USF Football: Looking Ahead To The Navy Midshipmen

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The USF Bulls return home for this upcoming week. They are coming off a win over the FAU Owls. The two teams do not like each other as the head coaches during the handshake did not see eye to eye. Coach Alex Golesh shook his hand and moved on which upset head coach Tom Herman. Herman charged after Golesh, but he shook hands with the other FAU players and walked off the field. This stemmed from last year when the Owls while having a big lead performed an onside kick. They have moved on and welcomed the Navy Midshipmen. Navy is on top of the conference with its fellow rival the Army Black Knights. The Midshipmen come into this game with back-to-back losses. They occurred against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Rice Owls. This is a big game for both teams.

The Navy Midshipmen run the triple option offense which can be confusing to opposing defenses. The style is also used by the Army. Until the Notre Dame game, it helped Navy score many points. They did not score under 34 points before their two losses. One of the factors that have hurt the Midshipmen is turnovers. In the game against Notre Dame they turned it over five times versus Rice they had two more. The high-powered offense that scored many points also struggled with total yards. When the offense struggled the defense also had issues. The Fighting Irish scored 51 points and Rice put up 24 points. Both sides of the ball will be tested but the USF Bulls. If the Navy once to win the game, they will have to make sure they do not turn the ball over.

One of the biggest questions for the USF Bulls is when quarterback Bryum Brown will return. For the last two weeks, Byrce Archie has been at the helm and USF won. Last week versus the Owls they struggled early but once the second half started USF came out and dominated. Most USF fans have been looking at the Navy game as one that they probably would not win. That has changed the Bulls have won two in a row and Navy has lost the last two. USF’s defense has been better the last two weeks that could be because they are gassed by the fourth quarter. It will be tested versus the Midshipmen. They will have to limit the possessions and stop them on third down. This is a game that USF can win, and it would mark the second time in two years they won this game.

This will be the first time this season the USF Bulls will have a noon kickoff at home. Earlier this year they had one on the road versus the Tulane Green Wave in which they lost. This is the second to last home game as two weeks from now they will play the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes as the final home game of the season. This game is bigger for the Bulls who are at .500 with a record of 4-4. Navy after this game has two games they may not win versus Tulane and Army. The Tulane game will be very important, but they need more conference wins as each team does. Look for the game to start off slow but intensify and should be a good game like last year’s was.

What do you think will happen between Navy and USF? Leave a comment below.

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