USF Football: 3 bold predictions for road trip to East Carolina

1. USF defense will pitch its first shutout of the season

Under new head coach Charlie Strong, the USF defense has improved with each passing week. The Bulls are ranked third nationally in rushing defense, giving up only 66 yards per game on the ground. They have been even better at stifling opposing aerial attacks, as the second-best team in the country in terms of opponents’ passing efficiency.

Last week against Temple, USF trounced their biggest nemesis in the AAC East. The Owls were held to a single touchdown, as the Bulls ran away with a 43-7 victory at home. Against an ECU team that has struggled to put points on the board, they will one-up the performance in Greenville on Saturday afternoon.

It has been nearly a decade since the Bulls last pitched a shutout, when they took down FCS Charleston Southern 59-0 in 2009. The last time they held an FBS opponent scoreless was all the way back in 2005, when they gave up zero points to Syracuse in their first Big East season.

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In Week 5, USF is going to rack up the sixth shutout in program history as they roll over the Pirates. East Carolina will manage fewer than 250 total yards of offense as they struggle to even get across midfield. While the Bulls will score more than 50 points, ECU’s side of the scoreboard will remain untouched.