The USF Bulls got a dose of reality yesterday. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish gave the Bulls their worst loss in the program's existence. USF lost 52-0 and did not look good at all. I know that this is a noticeably young program with a rookie head coach. You see how far the Bulls have must go. The Irish are possibly a college football playoff contender. The game did not start off on the right foot. The Bulls committed a personal foul face mask penalty that moved the Notre Dame closer for a touchdown. In my eyes, it showed that we were totally unprepared. No matter what adjustments were made the Irish were one step ahead. The Bulls will have to find positives in a game that they were totally dominated in. Head coach Jeff Scott will have to go back to the drawing table after this game.
I watched a game like this one just one year ago. It was the season opener for the Bulls
as they were hosting the Wisconsin Badgers. Just like yesterday the Badgers came out and showed the Bulls were outmatched. I know that all of us fans are hoping for an Appalachian State upset over Michigan. It's funny sometimes when you watching a game at home and your team is not doing well you can just change the channel or walk away. When you are in the press box and covering a game, you must wait until the end of the fourth quarter. I was watching the game from home yesterday and once again I could not change the channel. It makes it hard when you are a fan of that team. The Bulls will be my team no matter what but after games like yesterday, it's hard.
Ian Book the quarterback of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a field day yesterday. He did not have a touchdown through the air, but he had three on the ground. Book capped off that opening drive with the first of three. One of the biggest aspects of the Irish's offense is the running game. I and my co-host Larry Frank talked on our Bulls Eye podcasts this past Tuesday night. The Bulls had to eliminate the big plays. They were unable to do that yesterday. When Notre Dame ran the ball, the backs would run over our defensive players. The Bulls had trouble making tackles and every possession the Irish scored. Even going into the half adjustments were made but it made no difference. The Irish fumbled a few times but were able to recover it and won the turnover battle.
Once, again on offense, the Bulls rotated quarterbacks. Just like against the Citadel three quarterbacks were used. The news that I heard is that Jeff Scott is trying to find his starter. In the end, I believe it will come down to Jordan McCloud and Noah Johnson. Neither McCloud nor Johnson threw for more than 64 yards yesterday. The offensive line once again was shorthanded, and it showed. They were both under pressure most of the game. In this game, Johnny Ford leads the way with 70 yards on six carries. That might have been the only positive aspect that you can take out of this game. Notre Dame defense was only on its heels a few times during the game. This one of those you want to forget as we move on to play Willie Taggert and the Florida Atlantic Owls. Taggert is a former USF coach.
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