Photo Credit: Raymond James Stadium
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The USF Bulls come into this week off what many will call a moral victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Talking to Alabama fans, they said we should be happy that we did not get blown out. Some may disagree saying USF should have won the game. The stats show a different game but in the end, the Crimson Tide won. Through the first three games, the Bulls have shown improvement. The offense has had its ups and downs, been good at times, and made mistakes at the wrong time. The defense has been good but just like the last few years, has been gassed by the end of the game. Another great aspect of the Alabama game was that there were over 65,000 people in the stands. This week they welcome the Rice Owls a new team to the American Athletic Conference. This starts conference play.
The Rice Owls come into this game with a 2-1 record. Their season started off with a loss to the current number three team in the country, the Texas Longhorns. The Owls’ big win came against a team that moved from the AAC to the Big 12 beating the Houston Cougars in overtime 43-41. Rice blew out Texas Southern last week 59-7. The Owls have former Georgia Bulldog and West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback JT Daniels who threw four touchdowns last week. The offense is balanced and they like to throw the ball and run it as well. Look for them to do that against USF. Rice’s defense will not be the same as Alabama’s in last week’s game. Look for Rice to stay balanced and try and keep the Bulls off-balance on both sides of the ball.
The USF Bulls come into this game after a hard-fought game last week. Head coach Alex Golesh said in his post-game press conference that moral wins are for losers. He and the players were going to look at the film and correct the mistakes as they got ready for Rice. The Bulls currently sit 1-2 on the season and offense and defense have shown improvements from last year. Byrum Brown made a mistake by overthrowing his receiver which resulted in an interception. The defense kept the Alabama Crimson Tide offense off track. They had five sacks and some of those sacks were big hits. USF should have the same game plan this week. The offense mixed the run and pass and the defense will have the same plan but this time to put pressure on JT Daniels.
If USF plays the same game they did against Alabama they should get a victory. The Owls, like the FAMU and WKU, will challenge the Bulls. Most fans know how important these conference games are even though it is the first one for both teams. Listening to Alex Golesh he said that he and his team are a blue-collar program. He knows that everyone has made mistakes, but he is going to fix them. Look for what happened last week versus the Crimson Tide to be corrected against the Owls. There will not be as many fans in the stands as there was last week. The fans are hoping to hear “Let’s Go USF” this week against the Rice Owls.
What do you think will happen in the USF vs. Rice game? Leave a comment below.
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For more follow me on Facebook: Bradley Louis Walker, on Twitter @bradwalker3083, and my weekly sports podcast: The Walker Report.
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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[…] a highly humid sky, the USF Bulls welcomed in the Rice Owls. This opened up conference play for both teams and the Owls came in with […]