Bulls' Losses are the Result of Four Different Screw-ups

I don't think anyone would disagree that USF would redo the entire past month if given the chance. After winning four games to start the season and climbing up to #14 in the polls, the Bulls dropped four conference games and are out of contention for the Big East title. Some might call it a bit of bad luck. Some may just call it a dry spell. Whatever it's called, it isn't good. And USF has themselves to blame. But what exactly lost those games for USF? After the jump, I'll look into the team's four losses and uncover what I think is responsible for each.

Pittsburgh, 44-17

The first half of this game looked relatively good. USF played well, running the ball efficiently, and entered halftime trailing by just a field goal. But the second half was a totally different story. USF gave up 34 second half points on the way to a 44-17 loss, their first of the season. But it wasn't giving up all those touchdowns that did the Bulls in. It was the horrible play of the offense. Aside from Sterling Griffin, who had 109 receiving yards on the night, no one helped out the passing game. The second leading receiver for USF was Ruben Gonzalez, who caught two passes for 22 yards. USF didn't get enough done on the ground either, as no running back broke 100 yards. I know the defense gave up a bunch of points, but the offense couldn't convert first downs, so they couldn't stay on the field.

Connecticut, 16-10

This is arguably the most disheartening loss of the year. USF's defense did everything right, not allowing an offensive touchdown all day. Offensively, the players did everything they were supposed to do. Aside from B.J.'s miscues here and there, he played well. Darrell Scott fumbled once, but he and Demetris Murray carried the ball well. So why did the Bulls only score ten points against a horrible UConn team? You can chalk that loss up to the coaching. It's no secret that Connecticut's secondary is one of the worst in the country, let alone in the league. So why did USF only record 164 passing yards? It wasn't B.J.'s fault. He has been playing smart with the ball all season long. Unfortunately for USF, Offensive Coordinator Todd Fitch refused to call passing plays when the Bulls had a chance to drive, and eventually his play calling got USF tied down with no other options near the end of the game. That's what hurt most about losing this game. That the players didn't lose it, the coaches did.

Cincinnati: 37-34

I know this loss hurts almost as much as UConn because it was Homecoming and USF was reeling after two straight losses, but trust me, this loss isn't nearly as bad as the Connecticut one. What makes this one a little easier is that we were beaten on the field this time. USF scored to take a three point lead with under two minutes to play, and it was all up to the defense. Unfortunately, USF's porous secondary got beaten for the entire drive, and Cincy ended up with a game-winning score with no significant time on the clock. A loss never feels good, but it's better that we got beaten on the field by a good team than beaten on the sidelines by a bad team.

Rutgers, 20-17

I know you all want to blame Bonani for flubbing the 27-yard field goal that would have won USF the game in the closing seconds, and that's natural, but it wasn't all his fault. The entire loss can be blamed on the horrible play of the special teams units. Punt returner Victor Marc had an entire game of bad punt returns, but the most damning of all was his muff on the USF 10 yard line when he should have just let the ball go. Then, after scoring, USF kicked off and allowed Jeremy Deering to score on the return. Maikon Bonani missed a field goal earlier in the game, which would have given the Bulls a cushion to their lead at the time. The interception in overtime wasn't B.J.'s fault, and the defense played an excellent game again.

I know, all losses are team losses, and no one person is responsible for losing a game. But it's pretty easy to pinpoint where exactly all these games went wrong for the Bulls. USF has no one but themselves to blame for the past month: Offense against Pitt, Coaching against UConn, Defense against Cincy, and Special Teams against Rutgers. But this is not as bad a football team as their record shows. And look at it this way, there aren't any more places for the team to screw up, so we've run out of ways to lose.