Earlier this week, we began the 100-day countdown to USF’s opening football game against Boise State.
Barring something unforeseen, it will be quarterback Byrum Brown’s first game action since his injury last September against Tulane. I’m not counting his two-play cameo appearance in the Hawaii Bowl.
He was a full participant in spring practice, and everyone said he looked like the Byrum that electrified Bulls Nation during his redshirt freshman season. He didn’t play in the spring game because of a mild hamstring injury.
That didn’t seem to cause any concern.
“I think if it were the season, he could go, if he had to,” head coach Alex Golesh said.
Having Brown back is almost a reboot of USF’s program. It changes everything. Backup QB Bryce Archie performed admirably in relief, but there’s a reason why Brown is QB1 for the Bulls. His running ability adds an extra element that opponents must respect, and that, in turn, helps open the passing game.
However, let’s be honest. Before he was injured, Brown struggled through the air. Against Alabama, he was only 15-of-35 for 103 yards, and a couple of times he missed open receivers for potential touchdowns.
To be fair, he was under enormous pressure from ‘Bama defenders, who sacked him four times. Tulane also put him down four times in a little more than a half.
That’s one reason USF invested heavily in the offensive line in the off-season. The Bulls brought in transfers Connor McLaughlin (6-foot-7, 295 pounds) from Stanford and Thomas Shrader (6-5, 305) from Appalachian State. They brought in prep recruits Gerrick Gordon from Carrollwood Day High School in Tampa and Caleb Harris from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.
The mission: Keep Brown upright.
That will be a major storyline in the buildup to the regular-season opener when the Bulls face Boise State on August 28 on national TV.
Think of the statement the Bulls can make that night if – big if – Byrum Brown is everything fans believe he can be. Even if USF loses the following two games at Florida and Miami, it would be a great building block heading into American Athletic Conference play.