Let's not kid ourselves.
The final score of USF's 54-26 win over Charlotte on Friday night would tell you there was a lot to celebrate about how the Bulls opened their pursuit of an American Conference championship. It must have looked impressive to the ESPN2 audience, at least those who only pay attention to the score or only watched the first half.
However, even with the scoreboard showing positive signs at many points throughout the evening for the Bulls, USF has multiple areas to improve as it heads into the heart of its conference schedule.
Start with the fact that USF had its foot on throats on Charlotte' s throat with a 23-point halftime lead, only to see the 49ers dominate the second half.
Not good..
It didn't have to be this close.
The Bulls had five dropped passes in the first half that resulted in points that might have been (but weren't. Quarterback Byrum Brown had four touchdown passes, but he could have had more if there weren't so many drops.
The Bulls also had three turnovers in the first half -- two fumbles. Brown was also picked off early in the fourth quarter that led to a Charlotte touchdown. That didn't hurt them against an outmanned team from Charlotte, but it could be catastrophic as they face more significant conference opponents.
That "more significant" portion of the schedule is just a week away. USF is at North Texas next Friday night. The Mean Green is 5-0 and loaded for Bull as USF looms on the schedule. And the Bulls will have to face that without running back Cartevious Norton, who was evacuated to Tampa General Hospital's Trauma One Center after a gruesome leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Much was made before the game about the Bulls' struggles with slow starts. That wasn't a problem in this game. After scoring only three combined first-quarter points in their first four games, USF erupted for 23 points in the first 15 minutes against Charlotte.
That gave the Bulls a comfortable cushion throughout the evening.
And the bottom line: USF is 4-1 overall for the first time since 2018.