USF looks back on the missed chances against FIU that could have cost the Bulls

South Florida head football coach Brian Hartline and his players confirmed what many Bulls' fans felt after Saturday's opening win over FIU.

That feeling was best articulated by offensive lineman Caleb Cook, who summed it up this way: "We left so much out there that it left us all sick to our stomachs."

The 19-9 win had some college football observers jumping off the Bulls' bandwagon. The Athletic, a pay site, ranked USF 78th this week out of 138 FBS teams. That was a 17-point drop in just one week.

Now ... everyone.

Slowly.

Breathe in. Breath out. Repeat as necessary.

There is plenty of time left before pushing the panic button about a new staff with a basically rebuilt roster, so fans need to pace themselves.

Of course, all that could change depending how the Bulls look on Saturday at Army. The Black Knights mowed Bryant University of the Coastal Athletic Association 59-3 to open the season, rushing for 569 yards in the process. Head coach Jeff Monken seemed to take that result with a shrug.

"I'm going to reserve judgment until I get a chance to see us play against South Florida, Temple and people like that in our league, that are extremely talented," Monken said.

Hartline knows what the Bulls could be in for on Saturday if they repeat, as Cook said, the kind of play that leaves them with queasy stomachs. To beat a team as disciplined as we know Army will be, the Bulls can't squander opportunities.

"Frankly, it feeds into everything I believe in, right? I mean, it's not about your talent level. It's about your skill and discipline level. Your ability to develop skill based on the technique, based on the fundamentals, need to do your job," he said.

"And then your ability to develop discipline, to do it consistently, prep for it the right way, execute the right way on game day. ]That's what it's all about. I mean, there's three buckets, right? There's talent, there's skill, and there's discipline. Talent's what God's blessed you with. And your job is to maximize that."

Against FIU, the Bulls scored only two field goals in the first three quarters. Can't do that against Army and hope to have a happy plane ride home.

That's because USF probably won't get as many possessions as they would against a "normal" offense. Being even a little out of place on defense allows Army to collect first downs like hoarders collect pennies, and that bleeds the clock.

"It's always difficult to go against somebody that's pretty consistent. They show up the right way, they do things the right way, they hold themselves accountable," Hartline said.

"Those are the type of people that, you know, you want to hire in life."

This was always going to be a measuring stick game for the Bulls. It's a road game against the kind of team that won't beat itself, and it opens American Conference play for both teams.

The Bulls will have the decided edge in physical talent, but we'll have to get back to you on whether they'll leave opportunities on the playing field instead of the end zone.

One nugget to hold on to until Saturday's noon kickoff. Hartline noted how it's criticial to see team growth from the opening week to the second game.

"There's a lot of speculation that happens in week one. Oh, I'll play this. Oh, I'll do that. Oh, I'll fill that gap. Oh, I'll. I'll press my landmark. Oh, you know, I will, I will, I will -- until you don't," he said.

"And so, I think they're very, you know, honest with themselves. They were very unsatisfied as a team, which is great to see as the coach. We knew we left a lot of opportunities there on the field. For us, we want to make sure we're making the routine plays routinely."

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