#60 South Florida Bulls Forward
Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it, which means you’ll have an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time on August and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand what to expect this coming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football preview.
#60 – South Florida Bulls 6-6 UB; 6-5 ATS
Fargo’s Take Defense wins championships and that will have to be the adage for South Florida this season. The Bulls ranked 79th in the country in both scoring and total offense a season ago and must replace more essential players than have returned. The leader in that departing class is running back Andre Hall, who rushed for 1,374 yards on 5.1 ypc while scoring 13 touchdowns. He was also the leading receiver in both receptions and yards, so replacing him will be next to impossible. The offense scored 13 points or fewer in five of its 12 games, including the shutout in its bowl game against NC State. Defense made up for things, ranking 17th in total defense and 14th in scoring defense and those rankings may need to be repeated to reach the postseason once again. There are some excellent prospects on this team, so depth could be a huge advantage late in the season.
Returning starters on offense – 7 Usually, the return of a senior quarterback can make up for the loss of an all-conference running back, but that’s not the case in South Florida. Hall was that good and quarterback Pat Julmiste is that bad. He completed just 49.2 percent of his passes last season while throwing for just 1,489 yards and six touchdowns while throwing 11 interceptions. He entered the spring as the No. 2 quarterback, but Carlton Hill, who was supposed to take over, did not perform well and Julmiste regained the top spot. Along with a new running back, three offensive linemen also need to be replaced so the running game, a stronghold last season, could struggle early on. The receivers are the most experienced and deepest unit, but getting the ball to them will be similarly problematic as last season. The offense could actually go off course in 2006.
Returning starters on defense – 7 The reason the Bulls are ranked as high as they are is because of a defense that should be the best unit in the Big East this season. Seven players are back, including six of the last seven, but that increases to eight with the return of safety Danny Verpaele, who was a first-year All-American but missed all of last season with a foot injury. Pass defense was 6th in the entire country and 16th in the most important pass efficiency defense category. ¾ of the defensive line needs to be replaced, but there is excellent experience to come and the best linebacking corps in the conference makes the run defense very strong once again. The Bulls allowed 16 points or fewer in seven games last year, including four of the last five, which should provide a huge boost heading into the new season.
Schedule Any lack of offense the Bulls have is made up for by a schedule that could put the Bulls back in the postseason. They start the season with two non-conference home games against McNeese St. and the Florida International before traveling to Central Florida and then Kansas. South Florida then kicks off the Big East roster with back-to-back home games against Rutgers and Connecticut before traveling to North Carolina for its final non-conference game. After a trip to Cincinnati, the Bulls host their final two conference games at home against Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The last two games are the main reason South Florida won’t win the Big East as they have to travel to Louisville and West Virginia to close out the year. A surprise in one of those could change that, but it’s not likely.
You can bet on… The talented and wealthy state of Florida has been very good to the Bulls as they have gone 34-21 since becoming a 1-A program in 2001 and have only had one losing season in that span. The defense is good enough to lead this team to another winning record and a second straight bowl appearance, but the offense needs to do its part along the way. South Florida is 12-5 ATS in its short history against non-conference teams, including a perfect 3-0 mark last season. Three of the four non-conference lineup games are on the road this season, where the Bulls are just 13-21 ATS. The defenses they’ll be facing in those games are going to be very good, so the offense definitely needs to put something together to keep the non-conference run against the number.
Leave a Reply