USF Faces Uphill Battle at Florida: Sustained Drives, Turnover-Free football Critical for Upset Bid
GAINESVILLE, FL – the university of South Florida Bulls travel to The Swamp Saturday to face the University of Florida Gators, seeking a rare road victory against a formidable SEC opponent. While a win won’t come easy, USF head Coach Alex Gordon identified two key areas crucial to the Bulls’ chances: extending offensive drives and eliminating costly mistakes.
Long scoring drives are paramount, not only to build offensive confidence but also to potentially quiet the anticipated energetic Florida crowd. ”Moving the chains is everything,” Gordon stated. “We’ve got to stay on the field. We put a lot on our defense (against Boise State). We can’t play for spells of time where we’re not moving it or staying on the field and putting our defense in a bad spot. We just can’t.”
Avoiding turnovers will be equally vital. USF’s performance against Boise State – zero turnovers - set a high standard.Gordon emphasized the importance of self-discipline, stating, “You’ve got to learn how to not beat yourself. If you can learn how to not beat yourself, it makes it hard, generally, to get beat.” He noted that despite the clean sheet, ball security issues were identified on film and require immediate correction. “The no. 1 thing we’ve got to do to give ourselves a chance every single week is taking care of the ball. Our players know it.It has to be personal.”
Quarterback byran Brown has been instrumental in protecting the football, currently boasting 204 consecutive pass attempts without an interception - trailing only Marquel Blackwell’s program record of 235 set in 2001. Brown attributes his success to smart decision-making. “It’s just a matter of being smart, not forcing anything and knowing where to go with the ball,” he said. “You never want to beat yourself by giving the ball back to the other team.”
Penalties also fall under the “avoid mistakes” umbrella. USF demonstrated advancement in this area against Boise State, committing just one penalty for 5 yards in the second half after six flags for 51 yards in the first. While a fully error-free game is unrealistic, minimizing mistakes will be essential for the Bulls to remain competitive against the Gators.
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