USF Football: Looking Ahead To The Charlotte 49ers

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The USF Bulls head on to their second-to-last road game as they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to play the 49ers. This was the team the Bulls beat last year at home to become bowl-eligible. USF played the least motivated game that they played all year. In many eyes, they were unprepared while playing the Navy Midshipmen. They still have no timetable for when quarterback Byrum Brown will be back. Some have heard rumors that he might be transferring. The offense is not the same without him. The 49ers come into the game after being blown out by the Tulane Green Wave. Charlotte is 3-6 and needs to win the final three games to become bowl-eligible. The 49ers are coming into this game on a three-game losing streak. USF just had their two-game winning streak snapped.

The Charlotte 49ers, like the USF Bulls, have not had the best of seasons. Their record shows that. This game might be a little revenge game as the Bulls beat them in the season finale last year. The offense will have to do much better this week after only having 189 total yards last week versus the Tulane Green Wave. One advantage is that they like to run the ball and Navy had a very successful time doing that last week against USF’s defense. Charlotte’s defense will have to be much better they cannot give up 431 yards. They could not get off the field as Tulane was 11/17 on third-down conversions. Prior to the three-game losing streak, they won two in a row against the Rice Owls and East Carolina Pirates. Their other win came versus Gardener-Webb earlier in the year.

The USF Bulls come in with a 4-5 record. They must win two out of three to become bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons. Will this be the week that we see Bryum Brown come back? Look at the times when starting quarterback Bryce Archie had happy feet. He struggled to know when to run or throw the ball. The Bulls also had little to no running game last week. USF only had 60 yards on the ground. In the past games, they used the run to set up the pass which makes it harder to defend. The defense was tested last week with Navy’s triple-option offense. The Bulls will have an easier time on defense, but they need to play better. The entire team needs to step up and get back to .500.

The game will kick off at 3:30 PM EST. It will take place at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Both teams need this win. For the USF Bulls, playing better on offense and defense can win the game. If Byrum Brown comes back, they will win. They will also have to run the ball more. If they win the turnover battle they will get their fifth win. If they are unable to win, they will have to win the final two games to become bowl-eligible. Head coach Alex Golesh will get them back on track and take the blame for the recent struggle. We will all see on Saturday afternoon.

Can the USF Bulls bounce back against the Charlotte 49ers? Leave a comment below.

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