For the past few weeks, USF has been able to hang its hat on the fact that while much has gone wrong this season, it has maintained its bowl eligibility.
On this past Saturday, following a 31-20 loss to the Memphis Tigers, that ship has now sailed, reality has set in, and all that’s left for the Bulls is to spoil the fun of others.
Their opponent coming into Raymond James Stadium this Friday, the UCF Knights, have certainly had some fun this year, and for quite a number of years, as their 7-3 record secures bowl eligibility for a third straight year and fourth time in five years. Tucked away on the other side of I-4 in Orlando, the Knights have done a good job of producing pros and posting winning seasons, despite playing in the huge shadow of other in-state teams.
The longtime collegiate coach and current UCF coach George O’Leary may be best known in some circles as the guy who lied in an effort to get the Notre Dame job years ago, but he should be remembered more for being a coach who has turned a once bad UCF program into a consistent winner. That is not an easy task, given who they have to recruit against in the state of Florida.
However, this isn’t the 2013 Knights, who were led by future NFL quarterback Blake Bortles. That squad went 12-1, and went all the way to the Fiesta Bowl, and took down the Baylor Bears to grab the bowl victory. Many consider it to be one of the biggest upsets in the BCS era, and it propelled the team to a No. 10 ranking in the AP poll, the highest of all-time.
This current squad is continuing the winning tradition, but with Bortles gone to the Jacksonville Jaguars, its calling card is on the defensive side of the football. O’Leary’s squad is 12th in the county in points per game allowed, with 18.5.
For the Bulls to pull off the upset against the Knights, and give the fans who are skipping Black Friday to see some winning football, it will be a difficult task that will require more execution than has been seen for most of the year.
The Bulls would be well advised to give the rock to Marlon Mack as often as possible, as anytime he has the ball, it represents the best opportunity they have to gain good yardage as a team. Coming off a 102-yard game against Memphis, the freshman running back went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Obviously, against the defense he will be facing, this won’t be an easy task, but all it takes is for a few holes to open up at a few various points in the game, and if this occurs, it exponentialy increases the chances of a huge upset occurring.
Lining up under center will be Mike White, who took the majority of the snaps in the Memphis game, and he appears to be the guy moving forward in the final weeks of the season. Much of the fan base wants Quinton Flowers, but Taggart brought White into the game two weeks ago against SMU late, and has decided to stick with him.
USF coach Willie Taggart, a Bradenton native, knows about this rivalry, and not only is he possibly fighting for his job, there is also the motivating factor of potentially ending UCF’s shot at winning the AAC. Accomplishing that wouldn’t put to rest the questions that face the Bulls program, but it’s always nice to drag someone of prominence down with you if you have the chance.
Edited By: Ali Balchunas
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
