USF Bulls: A Look Back at the 2021 Season

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The USF Bulls came into the 2021 season trying to better their 2020 season. Last year they won only one game and that game was not a conference game. Up till that point, they had not won one since 2018. I attended the spring game and the biggest conundrum was at quarterback. The three players that stood out were Cade Fortin, Jimmy McClain, and Katravis Marsh. All of them had different types of skill sets. Fortin was a transfer that came to USF through the transfer portal. Head coach Jeff Scott used a carousel at the quarterback position. Many of the fans wanted a quarterback to be able to start and hold on to the position. Coach Scott just wanted to win more than one game. He had the team that could accomplish that. The program got some exciting news that they will now have an indoor practice facility.

 

The USF Bulls season started on the road against N.C. State Wolfpack. This is one of the games that many people said that the Bulls had little chance of winning and that is actually what happened as they were unable to score a single point. The following week was a game that I had been looking forward to when the schedule came out. It would be the Florida Gators coming to Raymond James Stadium. This would be the USF home opener. This was the first game that we all saw that the Bulls made some adjustments at the half. They gave the Gators a battle and the final was 42-20. The next game would be against the FAMU Rattlers. This team was known for their band. They have one of the best bands in the country. This game should have been a game that the Bulls should have easily won.

 

This would be the first win of the season for the USF Bulls. The final score was 38-17. Many thought they would take what worked in the Rattlers game and turn that into many more wins for the rest of the season. The next game was on the road against the upstart BYU Cougars. This game was dominated by the Cougars to start but as I said earlier, the Bulls would make adjustments at halftime. They did just that and were able to get close but would lose the game in the end 35-27. This would be the final non-conference game. This means no matter what the record which at the time was 1-3 would not hurt them in the AAC. Most experts said that the Bulls would be the worst team in the AAC. The first conference game was against the SMU Mustangs.

 

The Mustangs were said to be one of the better teams of the conference. They showed that in a dominating win, 41-17. This showed how young the USF Bulls are. SMU beat USF in all three phases of the game. The next game was the first one that could be categorized as should have won. Their opponent was the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. The Bulls led 31-20 going into the final quarter. Many thought this would be a win the Bulls would get. Unfortunately, the Golden Hurricanes scored 12 points in the final quarter to win the game by one point, 32-31. The next game would also be at home the Bulls’ opponent would be against the Temple Owls. This game was one that USF played all three phases very well. The magic finally happened and the Bulls got their conference win for the first time in three years. The USF Bulls would win 34-14.

 

The next game came on a Thursday night. They would travel to play the East Carolina Pirates. This would be a game that the Bulls had a chance to win and let the game get away. At the half, they led 14-6. USF did not score another point while the Pirates scored 23. ECU would win 29-14. Many will say that if USF played they did in the first half the game would have been theirs. The next game was home against the Houston Cougars. The Cougars won 11 games to end their season and this game reminded me of the SMU game. Houston dominated the Bulls and won 54-42. The final three games would be against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Tulane Green Wave, and the UCF Knights. We were all hoping to see them win at least one of those games.

The Bearcats came to visit the USF Bulls on a Friday night. To me and to the many media members Cincinnati did not look like a playoff team. The Bulls started off well but the Bearcats found a way to win the game 45-28. Cincinnati ended up beating the Houston Cougars in the AAC Championship. The Bulls’ next opponent is the Tulane Green Wave that up till the point had not won a conference game. This was a game, like the ECU game, that should have been won by USF. Instead, the Green Wave took down the Bulls and it seemed that they did easily. Winning 45-14 and many thought this was when the Bulls should have made some major changes. The final game came against state rival UCF. The Bulls had some issues with time management throughout the game. In the end, it causes them a win losing 17-13.

 

What we saw is that the USF Bulls are a young team and made mistakes as a young team makes. USF had many games where they missed many tackles and those missed tackles caused them many games. The Bulls’ defense was on the field for far too long. The offense made some mistakes with turnovers and penalties. This season the team got better throughout the year. The Bulls that took the field versus N.C. State Wolfpack was not the same that played against the UCF Knights. Just like many teams, USF will have to make some improvements. They have the personnel to win more than two games next year. Coach Scott should have them playing better next year.

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