KICKOFF: 12 noon
TV: ESPN2: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline)
AUDIO: USF102.5 FM/102.5 HD2 The Strike & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
Welcome to Tampa’s idea of fall weather.
Blue skies, temperatures inching toward the upper 80s, and 67 percent humidity. That’s about 30 degrees warmer than the weather in Annapolis, Md. – home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Navy Midshipmen are in Tampa today to play USF in the Bulls’ rescheduled homecoming game. USF’s original homecoming was three weeks ago against UAB, but Hurricane Milton had other plans.
USF’s last two games lasted more than four hours each. If that happens today, it’ll be interesting to see how Navy handles the heat.
Oh, who are we kidding? Those guys are trained to excel in all conditions.
Anyway, this figures to be a tough test for the Bulls. Navy is 6-2 and 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls, now 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference, are hoping for their third straight win.
Here’s three things USF must do to make that happen.
Keep on running: In Navy’s shocking loss last week at Rice, Owls’ running back Dean Connors rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. That’s good news for the Bulls, who ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-21 rout of Florida Atlantic.
Nay’Quan Wright led the way with 117 yards and one score. Kelley Joiner and Ta’Ron Keith had 89 and 81 yards respectively, and both had one touchdown.
It was the second straight game where the Bulls dominated on the ground after their running attack went into hibernation for three consecutive outings. A strong game helps quarterback Bryce Archie, so it’s no coincidence that against the Owls he had his best game yet in three starts since taking over for the injured Byrum Brown.
All indications are that Archie will be under center again today.
Stay in your gaps: Navy plays an unconventional offense that can be difficult for opposing defenses to handle.
It’s not a straight triple option like the Midshipmen ran for years. While it does have option elements, quarterback Blake Horvath can also beat you with a pass when you least expect it.
That means defensive players need to be in the right spot every time.
“You better know exactly what's going on,” USF coach Alex Golesh said. “If you've misaligned on a front or you're short a gap, you've got a problem.''
Horvath is Navy’s leading rusher by far, averaging 101 yards per game. He exploded for 225 yards and a pair of scores against UAB, and even in defeat last week at Rice he put up 120 yards. He also threw two interceptions in that game.
Cut out the penalties: The Bulls racked up 100 yards in penalties last week at FAU and are averaging 71 yards in flags per game.
That’s too many.
It’s not complicated. Giving a good team like Navy nearly 100 extra yards is asking trouble.