A soldout crowd and clear skies served as a backdrop for USF football’s spring game on Saturday.

The roster was split down the middle, and teams were picked through a draft for the game. The White team beat the Green team 10-7. 

Related: USF football’s spring game is back. Here are four things to watch.

The score may not count in the record books, but Bulls coach Alex Golesh called the afternoon the culmination of a “productive” spring season.

“We’re a lot deeper than we’ve ever been,” Golesh said. ”certainly a lot more competitive than we’ve ever been. We’ve got a long way to go as probably every coach in the country says, but I genuinely think we’ve got a recipe to have to have a foundation for a good football team.”

While it may be hard to make genuine takeaways, here are notable things The Oracle saw. 

What a difference a year makes

This spring, there seem to be fewer question marks on the Bulls roster than exclamation points.

For Golesh, last year was about laying the foundation; this year, it’s about focusing on the intricacies.

“Last year we got here there was such a long figuring out [process of] who’s who?” Golesh said. “Can I trust them? Can I not?… I would say everybody that came back has taken a monumental step.”

Senior cornerback Amaris Brown-Bunkley said the main difference between the team at this same point last year was how bonded they were.

“Last spring, coach Golesh and the staff students came in, and they were still trying to lay down the foundation and bring us together as a group,” Brown-Bunkley, who had five tackles on Saturday, said. “After going through the season together and taking that next step forward… we’re closer as a program.”

The quarterback room

Presumptive starting quarterback Byrum Brown saw limited action on Saturday, completing all three of his passing attempts for 13 yards.

Golesh said the sophomore has continued to grow throughout the 15 spring practices. He’s now 221 pounds and noticeably looks the part. He will also benefit from having a year of experience under the offensive system.  

“He’s taken this spring and tried to build confidence within the rest of the offense, and he’s doing a much better job leading,” Golesh said. ”He’s doing a much better job of being vocal. It’s just been a really confidence-building spring for him.” 

Related: ‘I try to dominate in everything I do,’ says USF two-sport athlete Bryce Archie 

The rest of the quarterback room still got decent shine. Sophomore Bryce Archie, who in his spare time is a pitcher for the baseball team, completed five of his 14 passes for 51 yards. Israel Carter totaled 123 yards and a touchdown on 12 of 23 passing attempts. 

“I think when you haven’t played a ton in front of a crowd, as the rest of that room really hasn’t done…you want some distraction,” Golesh said. “And you want to allow guys to go play, manage a game and make plays. Byrum has done that for 15 games now. It was really good to get those other guys an opportunity.”

Improved tackling

Golesh also said tackling was a “point of emphasis” during the spring, and it showed on Saturday. Both teams combined for 22 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The best example of this emphasis was graduate lineback Jhalyn Schuler.

Shuler was a bright spot for the Bulls’ defense in 2023 leading the team in tackles with 97. On Saturday, he totaled 12 tackles, four pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 

“Oh man, even before we got pads on, we were still…working on our technique,” Shuler said. “And then when we strapped it on, we tackled — especially with the linebackers — every day.”