Coming off a devastating 35-point drubbing against the Miami Hurricanes, the USF Bulls (2-2) will go for a pivotal win against AAC conference rival Tulane Green Wave (2-2) on Saturday, 12 P.M US EST, at Yulman Stadium.
USF will enter the match as a +5.5 points underdog not only because they lost big to Miami but Tulane had played exceptionally well against ranked teams like Oklahoma and Kansas State before coming through with a decisive win over the University of Louisiana last week.
Regardless, crazy things happen in football. USF might be heading into a tough battle with Tulane, but they have the tools to score a big intra-conference win on the road.
Here are the three areas that USF must take advantage of to pull off an upset against Tulane this Saturday.
Opening conference play in NOLA 👊#ComeToTheBay | #StayInTheBay pic.twitter.com/ZkA1GwfBaE
— USF Football (@USFFootball) September 24, 2024
USF Must Regain Rushing Prowess
Before their match against Miami, USF had ranked inside the top 20 in rushing yards per game through the first three weeks. Obviously, Miami gave them a hefty dose of reality check as the Bulls only ran for 62 yards with their leading rusher, quarterback Byrum Brown, held to just 27 rushing yards after posting 254 rushing yards through the first three weeks.
USF still ranks in the top 25 in rushing yards per game (217.0) despite their off-game last week. They have a golden opportunity to regain their identity as a rushing team against Tulane since the Green Wave is allowing opponents to cover 170.5 rushing yards per game this season.
The Byrum Brown Show Continues
Byrum Brown, depending on his current status, has the potential to cause damage to Tulane due to his ability to make plays with his arm and feet. Brown still leads the Bulls in rushing with 281 yards entering week 5. Again, Tulane has struggled to stop teams with talented rushing backs such as Kansas State and Oklahoma.
This game is where Brown will be vindicated for his bad effort against Miami. This is the same man who rushed for 108 yards against Alabama, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he torched Tulane and led his team to a road victory. The injury that forced Brown to exit in the fourth quarter of USF’s game against Miami is certainly concerning. Still, head coach Alex Golesh assures everyone that his quarterback is recovering ahead of schedule.
Offensive Line Must Step Up
Byrum Brown has been sacked 3.8 times per game this season, which makes USF’s offensive line among the worst in college football. Brown’s injury against Miami may have been caused in part by the offensive line’s failure to protect their quarterback, placing the quarterback under tremendous strain and at risk of sustaining a major injury.
In order for Brown to be a more dangerous offensive threat against Tulane, the offensive line must do a much better job in shielding their quarterback from harm’s way. Tulane isn’t a terrific pass-rushing team with 1.8 sacks per game, so there’s no reason for USF’s O Line not to perform well in this important game.
