October 31, 2026 | Football
GAME 8: Bulls vs. Blazers Title sponsor: LifeLink
Black Out Game
Giveaway: Black Out Themed Rally Towels (first 10,000 fans)
Raymond James Stadium (65,000) • Tampa, Fla. • Saturday, Oct. 31 • 12:00 PM
TV: ESPNU - Play-by-Play: Mark Neely; Analyst: Leger Douzable
RADIO: Q105FM & Bulls Unlimited (digital) - Play-by-Play: Jim Lighthall, Analyst: Joey Johnston Sideline: Rock Riley
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Trick or treat?
As the South Florida Bulls (5-2, 1-2 American) head into the season's stretch run with Saturday afternoon's game against the UAB Blazers (4-3, 2-1 American) at Raymond James Stadium, two options remain available.
Can the Bulls realistically contend for the first league championship in the program's 30-season history?
Heading into the weekend, the 14-team American had two teams unbeaten in league play — UTSA (7-1, 4-0) and North Texas (6-2, 4-0). The Bulls lost at UTSA on a last-minute touchdown and do not play North Texas. There are three teams (Army, Memphis, and UAB) with one league defeat and five teams (USF, Florida Atlantic, Temple, East Carolina and Friday night's Tulane-Charlotte winner) with two league defeats.
The Bulls beat Army and play UAB, ECU, Memphis, FAU and Tulane in the final five games. So, there is opportunity to play a role in reshuffling the standings.
The league's top two teams earn spots in the American Conference Championship Game. It's too early to realistically speculate where all of this could go, but the picture could get more clear after this weekend's games. With a large league where not every team plays each other, the tiebreakers will undoubtedly be a huge factor.
Almost certainly, the Bulls need to win out and finish 10-2, 6-2 for a shot at getting into the American's big game. And that starts with a Halloween matinee victory against UAB, when the Bulls will wear black-on-black in keeping with the game's "Blackout'' theme.
"We believe all of our goals are still in front of us,'' Bulls head coach Brian Hartline said. "But the most important thing is playing well in all aspects and taking care of the game in front of you, going 1-0 each week.''
"You've got some big-time matchups down the stretch — for us as well as other people,'' defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge said. "It's about controlling what you can control. Even if we were first in the conference right now, I'd be worrying about going one-and-zero this week. I've never been a big goals guy. It's more about standards and the process. We want to go one-and-zero each week. We'll count our chips when the game is over.''
Here are the keys for the Bulls to go one-and-zero on Saturday against UAB to keep alive their quest to stay in the American Conference mix:
1. Start Fast
It's a lingering issue. The Bulls have been held without a first half touchdown in four of their six games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, including both non-conference foes from the Mid-American Conference. You'd suspect an obvious correlation to success, although the Bulls had a pair of impressive first-quarter touchdown drives in the 31-24 defeat at UTSA on Oct. 8. But more often than not, playing from ahead is the desired path.
2. Take Advantage Of Opportunities
UAB's strength is defense. The Blazers are 31st nationally in total defense (allowing 316.6 yards per game). If that holds, opportunities might be limited. So, if the Bulls have a promising drive, they need to finish in the end zone. Both defenses are good. It figures to be a low-scoring game.
3. Force Some Mistakes
The Bulls need to make things easier on themselves by collecting some turnovers. They can change the trajectory of a game. We saw that in the 29-2 win against Kent State, when the 96-yard fumble return by C.J. Hicks got USF going in the right direction.
The Bulls have a plus-3 turnover ratio — not nearly good enough for a defense that prides itself on creating havoc. Particularly mystifying are the lack of interceptions. USF has gone six straight games without a pick after collecting two in the opener against FIU.
Against Kent State, we saw what the scoop-and-score could do. It's time for a pick setting up a short field and scoring opportunity.
4. Turn MVB Loose
Through seven games, the Bulls have largely been a close-to-the-vest offense, keeping things predictable and avoiding mistakes. Quarterback Michael Van Buren has 179 pass attempts without an interception, setting a program record for the best interception-less streak to start a season.
But in limited doses, MVB has also shown some big-time playmaking ability. The late rally at Army saw Van Buren turn it loose, making huge plays with his feet and arm. He has also shown a deft touch on long-pass attempts.
The statistics say the Bulls should have success on the ground. UAB ranks 121st nationally in rushing defense (allowing 190.6 yards per game and 4.43 per rush), while being much stingier against the pass (leading the FBS at just 126 yards allowed per game).
Coming off the bye week, Hartline said he and his staff decided to limit the play-calling sheet, cutting down the volume and concentrating on what the Bulls do really well. Van Buren is capable of making the big play, though, and that aspect shouldn't be ignored.
"It's taking advantage of what the defense gives you,'' offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "You try to attack the weakness of the defense. If it's throwing the ball deep, then we'll throw the ball deep. If it's not, because they're playing deep, they you have to attack them underneath.
"At the end of the day, the goal is to win the game. Winning football requires offense, defense and special teams. I see a lot of teams that are very high-octane offenses that are 3-5. I see a lot of teams with stellar defenses that are 3-5. It takes a collective effort. What matters is winning. We've run it, protected the ball well, used the clock smart for the most part. We need to score more touchdowns, no doubt about it. That's what we're trying to get now. We need to become more explosive.''
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
