Photo courtesy of usfathletics on Instagram.
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The University South Florida Bulls lost 45-10 to the Tulane Green Wave in a heavy defeat.
As a result of losing to Tulane, USF enters a much-needed bye week before facing the University of Memphis Tigers.
“A lot of credit to Tulane. That’s a really good football team, well-coached… I got to own us looking the way we did because it wasn’t good,” USF head coach Alex Golesh said.
The Bull’s offensive struggles started early, with two critical turnovers in the first half derailing any momentum USF tried to build. A fumble and a sack-fumble cost the Bulls two crucial possessions, and Tulane capitalized by scoring 17 points off turnovers.
It has been a persistent issue for USF to protect its quarterback. This season, the Bulls have allowed six sacks, continuing their trend.
USF’s starting quarterback Byrum Brown left the game in the third quarter after suffering a leg injury, forcing backup Bryce Archie to step in. Despite the lopsided score, Golesh expressed confidence in Archie’s readiness to lead the team.
“Bryce is more than ready. He’s waited for this opportunity… and we’ll get him ready to go,” Golesh said, also noting that Brown’s injury status would be evaluated once the team returns to Tampa.
Tulane’s offense was led by quarterback Darian Mensah. He connected with running back Mahki Hughes for a 5-yard touchdown and wide receiver Dontae Fleming for a 15-yard touchdown in the first half. A key element of Tulane’s dominance was Mensah’s ability to exploit USF’s secondary.
Defensively, the Bulls struggled to contain both the run and pass games, allowing Tulane to score on every red zone opportunity.
“The explosive passes absolutely killed us… giving up 200 yards rushing, obviously not it,” Golesh remarked, acknowledging the defense’s inability to stop Tulane’s versatile attack.
USF managed only 111 rushing yards of their own, failing to establish any consistency on offense.
“We haven’t run the ball like we need to. We haven’t protected the quarterback like we need to. We haven’t sustained drives like we need to…We got to go back. We got to get healthy. We got to figure out exactly what the heck it is, and that’s on me to figure out, and I will,” Golesh stated.
The Bulls will have a chance to regroup during the bye week before its Homecoming game at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Raymond James Stadium.
