FACTS & STATS: Site: Raymond James Stadium (41,441) -- Tampa, Florida. Television: Big East Network. Home Record: Cincinnati 4-0, USF 3-0. Away Record: Cincinnati 1-1, USF 1-2. Neutral Record: Cincinnati 0-0, USF 0-0. Conference Record: Cincy 1-0, USF 0-2. Series Record: Cincinnati leads, 5-3.
GAME NOTES: The Cincinnati Bearcats are red hot at the present moment and will look to continue their strong play when they head to South Florida to take on the Bulls in a Big East Conference bout at Raymond James Stadium.
Since falling on the road to Tennessee, the Bearcats have scratched and clawed through four consecutive wins. Cincy clobbered Akron, NC State and Miami-Ohio before having to battle through a tough matchup against Louisville. In that game, the Bearcats needed 18 unanswered second half points to slip past the Cardinals.
The Bulls are heading in the opposite direction. South Florida began the year with four consecutive victories, including a 23-20 decision over Notre Dame on the road. However, since the Bulls pounded UTEP, they have hit a wall, losing to Pittsburgh and Connecticut on the road. The recent setback to UConn (16-10) dropped the team to 0-2 in league play.
This series began in 2003 and since then these two programs have collided every year. As of now the Bearcats own a 5-3 edge over South Florida, but the Bulls were able to snap a four-game slid to Cincy last year with a 38-30 decision.
The Bearcats were not overwhelming in their last matchup, but they did just enough to get the win over Louisville. The offense stalled for much of the game, but over the last 20 minutes of action the Bearcats scored 18 unanswered points for the victory.
Zach Collaros had a gritty performance, as the quarterback only threw for 152 yards, but finished with a passing, and rushing touchdown. Isaiah Pead was the best player on the field for Cincy, as the tailback rumbled for 151 yards and one score on only 20 totes.
Pead has been the best player all year for the Bearcats and is currently leading the charge with 624 yards and eight touchdowns on an impressive 6.6 yards per carry average.
However, Collaros has done his best to make this a balanced attack as the signal caller comes into this matchup with 1,187 yards and 11 touchdowns against only four interceptions.
What has kept Cincy in the win column more than anything has been the play of the defense, which has been tenacious and relentless all year. The Bearcats have lived off of opponents' mistakes and come into this contest with 19 takeaways.
The defense only forced one turnover in the win over the Cardinals, but the Bearcats did record four sacks as well and held Louisville to just 4-of-16 on third down attempts. Pressuring the quarterback has also been beneficial for this unit, which now has 21 sacks on the year.
However, where this unit really excels is against the run, as the Bearcats are limiting the opposition to just 70.7 ypg. Cincy's success against the run continued against Louisville, as the Cardinals were held to just 70 yards on 2.1 yards per attempt. Derek Wolfe and JK Schaffer finished with 11 tackles and one sack apiece and this tandem has proven throughout the season to be dangerous, racking up 16 combined TFLs on the year.
The Bulls are one of the more run-oriented teams in the Big East and because of their 215.2 ypg average on the ground the team is producing 34.8 ppg. However, South Florida does not possess one main back, but instead relies on a few people to get the job done.
Darrell Scott is currently leading the team with 482 yards and five touchdowns, while quarterback B.J. Daniels is helping out with 322 yards and four scores.
Daniels however, has given this team balance by averaging 243 yards per game through the air. Unfortunately that was not the case in the team's recent loss to Connecticut, as the signal caller was intercepted twice and finished with just 164 yards. However, the quarterback did lead the ground attack, rushing for 64 yards and the team's only touchdown.
This was a tough loss, especially for the defense, which did not allow a touchdown against UConn. The Huskies' lone score came from their defense, and the rest of the points came from UConn's kicker. South Florida surrendered just 253 total yards and forced two turnovers in the setback. The Bulls also sent plenty of pressure against UConn's quarterbacks and in the end they tied a school record with seven sacks.
Two of those sacks came from Ryne Giddins, who is now tied with Julius Forte and Claude Davis with three sacks apiece on the season. It was without question the best showing by the front line all year, which now has 22 sacks through six games.
Expect a low-scoring affair in this matchup, because both teams have above average defensive units. South Florida has been inconsistent at times though and should have its hands full with Collaros and Pead. Look for the Bearcats to escape the Sunshine State with a narrow victory.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cincinnati 20, South Florida 16
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