USF Football: 3 things we learned from their win over San Jose State

The expectations have risen for Charlie Strong

The South Florida Bulls passed their first test of the 2017 season under head coach Charlie Strong but there’s sure to be more for them. It looked like the Bulls would implode when they went down 16-0 but instead they responded with a flurry.

They scored 42 unanswered points before the Spartans scored again in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Quinton Flowers was 11-for-22 with 212 passing yards and two touchdowns in the game. He also did work with his legs but he’ll need to start out better or the team won’t be able to save him from a 16-point deficit. 

South Florida had -10 yards and zero first downs early on in Strong’s debut. It was 16-0 on the scoreboard with the Spartans in the lead before the South Florida Bulls woke up. 

An interception by Nico Sawtelle with the Bulls down 16-7 was the turning point. South Florida drove 69 yards down the field in 12 plays to make the score 16-14. 

Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017

The good news for the Bulls is they don’t play a ranked team on the schedule for now. They could face a ranked opponent later on in American Conference play if the Cougars get hot, but other than that, their schedule has unranked opponents on it.