USF's spring football skirmish on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. will serve two purposes.
First, it will allow head coach Brian Hartline and his staff to pull all-nighters studying tape of what their players did.
Second, it will whet the appetite of Bulls' fans curious to see what could be in store when the regular season begins on September 5 against FIU. That will also begin the last season the Bulls will play at Raymond James Stadium as they prepare to move into their on-campus home in 2027.
Just don't expect to see the Bulls empty the playbook on offense or defense.
"We'll be particular about what we want to run and what we want to show," Hartline said.
However, there are some obvious things to watch, starting with the quarterback play. LSU transfer Michael Van Buren and Mississippi State transfer Luke Kromenhoek will be under the microscope for fans who attend (the game will not be televised, but will be carried on 1010AM and Bulls Unlimited), but they shouldn't draw too many conclusions.
Before spring practice began, Hartline emphatically said no decision will be made about who has the upper hand in the quarterback competition until summer camp.
The format for the game is kind of funky.
Besides the usual six points for a touchdown, the offense gets one point earned for consecutive first downs gained.
The defense gets points for causing a turnover (four points) three points for a fourth-down stop, three for a missed field goal/PAT, one for forcing a three-and-out, and one for forcing a punt.
Fans will be interested to see how the new-look wide receiver corps does. In response to an exodus from last season's receivers -- mostly to Auburn -- Hartline brought in Bryson Rodgers from Ohio State, Cam Seldon from Virginia Tech, Jaron Glover from Mississippi State, Armani Winfield from from Colorado State, and Arhmad Branch of Purdue.
Mudia Reuben is a holdover from last year.
"There's a great opportunity for guys to showcase what they've learned and how they've grown," Hartline said.
It should be a good atmosphere at cozy Corbett Stadium. It's the chance for players to perform in front of fans, and the band and cheerleaders should keep things lively.
Even with 41 new players that came to USF via the Transfer Portal, Hartline has inherited a dramatically better situation than his predecessor, Alex Golesh, did three years ago. Golesh had the Bulls in contention for the American Conference championship and berth in the College Football Playoff last year.
That evaporated with late-season losses to Memphis and Navy, but their nine regular-season wins were USF's most since 2017.
It was also one more win than USF had in the four seasons combined before Golesh arrived.
Hartline's job is go build on that foundation and to chase USF's first-ever football conference championship. Sunday's spring game is another step in that direction.
"Any time you're playing football, it's fun, so we'll be out there having fun,'' Hartline said. "Our main focus is the opportunity for these guys to compete and really showcase what they've learned over spring, really put a bookmark to the end (of spring practice).
"We want to stay healthy for sure. But our players deserve the opportunity to put it more on a pedestal, to do a good job, then put a little stress on them and see how they react to that. It's not a practice. It's a spring game. It will be graded, so there's more impact than just a practice. They've earned this, so I'm excited for these guys to showcase what they can do.''
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