A crowd of 65,138 attendees witnessed USF give an elite opponent a tougher battle than expected in a 17-3 loss to No. 10 Alabama at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. 

The Crimson Tide (1-2) were 34-point favorites by DraftKings, but USF (1-2) was only a touchdown away from upsetting a top-ten team in the country for a majority of the game. 

USF football head coach Alex Golesh said that while he was proud of the team’s effort, the expectation is to win no matter who the opponent is.

“Valiant efforts are for losers, moral victories are for losers. That’s what losers say. Winners win,” he said.

The game will go down as a loss, but there are clear signs of progress the Bulls can build on.

USF’s defense kept upset hopes alive

Against arguably one of the most historically dominant programs in college football, The Bulls had one of their best defensive performances in years.

Alabama was held to 113 offensive yards, punted five times and didn’t score until two minutes remained in the first half. It was the first time the Crimson Tide had been held to 3 points or less in an opening half since a 24-22 four-overtime win at Auburn on Nov. 27, 2021.

The Crimson Tide’s 17 points were the fewest they have scored in a win since their 14-13 victory over Arkansas in 2014, according to Sports Reference. 

Senior defensive back Daquan Evans was a standout. He posted career bests of eight tackles and four tackles for loss. His three sacks on Saturday were the most for a USF player since senior defensive end Jason Vaughn had three against Tulane on Oct. 15, 2021

While the Crimson Tide was able to pull away in the second half, credit should be given to the Bulls’ defense.

Aggressive offense proved to be costly

USF struggled against Alabama’s defense, not even making it into the red zone through the game’s entirety. At times, the offense took unnecessary risks to put themselves in a scoring position.

Golesh said that while he doesn’t regret the aggressive approach, the execution could have been better.

“I don’t regret anything…we got to be aggressive, but we got to be smart. I don’t regret those, but obviously, I wish we should’ve executed both of those,” Golesh said. 

Their execution on offense proved costly. The Bulls only converted on two of their six attempts on fourth down. This also includes a fake punt attempt.

The game got away when, on first and 10 with seven minutes remaining, freshman quarterback Byrum Brown threw an interception on a pass intended for senior wide receiver Michael Brown Stephens.  

If they had played it safe, they could have chipped away at the lead by attempting field goals—or use their rushing attack to slowly creep up the field—to end possessions with some points on the board.

Bulls make standout plays to maintain momentum 

Despite the loss, the Bulls took advantage of the national stage and used big plays to keep the game competitive. 

Early in the first quarter, senior running back Nay’Quan Wright rushed up the middle and trucked an Alabama defender to keep the Bulls drive alive.

Wright said his mindset on that play was not to shy away from his opponent and wanted to set the tone early.

“That was my mindset coming out, to set the tone early. I don’t shy away from anything or anybody. So I just wanted to set the tone early,” Wright said.

The defense also made timely plays. In the second quarter, Evans recorded a sack to force Alabama out of the endzone and settle for a field goal.

In another play, Brown scrambled for 31 yards to move the Bulls inside Alabama’s 30-yard line and closer to scoring position.  

  Is this a stepping stone or a cliff?

While the Bulls aren’t taking solace in moral victories, their response could set the tone for the rest of the season.

In their last matchup against an SEC school, USF lost in heartbreaking fashion to then-ranked No. 18 UF 31-28. However, in their following game against Louisville, they took a significant step back by losing 41-3.

The Bulls can’t let history repeat itself as they open conference play on Sept. 23 against Rice. Golesh said the team will work on their offensive execution so they can win games in the future. 

“I know the perception is we’re a big-time underdog…but to me, it’s time we start winning those football games. And whenever our preparation meets the opportunity, we’re going to continue to grow so that we can win those football games,” Golesh said.