Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Times
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The USF Bulls game against the ECU Pirates was moved because of Hurricane Ian. Ian’s original path was supposed to hit the Tampa Bay area and then shifted on Wednesday. The game was moved to be played at the home of the FAU Owls. This was the first conference game for USF. The game could have been played at home at Raymond James Stadium but after the decision, the game remained a neutral site game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also play at Raymond James Stadium, and they will keep their game at home. The fans were hoping the Bulls could bounce back after getting beat by the Louisville Cardinals last week. This came after struggling to win against Howard and nearly beating the Florida Gators. Hopefully, they could win their first conference game since beating Temple Owls last season.
This was the third of four straight road games. Next week, the USF Bulls will be on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats. This game was very similar to the game last week against Louisville. The Bulls came out flat. ECU is a decent team, but not a good one. Once again, the Bulls gave up a lot of yards of offense. The Pirates had 525 yards of total offense. The last time USF gave up that many yards was against the BYU Cougars in the season opener. That game was a loss as well. With the 525 yards, the Pirates took a 41-7 lead into the half. The USF Bulls are not built to make that sort of comeback. The defense adjusted at the half and only gave up seven points in the second half. Just like last week, it was too little too late.
The USF Bulls’ defense gave up many yards, but the offense also had an impact. They had 455 yards which is a season-high. USF shot themselves in the foot by being held to just seven points in the first half. Gary Bohanon had his first touchdown pass of the season and was in a USF uniform. It came to Jimmy Horn Jr. on a 91-yard pass. Bohanon also had 74 yards rushing and one touchdown. It seems to me that other than the Gators game the offense takes a half of football off. Running back Brian Battie had 96 yards rushing, just four yards short of his third 100-yard rushing game. The USF Bulls offense scored 21 points in the second half but just like I said about the defense, too little too late. Hopefully, they can get back on track next week against the Bearcats.
This team has not been consistent except against the Florida Gators. They need to figure out how to get better on defense. In the last two games, the defense is giving up too many yards and points. When you put your offense in a big hole it gets hard to win many games. We want to see this team play the same and make improvements week after week. In the last two weeks, with all the steps they gained against the Gators, they lost them back against the Louisville Cardinals and ECU Pirates. It will not get easier as the Bearcats have been the class of the AAC for the last few years. Hopefully, the Bulls do not get blown out and maybe pull off a win. We will all have to see it starts at 2:30 PM EST next Saturday.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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