USF football takes its 4-0 record into a hostile environment on Saturday when they head on the road to face East Carolina. Can the Bulls stay unbeaten in Greenville?
USF football has been at once dominant and disappointing through the first month of the season. Though they sport a 4-0 record and look like one of the best bets to land the Group of Five bid into a New Year’s Six bowl, South Florida has also sputtered at time thanks to the lackluster quarterback play of veteran Quinton Flowers.
A preseason dark-horse pick for the Heisman race, Flowers has done everything possible to play himself out of contention for the award. Despite playing against marginal competition to open the season, Flowers is averaging less than 200 passing yards per game. He has also been bottled up on the ground, with only one 100-yard rushing performance at this point of the year.
The Bulls have managed to remain undefeated in large part because of a strong backfield tandem in D’Ernest Johnson and Darius Tice. The duo has ably replaced standout tailback Marlon Mack this season, combining to run for nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns in the first four games this season.
East Carolina suffered three straight losses to open the year. The first, against defending FCS national champions James Madison, was followed by defeats against West Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Pirates finally got a win in Week 4, taking down Connecticut 41-38 in the conference opener for both teams. They will now hope to play spoiler against their divisional foe in early Saturday action.
Here’s how to watch Saturday’s game between USF and East Carolina:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Greenville, NC
Venue: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBS Sports
Keys to Victory
It would be easy to say that Quinton Flowers needs to get better. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, as the Bulls keep winning despite the mediocre play of their star quarterback. And East Carolina has been equally bad at defending the run as they have the pass, meaning that Flowers won’t be required to beat the Pirates with his arm on Saturday.
It will be important, however, that Flowers successfully runs the read-option on the ground. He will need to put up another 100-yard rushing performance to keep ECU from keying in on Tice and Johnson in the backfield. More importantly, the Bulls will need to clamp down on ECU quarterback Thomas Sirk and keep him from gaining any confidence passing the ball. If he gets in a rhythm, it could be dangerous for the USF secondary.
For ECU, they will need to be near-perfect to pull off the upset against a loaded USF team. One of the nation’s most penalized teams needs to cut back on the yellow flags to have any chance at home. They also need to do a better job of protecting the football, after conceding nine turnovers in their first four outings.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Sportsbook Review
Point Spread: USF -23
Over/Under: 78.5
Prediction
As more than a three-touchdown favorite, USF needs to get off to a hot start and pull away by halftime. With strong rushing performances by both of its primary backs as well as Flowers, that should be no problem. ECU is conceding nearly 275 rushing yards per game, and the Bulls could come close to that mark before the intermission.
Flowers will come close to 300 passing yards, but South Florida will focus more on running the ball and controlling the clock after they get a big lead. East Carolina will cough up at least three turnovers in this contest, ruining any chances they might have of pulling off the upset on their home field.
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Charlie Strong’s team will move to 5-0 with another dominant prime-time performance. Flowers won’t get any closer in the Heisman race, but the Bulls will keep pace with San Diego State in the hunt for the New Year’s Six berth given to Group of Five champions. USF will cover the spread by halftime and run away with another massive blowout win.
Final Score: USF 59, East Carolina 17