USF Football: Reeling Bulls take on Marshall in Gasparilla Bowl

USF football meets Marshall for the first time ever this bowl season. Here is what to watch for in this year’s Gasparilla Bowl from Tampa.

For the first half of the season, South Florida looked like they were back on track for another run at challenging War on I-4 rival UCF for the AAC East crown in 2018. Charlie Strong’s team went 7-0 before a 57-36 blowout at Houston set off a five-game losing streak that sent the Bulls back to fourth in the division.

Now they basically get another home game as they face Marshall in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Playing on their home field, South Florida will have a largely partisan crowd on their side. The Bulls and Thundering Herd are meeting on the football field for the first time ever.

Marshall finished second behind Middle Tennessee in the C-USA East standings, with defense making the difference for Doc Holliday’s team this year. The Thundering Herd ranked in the top 20 nationally in takeaways, with 11 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions over the course of the regular season. But the offense coughed up even more giveaways, putting the Herd into the negative in turnover margin.

What success the Bulls have had on offense this year is largely dependent on a couple of transfer students. South Florida quarterback Blake Barnett spent time at both Alabama and Arizona State before coming to Tampa, while running back Jordan Cronkrite was a Florida Gator originally. The duo has been a large reason for the Bulls maintaining any semblance of their attack after losing Quinton Flowers at quarterback and backfield stars D’Ernest Johnsone and Darius Tice.

Both the Thundering Herd and the Bulls are motivated to go out on a high note in their bowl, even if the destination isn’t that novel for USF. Here’s how you can watch the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl between South Florida and Marshall:

Date: Thursday, Dec. 20
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa, Fla.
Venue: Raymond James Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

To win on Thursday in Tampa, the Thundering Herd need to win the turnover battle against South Florida. Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Green has to avoid throwing an interception, and he will need to make sure that every trip into the red zone counts. Getting a defensive touchdown would also help bolster their chances of prevailing in the Gasparilla Bowl.

South Florida needs to avoid penalties, as flags have proven costly throughout the regular season. The Bulls also need to protect Blake Barnett, after allowing nearly three sacks per game during the course of the regular season. Flipping the field position on punt returns will also be a valuable contribution for a team that has struggled on special teams this year.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Marshall -2.5
Over/Under: 55

Prediction

South Florida has been in a tailspin, while Marshall won five of their last six games prior to the make-up game against Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale. The Thundering Herd are going to come out swinging, building up a big first-half lead. While the Bulls will chip away at that lead after the intermission, time will run out on their comeback bid.

Final Score: Marshall 34, South Florida 30