USF Bulls: A Very Successful 2023 Season

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It has been over five years since I got a chance to write a USF Bulls season review with a bowl game involved. The Bulls have struggled since 2018. The team has had four different coaches during this time. In 2022, the last season under Jeff Scott, they only won one game. Shortly after, he was let go and athletic director Michael Kelly hired Alex Golesh. In the beginning, many thought this was the second coming of Scott. Golesh started by hiring his coaching staff and bringing in the humble attitude that made 2023 special. In just four short games into the season, the Bulls had two wins which was better than 2022. Entering the final two weeks they had five wins and needed to win one of the remaining two games. USF won the last game and became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018.

In the first half of the 2023 season, the USF Bulls were at .500 (3-3). The first three games were out of the AAC. They would start the road against Western Kentucky. This game was back and forth but their youthfulness showed. The next game was their home opener against the FAMU Rattlers. The Bulls should have easily won this game, but it was closer than it should have been. The biggest game as far as the team that opposed them happened in week three. Their opponent was the Alabama Crimson Tide. This game started well for the Bulls who were hanging with the Tide until a rain delay stopped the momentum. The Tide are now in the college football playoffs that start tonight. USF lost 17-3. This is the game that changed the matrix of the 2023 season.

The next two weeks started the conference games. One of the newest members of the AAC was their opponent, the Rice Owls who were big favorites to defeat the USF Bulls. The Bulls used what they did against the Crimson Tide from the week before and they defeated their first Division I team since 2018. The next time was the first road game against the Navy Midshipmen. Just like in the previous game, they were heavy underdogs. They never beat the Midshipmen on the road. The Bulls got their third win and things were looking up. The following week the game was against the UAB Blazers and head coach Trent Dilfer. In this game, the start was big play after big play but in the end, the Blazers won 56-35 which gave the Bulls their third loss of the season.

As the second half of the season started it was the homecoming game against the Florida Atlantic Owls. The Owls controlled the game right from the start all of three sides of the ball. But at the time we did not know that we would see the Owls stadium. The next game was on the road against the UConn Huskies who were once in the conference. The game was close, but unlike in 2022, the Bulls pulled off a win, which was the fourth of the season. At this point, many thought could the Bulls get to six wins and get to a bowl game. The next game came after the USF bye week. That would be a road game against the Memphis Tigers who have been a nemesis of USF for the last few seasons. This game could have gone either way, but Memphis won in the end.

That meant that in the final three games, the USF Bulls would have to win two out of the last three. The good news is that two of those games were at home at Raymond James Stadium. The first would come against the Temple Owls. This game was close, but the defense stood tall in the end and the Bulls got their fifth win. The final road game of the 2023 season came in San Antonio against the UTSA Roadrunners. The Bulls played a good first half but in the second half, the Roadrunners were the better team and won 49-21. The final game came against another new member of the AAC, the Charlotte 49ers. There was never a time in this game when the Bulls were not going to win. As the clock ticked down to triple zeros in the fourth quarter the stadium erupted.

The celebration started as the players dumped Gatorade on head coach Alex Golesh. The sixth win guaranteed a bowl appearance. They would get an invite to the Roofclaims.com Boca Raton Bowl. The game occurred in Owl’s stadium home of the same Owls that dominated the Bulls early in the year. Their opponent in the Boca Raton Bowl was the Syracuse Orange. Everything that could go wrong for the Orange did. The USF Bulls set an NCAA record with the largest shutout win in bowl history. The Bulls also had Bryum Brwon and Sean Atkins set individual season and program records in the bowl game. It would be the first bowl win since 2017. The Bulls also announced they will be opening an on-campus stadium in 2026. It looks like the program is starting to come out of the dark days.

What are your thoughts on the 2023 USF Bulls season? Leave a comment below.

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