The home opener for the Bulls proved to be harder than they expected. USF falls 50-21 to BYU in a heavily one-sided game.<\/p>\n
Even with a new quarterback under center and a new offensive coordinator<\/a> on staff, USF struggled to get going on Saturday night against BYU at Raymond James Stadium. USF started the game on defense, and it only took BYU one play from scrimmage to open the scoring. Puka Nacua ran 75 yards from scrimmage for a Cougars touchdown. The Bulls’ struggles didn\u2019t end there as they found themselves down 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.<\/p>\n The Bulls’ offensive and defensive sluggishness continued throughout the first half as BYU quarterback Jaren Hall<\/a> had a field day. USF couldn\u2019t answer the call for BYU\u2019s good play calling. BYU marched up and down the field throughout the first two quarters. The first half would end with a score of 38-7 in favor of BYU.<\/p>\n BYU\u2019s tough play continued throughout the second half adding 12 more points to their total. The Bulls managed to strike twice more on offense completing some nice drives. At that point, the Bulls were too far behind to make this game competitive<\/p>\n The Bulls’ travesty of a first game will be a lesson for everyone on the team. Even though they lost, USF did show some signs of life in the third and fourth quarters. USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon<\/a> was finally able to connect with Xavier Weaver<\/strong> which helped the Bulls go down the field. Perhaps it gave them something to build off of in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n Despite having some key plays throughout the game, the Bulls’ defense proved to be an issue that must be addressed. While it is true, that they were facing a very talented BYU offense, the USF defense was backed into a corner from the beginning and never got out of it.<\/p>\n The USF defense couldn\u2019t stay on pace with BYU\u2019s heavy-tempo offense. The Cougars’ high speed offense propelled them to a quick couple of scores. That forced changes to USF’s defensive strategy right away. BYU did a great job of exploiting the Bulls’ zone coverages. All in all, USF\u2019s defense was slow and will have to get better for the games down the road.<\/p>\n USF\u2019s season opener was a very challenging game against a very experienced BYU squad. That being said even, after the loss the Bulls did have some moments of good in the game. Bohanon had his first game under center and even though he struggled, he managed to throw for 17-30 for 172 yards and one interception.<\/p>\nAn Improved 2nd<\/sup> Half <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Bulls struggling defense <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Light In The Tunnel<\/strong><\/h3>\n