South Florida is one-third of the way through the season and the Bulls have won all four games that they have played.
But it has been a bit of a Jeckyll and Hyde act so far, especially on Saturday where USF was shut out for the first three quarters before rallying for a 14-6 victory over winless Bowling Green.
They were held to 214 total yards by a defense that was gashed for 111 combined points in their previous two games. Judging by social media reaction, Bulls fans were baffled that quarterback Michael Van Buren, Jr. only threw 11 passes. But actually, USF called 17 passes but Van Buren was sacked six times.
What are we to make of all this as the Bulls prepare to jump back into the American Conference race on Saturday at home against Temple? Is USF a legit championship contender or a team with potentially damaging vulnerabilities?
Let's take a stab at figuring that out.
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— South Florida Football (@USFFootball) September 27, 2026
Priority No. 1: Get stability on the offensive line. Against Bowling Green the Bulls played with the fourth different starting offensive line in as many games. Thomas Shrader, who had been playing well at center, moved to right tackle and really struggled in pass protection. Ethan Green moved from right tackle to left because the normal starter there, Michael Wooten, was injured and missed the game. Freshman Khalil Collins was plugged back in at center.
That's not a recipe for success as the schedule gets tougher. Of course, the Bulls can't do anything about the injuries -- football is football and people do get hurt. But you can bet Temple's coaching staff is disecting the tape of the Bowling Green game and are going, "Hey, if BG could do that to the Bulls, think what we can do."
I'm sure Brian Hartline and his offensive coaches are thinking the same thing.
Keep feeding D.J. Crowther. He saved the Bulls' bacon Saturday with 23 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown. That accounted for nearly 66 percent of USF's total offense in this game. It was also his second straight 100-yard game.
"Incredible," Hartline said. "DJ is running hard. And, you know, he's done that in practice. He's a very consistent individual and I think he's just continuing to get better and better and better. I'm so really proud of him.."
He had one of the biggest plays of the game. With USF still trailing 6-0 in the fourth, the Bulls reached the Falcons' 28-yard line when he took a handoff and looked to be corraled in the backfield. Instead, burst through for a 22-yard gain. For good measure, he picked up four yards on the next play, and reserve quarterback Luke Kromenhoek pushed in from two yards out to put the Bulls on the board.
Defense appears to be a strength. USF has allowed only 56 points so far this season, and 24 of those came in the win at Army.
But we say that unit "appears" to be a strength because -- let's be honest -- the Bulls' last two opponents (Delaware State and Bowling Green) are not offensive juggernauts.
Giving credit where it's due, defensive lineman Asani Redwood had a sack and a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss, including a key stop early in the fourth quarter when the Falcons went for it on fourth-and-1 near midfield. That changed the momentum and six plays later the Bulls were on the scoreboard.
Get faster starts. In three of USF's four games this season, the Bulls has scored a combined 13 points. Only the Delaware State game was an exception to that trend when USF put 28 points on the board in the first half, but that was against an outclassed opponent and Hartline was miffed afterward about his team's level of play.
By contrast, the Bulls have scored a combined 79 points over the last two quarters. That's good, but one day these slow starts could catch up to them, particularly in conference play.
Hartline seems to prefer a run-first conventional attack, and with Crowther that's understandable. But maybe a little more flash at the start would make the second half of games more relaxing.
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