South Florida Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers Football Preview

For some unknown reason, the Pittsburgh Panthers started out as a betting favorite against the South Florida Bulls this past Sunday in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. That reality didn’t hold true for very long. The wisdom of the masses can often be fallible, but it’s hard to dispute the instincts of the crowd in this particular case. When the Big East season begins with this Thursday night fight under the lights, it’s hard to see how Pittsburgh will find the formula needed to claim an upset win.

Yes, it’s not common for South Florida to be a clear road favorite in the Big East against a team other than Rutgers. However, the boys from Tampa are clearly in the catbird’s seat as they prepare for a pigskin passion play against Pitt. South Florida’s offense, which has been so noticeably balky and error-prone over the past few seasons, has emerged from September with a fully-functioning juggernaut. Quarterback B.J. Daniels isn’t making the silly and entirely preventable blunders of seasons past; the upperclassman is finally performing up to his vast capabilities. Fleet-footed and strong-armed, Daniels has the skill set of a top-tier quarterback, and in a second year of instruction under new head coach Skip Holtz, Daniels is – at long last – emerging the way everyone in Tampa thought he could.

The results speak for themselves.

South Florida didn’t run wild in its season opener against Notre Dame, but the Bulls dug out a hard-earned 23-20 win because Daniels didn’t commit a boatload of turnovers. The Bulls watched Notre Dame’s quarterbacks implode and sneaked away with a road win as a result. Ever since that game, Daniels has been much more than just a game manager tasked with avoiding a fatal error. The junior signal caller has led his team to at least 37 points in three straight outings. The 37-7 win over Ball State in week two, which might not have seemed all that impressive at the time, looks a lot better now that Ball State has soared to a 3-1 record on the strength of a 27-point smackdown of Army. South Florida is averaging just over 45 points per game, which puts the Bulls 10th in the United States. That’s a remarkable statistic given the defense-first nature of this program over the years. Former coach Jim Leavitt emphasized defense, and Holtz usually places most of his emphasis on that side of the ball as well. Daniels’ emergence is surprising precisely because USF’s best attributes were supposed to be on the other side of the ball.

While things are pleasantly improving in the Sunshine State, they’re declining in the Keystone State for its resident Big East school (soon to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference). Pittsburgh has been punched in the gut the last two weekends. The Panthers blew a 24-3 lead and lost at Iowa on Sept. 17. Last weekend, they shut down Notre Dame’s offense through three quarters but then allowed Irish quarterback Tommy Rees to hit 10 of 11 fourth-quarter passes and power the Golden Domers to a 15-12 win at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh is allowing opposing quarterbacks to hit 50 of 66 passes in the fourth quarter this year. The Panthers are spirited and competitive, but they simply can’t close the sale. It’s hard to see how Pitt will find answers in the fourth quarter this time around; moreover, if B.J. Daniels continues to shine for South Florida, it’s hard to see how this game will be particularly close when the fourth quarter comes calling.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer