Following their 27-10 loss to the 19th ranked Wisconsin Badgers, the USF Bulls entered their bye week with time to prepare for maybe their toughest challenge yet of the 2014 season.
Through five games, the Bulls hold a 2-3 overall record and are 1-0 in conference play. The remaining seven games on the Bulls’ schedule are all conference matchups.
The Bulls will have their hands full Saturday night as they are set to face off against another top-25 ranked team, the East Carolina Pirates (4-1).
The Pirates are led by senior quarterback Shane Carden, who already has 15 passing touchdowns on the year. Carden and the Pirates offense are ranked sixth in the nation with 392 passing yards per game. The team also ranks ninth in the nation in “points for”, with 43.6 points per game.
Carden’s NFL draft stock continues to rise from week to week, drawing comparisons to Philip Rivers, but some Bulls defenders aren’t worried.
“Nothing special,” Defensive end Eric Lee said. “Just like any other quarterback. He’s short.”
Bulls head coach Willie Taggart jokingly questioned if Lee was referring to the Pirates’ backup QB, knowing Carden is not just “any other quarterback”.
Although the Bulls defense has 12 takeaways so far this season, their woes come on the offensive side of the ball from not being able to put points on the board in order to keep up with their opponents.
The Bulls have averaged 19.4 points per game this season, which ranks 113th nationally.
Offensive team captain and wide receiver Andre Davis will be welcomed back after sitting out since Week 1 due to a bruised sternum, which should boost the offense.
Without Davis, the receivers have struggled and the team is hoping to find Davis’ leadership on the field rather than the sideline. Davis is expected to hold other receivers accountable for their mistakes.
“We’re looking for guys that want to make plays,” Taggart said. “We can’t have young guys coming in and dropping balls too. We need guys to catch some footballs.”
Taggart said every day he hopes his team gets better and that they are looking to improve on “everything” moving forward.
“We’re not where we wanna be in any aspect,” Taggart said. “If we could just play consistently on offense I think we could have ourselves a really good football team.”
The Bulls give up an average of 29 points per game and should expect to see similar numbers against the Pirates.
“I feel like its just any other team, just like anybody else and we’re gonna give it our all,” Lee said. “And of course, we are gonna expect a win, just like we expect for any other game.”
