Opponent preview: What to know about South Florida ahead of Boca Raton Bowl
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Since Syracuse’s win over Wake Forest to clinch a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl, excitement has brewed around the program. The Orange hired former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown to become their new head coach and his impact has been immediate.
SU picked up former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and former Texas A&M edge rusher Fadil Diggs in the transfer portal and has the 11th-best Atlantic Coast Conference team transfer portal composite score on 247Sports. Recruiting-wise, Brown and his new staff, which includes former Aggie defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, have moved up to 46th nationally among all teams, picking up four-stars including edge rusher KingJoseph Edwards and tight end Jamie Tremble.
But with all of the increased interest in the program, the players and coaches, especially the ones who are outgoing, remain focused on playing against South Florida of the American Athletic Conference on Thursday.
To win their first bowl game since 2018, the Orange will be without Garrett Shrader, who underwent shoulder surgery following the regular season’s conclusion. Without Shrader, SU defensive end Caleb Okechukwu and offensive lineman Christopher Bleich said they have to tune out the surrounding noise, even if it’s exciting.
“You got to block out the noise, got to get away from your social media, even if it’s good news,” Okechukwu said. “It’s nothing wrong with peeking at it. But getting away, shifting your mind back on what’s important, and that’s the game we got tomorrow night.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Syracuse’s bowl opponent:
All-time series
South Florida leads 8-2.
Last time they played
The Orange and the Bulls faced off in an early season matchup at the Dome in year one of the Dino Babers era after both teams left the Big East. Syracuse jumped out to a 17-0 lead after two Eric Dungey touchdown passes and a field goal. But South Florida responded with 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. USF running back Rodney Adams scored three times during that period.
After trailing by double digits heading into the second half, SU only mustered a field goal before the Bulls scored three more times to hand Babers his first nonconference loss as head coach at Syracuse.
The Bulls report
South Florida is appearing in its first bowl game since 2018, when it lost to Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl. But under first-year head coach Alex Golesh, the Bulls notched a 6-6 record, registering two more wins than previous head coach Jeff Scott had in three total seasons. USF also limited future playoff team Alabama to just 17 points on a rainy day at home.
Under Golesh and first-year offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, the Bulls finished the regular season with the fourth-highest scoring offense in the AAC behind Memphis, North Texas and UTSA. Its offense has hummed with quarterback Byrum Brown, who was one of two quarterbacks in the country with over 3,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards. The other signal caller to share that distinction was Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.
Defensively, the Bulls don’t play to the level the offense does, as they are the fourth-worst scoring defense in the AAC. Although they have the second-most interceptions in the AAC, the Bulls allow the fourth-most first downs in the conference. Even as Syracuse is without Shrader, Dan Villari and Lequint Allen Jr. have the opportunity to generate explosive plays.
How Syracuse beats South Florida
Along with Villari and Allen Jr. gashing the Bulls on the ground, the Orange will have to be efficient in the passing game without Shrader. To be clear, SU doesn’t have to pass a lot. It just has to make a few passes that go for big gains without detrimental turnovers. With Villari and Braden Davis, who is listed as SU’s starting quarterback, Syracuse can surprise South Florida with some deep throws. But don’t expect to see a quarterback duel.
On the other side of the ball, the Orange will have trouble stopping Brown. He is going to be one of the more elusive and impressive quarterbacks they face. Having a quarterback spy on him will help, but having two men covering wide receiver Sean Atkins will be essential. This game could come down to a one-possession game — the Orange’s last three games of the season ended that way. But if there is enough left in the tank to make explosive plays, then Syracuse can head into the offseason with even more confidence for 2024.
Stat to know: 84.7
South Florida has needed Byrum’s mobility to complete plays because the offensive line has done more harm than good. The Bulls’ linemen have an 84.7 pass-blocking efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus.
The metric measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed. USF’s mark ranks third-worst in the AAC, and 21st-worst in the FBS. Additionally, the Bulls have allowed the most sacks in their conference, giving incentive to pass rushers like Okechukwu and linebacker Derek McDonald to get after Byrum.
Player to watch: Sean Atkins, No. 38, wide receiver
A crucial part of how Byrum became a 3,000-yard passer was through his connection with his top receiver. Brown described the relationship with Atkins as “1738,” the numbers of the two players, and called him “Mr. Reliable.”
After four seasons with the Bulls where he didn’t reach over 300 receiving yards, Atkins is 39 yards from becoming the first South Florida receiver to record 1,000 yards. Atkins has acknowledged this season as being his best, but with the vast improvement in statistical output, has he done anything differently?
“Honestly, I haven’t done anything different. It was just having a coach that believed in me and (gave) me confidence,” Atkins said.
