Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
Playing time: 20:15 MDT
Spread: -23 (BYU)
Head Coach: Jeff Scott
Scott begins his second season at the helm of South Florida. He inherited a program where very few things worked in their favor. It will be some time before Scott turns the program around. You are in the middle of an intensive renovation. He worked with Clemsons Receivers from 2008 to 2019 and was Co-Offensive Co-ordinator from 2015 to 2019.
Previous season 2021
The Bulls come to Provo with a 1-2 record. Their only win came last week against FCS enemy Florida A&M. The past two weeks have seen brawls from NC State and Florida with a combined score of 87-20. South Florida hasn’t defeated an FBS team since October 26, 2019.
USF shuffles through two quarterbacks, but head coach Jeff Scott named freshman Timmy Mcclain to start the game in Provo. He leads the team with 372 yards of passing, 23 for 46 with a touchdown and two interceptions. He is also a threat with his legs as he has 78 yards of rushing too.
If anything works for USF, it’s that they played against two high-quality Power 5 teams earlier this year. They have been tested against the toughest competition college football has to offer.
Returning starters: 18 (9 offensive, 9 defensive)
Team ranking 2021
Scoring offense: 114.
Total offense: 113.
Passing Yards: 109th
Rushing Yards: 73rd
Scoring Defense: 112th
Overall defense: 126.
Permitted Pass Yards: 105th
Rush Yards Allowed: 125th
Penalty: 52.
Greatest strength Running backs
Three running backs have more than 80 yards for USF so far. Jaren Mangham is at 82 yards but also tackles the entire team with five touchdowns while no other bull has more than one. Brian Battie arrives after a 110 yard performance against Florida A&M averaging 11 yards per carry. Darrian Felix has five catches from the backcourt.
Biggest weakness – Run Defense
USF ranks in most categories on either side of the ball in the 100s, but the most egregious is the Bulls ranked 125th in Rushing Yards. The Gators stormed for 363 yards and three scores. NC State was 293 yards on the ground.
BYU was supposed to exploit this weakness with Tyler Allgeier, one of the physically strongest runners in college football. Lopini Kotoa is also said to help with the running game. This running-back duo has combined 431 yards so far this year.
Jaren Hall is also a threat with his legs. He should be able to find space to run and move the sticks if necessary.
Best player – Xavier Weaver
Weaver leads USF at 218 yards while the closest receiver is 64 yards. He’s got size at 6-foot-1 and speed to boot. He also has the benefit of experience with 17 games under his belt at USF.
How BYU can win
Frankly, BYU will win if they don’t beat themselves. They’re a much better team on the list. The spread is 23 points, which suggests a significant talent and / or trainer gap. However, any team can lose to anyone if it comes out sloppy and flat. The BYU must immediately establish dominance with a violent running attack. In defense, they need to shake up the novice signal caller early on. Rarely does a much better team lose to a much inferior opponent if it minimizes penalties and ball losses. Just don’t do what Arizona State did in Provo last weekend. BYU does exactly that and they should not only win, but cover the enormous spread. `
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