Keys To The Game: Bulls at Black Knights
September 12, 2026 | Football
GAME 2: Bulls at Army
Michie Stadium (36,000) • West Point, N.Y. • Saturday, Sept. 12 • 12:00 PM
TV: CBS Sports Network - Play-by-Play: Jack Gordon, Analyst: Taylor McHargue, Sideline: Tina Cervasio
RADIO: Q105FM/Bulls Unlimited (digital) - Play-by-Play: Jim Lighthall, Analyst: Sam Barrington, Sideline: Joey Johnston
South Florida Game Notes
Army Game Notes
Hartline Tuesday Presser
WEST POINT, N.Y. — On the banks of the Hudson River, at an historic and recently renovated 103-year-old stadium, surrounded by tradition and patriotism on the 25th anniversary weekend of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and the nation, the University of South Florida Bulls will open their American Conference schedule with plenty of potential distractions.
Coach Brian Hartline's Bulls (1-0), coming off a season-opening 19-9 victory against the FIU Panthers, must focus on a formidable task.
The Army Black Knights (1-0) rushed for an absurd 569 yards in a 59-3 season-opening victory against over-matched Bryant University, but that's beside the point. Army, which won the conference championship in its first season as a member of the American Conference (2024), is capable of running any defense out of the stadium with its precision-based triple-option attack.
The earliest conference opener in South Florida history will be one of the program's most stern tests.
"I don't think there's a whole lot of scheming (necessary),'' Bulls' defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge said. "It's really about fundamentals and tackling. It's old-school … in a good way. That's what fires me up. It's more of how you're going to play with great pad level, understanding angles and footwork and those types of things. We've got to take the ball away. A turnover this week is like a turnover times three (on other weeks). A three-and-out is as good as a turnover.''
"They're one of the better football teams in our conference,'' Bulls' offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "They play really hard and they don't beat themselves. You have to go there and you have to beat them. They play with a lot of pride. Those are pretty good characteristics of a good football team.''
Bulls' safeties coach Danny Verpaele, a former South Florida player (2004-08) who coached at Army the past three seasons, said he's excited for the opportunity. He fondly remembers living on the academy grounds, like all the other coaches, not once needing to lock his front door. "Like going back in time,'' he said. He's anticipating an unmatched atmosphere of 4,400 Army cadets behind the South Florida bench, creating the urgency and fervor of a big game.
"They (Army) do what they do and they're very good at it,'' Verpaele said. "They get guys there for four to five years in the system and develop them. No one runs that type of offense anymore. It's hard to simulate it. They're pros at what they do.
"I told our guys it's going to be the most physical, violent game you're ever going to be a part of your entire life. So, if you're not interested in that, then probably don't get on the airplane.''
Here are the keys for South Florida to win its conference opener and begin the season 2-0 at venerable Michie (pronounced Mike-EEE) Stadium:
1. Take Advantage Of Every Opportunity
When Beck was head coach at Coastal Carolina in 2023, the Chanticleers played at Army.
"We ran four plays in the first quarter … 7-7 game,'' Beck said.
Army plays keep away. It routinely executes double-digit play drives. It moves the chains. It bleeds the clock.
Coaches love to maximize their possessions because, naturally, that means more opportunities to score points. Facing Army's offense can be excruciating because the Black Knights routinely shorten the game. Fewer possessions mean fewer opportunities.
So, the Bulls must cash in … early and often. Turnovers are bad. Punts are bad.
"We've talked about that a lot,'' Beck said. "We're going to get limited chances, limited touches on the football. We have to make third downs count. We have to score touchdowns in the red zone. Those are things we didn't do last week (against FIU).
"The emphasis this week has been to make sure we score. Not just put points on the board. We've got to put touchdowns on the board. We have to correct that because Army milks the clock and uses every second it possibly can.''
Patience is a pretty good byword.
"It's like a boxer,'' Beck said. "He doesn't come out and just start throwing haymakers all the time or he's going to get knocked out. Slowly, it's jab, jab, jab. Wait for that opportunity to take that hit. You kind of approach it the same way offensively at times.''
2. Show Discipline
Army's triple-option offense, led by quarterback Cale Hellums, might seem tricky. But there's no trick in defending it. South Florida's defenders must stay at home, do their job, not let their eyes get fooled, exercise maximum discipline. Seemingly, all simple stuff. But the Black Knights lull you to sleep, then get you off-kilter to force poor footwork or bad leverage. Sometimes, that's all it requires to give Army a winning edge.
"They find ways to get hidden yardage in the game,'' Aldridge said. "You might stop them for 2 yards, but you look at it and they actually got 4 yards. That adds up. They go for it on third and fourth down so much. They're very consistent and regimented in what they do. That's how their process works and they're really good at it.
"You've got to stop the run, obviously. They ran for about six football fields last week (against Bryant). Not only stop the run, but you've got to be physical and consistent. It's not one of those deals where you stone them on first down, then you get to pin your ears back next down. You have to do it over and over and over and over again. Embrace that it's a four-quarter game and embrace that it's a four-down mentality. You can't be surprised when they go for it on fourth down. We should be surprised if they don't go for it on fourth down. More than anything, it's just a mindset of wrapping your mind around what you're about to go face.''
3. Make Some Explosive Plays
Against FIU, the Bulls won despite gaining only 208 yards and making zero explosive plays (the long gain was 14 yards).
Obviously, that must change.
There were no breakaway runs from running backs Jason Collins Jr. or D.J. Crowther (and no backfield sightings of holdover runners Alvon Isaac, Chase Garnett and Tray Kinkle). Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. was 11 of 18 for 100 yards and no interceptions. He missed on a couple of downfield throws, but his receivers also dropped a few passes.
With a new coaching staff and dozens of new players, Beck said there was purposefully a "limited plan'' going into the first game and it will evolve each week. On the positive side, the Bulls had only four penalties and zero turnovers, both areas "we can build upon.''
"As an offense in general, you could tell it was our first game,'' Beck said. "At times, we needed somebody to make a play — a throw, a block, a catch, a run, whatever it was, and we didn't get that. But for the most part, we were able to at least change the field and play complementary football.
"Mike (Van Buren) mastered Game One and mastered the things we asked him to do. Now you can add to it and hope that as he continues to grow — Week Four, Week Five, Week Six — he's got a lot (to work with). There are a lot of internal things that you all don't know about — and we certainly don't speak about — that were really, really good and I was proud of him for that. He missed two throws he would like to have back that would've kept us on the field. But for the most part, I thought he did really well.''
4. Get The Early Lead
Or put another way … don't fall behind.
Last season at Navy, when the Bulls were in the College Football Playoff standings and had a clear road to the American Conference Championship Game, the Midshipmen took a 24-9 lead into halftime. The Bulls, although twice cutting it to a three-point margin, were chasing the entire afternoon and lost 41-38.
Last season, Aldridge was defensive coordinator at East Carolina. The Pirates rolled to a 21-0 lead against Army and won 28-6. The Black Knights were limited to a pedestrian 290 total yards, but Aldridge said a large part of that was forcing Army to play from way behind.
"We held Army to six points,'' Aldridge said. "But I think a huge part of that game was not putting pressure on our offense. We got up early on them and it kind of changes what they've got. We started fast and they didn't move the ball (in some early situations). We rose up when we needed to and won the game.''
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
