If there is a nit to pick about USF’s first four games, it is this: The Bulls need to reduce the number of penalties they are called for.
Team Rankings has the Bulls 66th in the country for the most penalties, with an average of six per game. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider they only had two flags against Miami, and that brought the average down.
They had seven penalties against Boise State for 56 yards, and eight each against Florida (75 yards) and South Carolina State (80 yards).
Running back Cartevious Norton had a long touchdown run against South Carolina State nullified by a holding penalty. It didn’t draw much attention in a 63-14 blowout win, but as the Bulls head into American Conference play next week, mistakes like that will be magnified.
You can be sure it has been a point of emphasis during practice this week.
“We've had penalties on special teams three weeks in a row. Special teams cannot change the way that the game is played offensively or defensively due to penalties. That's coaching again, and we gotta clean that up,” Bulls coach Alex Golesh said.
The penalties notwithstanding, USF arrived at this week’s first open date in about as good a condition as possible. The Bulls are largely healthy and, at 3-1, they are ahead of where most USF fans figured they would be.
Boise State hasn’t lost since the Bulls blew them out 34-7 to open the season. The Broncos are 2-1 and scored 100 points combined in wins over Eastern Washington and Air Force.
The Florida Gators’ situation is getting worse by the week, but the Bulls' 18-16 win at The Swamp doesn’t come with an asterisk.
From here on out, though, it’s all about conference play. Pundits are mixed about how USF figures to land in the American. Some ESPN writers pick the Bulls to win the American and represent the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff.
Some others go with Tulane, Navy, or Memphis.
Looking at how the conference is shaking out, it appears three of what likely will be USF’s four toughest games are on the road – at North Texas, at Memphis, and at Navy. Those teams are a combined 11-0.
North Texas is 4-0 with an offense that has been supercharged. The Mean Green has scored 188 points in those wins, an average of 47 points per game.
Memphis, also 4-0, just stormed from 18 points behind to beat Arkansas 32-31. Navy (3-0) is already 2-0 in the conference with wins over UAB and Tulsa.
The challenge is real. And to come full circle, it’s one thing to lose a touchdown against South Carolina State. It would be quite another to lose a potential game-winning score against a top conference team.
“You'd rather be going in three and one coaching this stuff than certainly what the alternative could be. But our guys are resilient. They take the coaching,” Golesh said.
“But we’ve got to be really calculated in how we're coaching it, and who's in what positions. Knock on wood, we're relatively healthy right now. We’ve got to continue to find ways to put the best players in the best spots. There are positives, but there's certainly a lot that we have to clean up. That's not coach talk, that's real.”