USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - Forget about the Notre Dame victory, if you can, for a moment.

While you're at it, forget about the tough loss at Pitt.

Focus solely on this week because now is the time when you're really going to find out what this USF football team is made of.

The Bulls savored the taste of sweet success through the first four weeks of the season and caught an abrupt uppercut on the chin in a nationally televised loss to the Panthers the last time out.

"The only way we get rid of that pit in our stomachs is to turn and get a win this weekend," head coach Skip Holtz said Tuesday.

That means going into Connecticut on Saturday and clawing out a victory over a Huskies team that comes in with a very misleading record.

"You can't look at them and say, 'Well, they're 2-4,' " Holtz said. "They've lost some really close football games and they're three plays away from sitting here saying they have the same record that we do."

Look at the landscape across the Big East and you'll find a game like this is no gimme. The same Pitt team that beat the Bulls went into Rutgers and suffered a crushing 34-10 defeat last week.

That puts us in the land of confusion when trying to predict what's going to happen next in a conference that has never had a winner go undefeated.

"Everybody keeps talking about parity in this league. Every football team can line up and beat anybody and I think you have to be prepared," Holtz said.

Whether UConn is 2-4 or 6-0 and a BCS bowl team like it was a season ago, the Bulls have to play like they're going up against a defending national champion on Saturday.

"I think it's important for us to get back on the right foot," Holtz said.

When asked about what it will take for USF to rebound, defensive coordinator Mark Snyder's reply was perfect: "Be who we are."

Thanks to an open date, USF has had plenty of time to rediscover its identity. Holtz and his staff have gone back to the drawing board to fix mistakes, and the team went through a three-day marathon of game-type situations last week to get on the right page.

"I think the players are excited to get back into a game mode," Holtz said. "I think they're tired of hitting each other, kind of like at the end of camp."

Call the first five games a dress rehearsal to the crucial part of USF's season that starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. What we saw in the Bulls' previews up to this point is a team that has struggled against the run at times.

It's gut check time.

The thing UConn has always done well is control the ball on offense thanks to a physical running attack. 

"We have to do a better job stopping the run, especially this week with the challenge we have with Connecticut," Holtz said.

Holtz, Snyder and USF weren't scratching their heads during the bye week, clueless about how they can fix the problem. They know what has to happen and all these extra reps in the past week could help the defensive unit turn over a new leaf.

"I think we need to be more aggressive, especially with our linebackers. We have to get more into a stop the run first," Holtz said.

Go back to the tape and you'll find USF has had great success running the ball at a clip of 223 yards per game. We'll see if that holds true against a Huskies defense that is holding its opponents to 74 yards per contest.

"They stop the run. They're going to outnumber you (on the line)," Holtz said.

Controlling the run game on both sides of the ball will go a long way in showing what this USF team is capable of. Still, there is one more open box on the checklist that has to be answered on USF's personality profile and Saturday is exam time.

Snyder looked back on the Pitt experience and saw the Bulls were lethargic at times on the field. When it comes to energy, the Bulls better bring it at UConn and they definitely have the right fire starter in place.

"The two choices you have are to stick your head in the sand and say, 'Oh well,' or turn, roll your sleeves up and say, 'Let's compete,' " Holtz said. "Right now I think they are competing."

Wipe your minds clean of the first five games because Saturday is the time when we'll find out if a team full of potential has the makeup of a Big East contender.

"They know it's going to be a heavyweight fight," Holtz said.