When USF took the field against Memphis on Saturday, just two days following Hurricane Milton, it seemed like football could be the last thing on anyone’s minds. 

Entire neighborhoods in Tampa were flooded. Hundreds of thousands were without basic necessities, such as power and gas.

Bulls coach Alex Golesh said players and coaches lost homes and pets. 

“Usually, I don’t have a problem with what’s right or what’s wrong,” Golesh said following Saturday’s game. “I had a sick feeling in my stomach the entire time, are we doing what’s right?”

Related: USF football game rescheduled due to Hurricane Milton

Saturday’s 21-3 loss against Memphis was one that ventured far into unknown territory. 

The Bulls were moved to a stadium that wasn’t their own with just two days notice. They were missing their starting quarterback. They were advised to not even return to their own university. 

Many of Camping World Stadium’s 60,000 seats remained empty. The crowd of 3,365 was sparse, hollow, even. 

It’s a hollowness that reflects the “hurting” of a community living through two major hurricanes in just two weeks. Despite the circumstances, Golesh commended his team for finding a sense of focus in the face of the storm. 

Related: USF Tampa before and after Hurricane Milton

“I never imagined the way our whole community is hurting,” Golesh said. “The whole western part of our state is hurting, but I give our kids a lot of credit. I asked them to stay focused through a lot this week and what they’re going through… and they did that.” 

USF football evacuated homebase for Orlando on Tuesday afternoon, braving the mass exodus of Gulf Coast residents fleeing to safety on I-4. More than 5.5 million were urged to evacuate their homes, according to the New York Times. 

Golesh said the Bulls moved around 120 people – including players, coaches, operations personnel and family members – to hotels in Orlando.

“There’s no playbook,” he said. “You’re doing whatever you think is best… what’s best for these kids. That’s my job, to make sure these kids are safe.” 

Nevertheless, they persisted. It may have been the Bulls’ third straight loss – but football was played. If anything, it’s a sense of normalcy in a week that’s left millions reeling. 

“This is probably the hardest week I ever had in terms of being a leader, being a husband, being a father,” Golesh said. 

The Bulls honored their city on Saturday with a special helmet decal – an emblem that read “Our City” over an outline of Florida. 

For Golesh and the Bulls, the past couple of weeks have been nothing short of chaotic. 

But as USF football returns back to Tampa – a city scarred by Mother Nature – the team will continue to look ahead. 

“We’ll keep plugging through,” Golesh said. “We’re safe, we have food, and we’ll continue on.”