraging signs for USF's defense.

The mission against FAU is simple:

Stop the run. Pursue the quarterback. Create some sales.

“We want to see consistency,” defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. “We don’t want it to be a roller coaster ride. It has to go to the point where we play really good football every week.”

“FAU has an athletic quarterback (Cam Fancher) who can extend plays with his legs, a slot receiver (Omari Hayes) who is really dynamic, and their running backs (CJ Campbell and Zuberi Mobley) run really, really hard. But when we perform, “Our defense is up to the task.”

Embrace the stage

Friday night games are special. It's a chance to perform before training and playing with your colleagues, who are a captive audience while they're sequestered in their hotels across the country, waiting for Saturday's schedule.

If successful, Golesh and his players can offer a commercial on the USF program while also gaining potential attention for cross-conference campaigns.

The Bulls have lost nine straight Friday night games — dating back to a dramatic 25-24 walk-off win at Tulsa on Oct. 12, 2018 — but here's an opportunity to show off in front of a large group of ESPN2 viewers , how far the show has come neutral sports fans who are open to an entertaining show after an early end to the World Series.

Aside from the obvious benefits of evening USF's overall record and creating more momentum for the long-distance run in November, the Bulls can show the nation that they are ready for prime time.

–#GoBulls–