USF’s Losing Streak Reaches Five
After a valiant effort against Tulane, the Bulls’ losing streak extends to five games falling 45-31. What looked to be a close game at halftime turned out to be a tough bout for USF. The Bulls fought till the very end, but Tulane proved to be a bit too much late in the game.
A Tough Defensive Contest
As the Bulls played a good offensive game the defense sadly couldn’t be much help. USF’s defense didn’t have much of an answer to Tulane’s strategic offensive attack. Leading the way for Tulane was their quarterback Michael Pratt who threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Tyjae Spears had a big game totaling 18 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
USF’s defense held Tulane to three points in the first quarter, but after that, all started to fall. The Bulls would give up 14 points in each of the last three quarters to cap the game. Tulane converted three of four fourth down-plays which weighed on USF. One of the crucial fourth down conversions came at the final play of the first half which resulted in a touchdown. Altogether the Bulls were unable to stop Tulane on big drives during the course of the game.
Offensive Advancements
Throughout the game, the USF offense was able to make some impressive plays. The Bulls did a good job throwing the football with both quarterbacks Gerry Bohanon and Katravis Marsh. Bohanon had 168 all-purpose yards along with two touchdowns until eventually he was knocked out of the game. Marsh filled in nicely throwing for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Ultimately, the Bulls’ offense played a solid game. Considering Tulane was number five in the country for points allowed per game meant that USF did their job on offense. USF unusually lacked in the running game with their leading rusher being Bohanon who left the game early. Despite having a little bit of trouble running the football, the Bulls were still able to generate good drives that led to touchdowns.
Big Changes
The Bulls might have only lost by 14 points, but big things need to change for the guys to turn this season around. Through the first half of the season, the team has single-handily realized you must play 60 minutes to win a football game. Furthermore, the Bulls have had trouble learning from their losses which hopefully won’t be the case anymore following the bye week.
Heading into the bye week means USF will have the opportunity to regroup. After their fifth straight loss, the Bulls can’t exactly be happy about their progress midway through the season. The bye week should be a good chance for the Bulls to fix their issues and be ready to go on the road.
At the end of the day though all the Bulls can hope for is that they can make the changes they need to make and be ready for what’s to come. The rest of the season is still a mystery to the team which is still trying to find its rhythm. The final stretch consists of mostly struggling teams that USF will have chances against.
Looking Ahead
The effort the Bulls put up against Tulane shows the team isn’t going to stop fighting. The defense will be the biggest question for the Bulls during the bye week. The defense has shown that they can play big but have yet to play a full 60-minute game. On the other hand, USF is slowly starting to find its footing on the offensive side of the ball.
With Bohanon leaving Saturday’s game early and being unable to finish, Marsh will likely get the start in the following weeks until Bohanon’s status is identified. Marsh who showed some signs of greatness against Tulane will need to step up once again if Bohanon is unable to go in two weeks against Houston. Bohanon’s injury status will be big news for the team so they determine how long Marsh might have to hold the starting spot. Regardless, the Bulls will hope to get their starting quarterback healthy and back on the field as soon as possible.
Following the bye week, USF will travel to Houston to take on the Cougars. Houston has been a solid team the past few seasons but has been struggling this season so far. Coming off the bye week Houston will be the perfect game to get the season back on track. The bye week should give USF enough time to figure out its problems. Regardless, the Bulls are hoping they can salvage their season.
