By By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
TAMPA — Brian Hartline’s first victory as USF’s head coach proved something important about his football team.
The Bulls can win even when their offense doesn’t play well. That was not always the case during the Alex Golesh years.
USF opened the Hartline era with a 19-9 victory over FIU on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bulls protected the football, created three turnovers, played strong defense, and leaned heavily on kicker Nico Gramatica.
They did almost everything necessary to win, except consistently move the football.
The Bulls finished with only 208 total yards, including 100 through the air.
FIU outgained the Bulls 381-208, ran more plays and produced five more first downs.
The Bulls won anyway. That is the encouraging part.
The concerning part is that USF cannot expect that formula to keep working, beginning Saturday at Army.
“You don’t want to beat yourself in Week One,” Hartline said. “We had a couple of drives and opportunities, but we kept shooting ourselves in the foot, whether it was simple M.A.’s and execution, a penalty, or a drop. Those things will add up. We’ve got to clean them up.”
Hartline is right.
A season opener featuring 62 new players and 19 new starters was never going to be flawless.
USF was breaking in a new head coach, a new quarterback, a new offensive system, and nine new offensive starters.
But 208 yards cannot become the standard.
It was the second-lowest offensive total USF has produced while winning a game against an FBS opponent.
The only lower mark came in 2003, when the Bulls gained 192 yards in a 21-16 victory at Memphis.
That is not the kind of history Hartline wants his offense making.
The Bulls did not beat themselves
There was still plenty to appreciate about the performance.
USF committed no turnovers and was penalized only four times for 30 yards.
Michael Van Buren completed his first five passes and finished 11 of 18 for 100 yards without an interception.
The offense didn’t provide many explosive plays, but it also didn’t hand FIU easy points.
Opening games can become strange, especially for teams with this much roster turnover.
Missed assignments, communication problems, and unnecessary penalties can erase months of preparation in a few hours.
The Bulls avoided the catastrophic mistakes.
“The backs didn’t put the ball on the ground,” Hartline said. “That’s a big part of the job description. You’ve got to be experts in ball security, and they were tonight.”
USF has now won 17 of its last 19 games when forcing at least two turnovers.
That is not a coincidence. When the Bulls protect the football and take it away, they give themselves a chance, even when the offense is stuck in neutral.
That is exactly what happened against FIU.
Defense and special teams rescued the offense
The defense created the opportunities. Gramatica turned them into points.
Tayvion Beasley’s third-quarter interception changed the game. With USF leading only 6-3, Beasley jumped a receiver screen and returned the ball to the FIU 35.
The Bulls took advantage.
D.J. Crowther carried eight times during the ensuing nine-play drive, eventually scoring on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. It was USF’s only touchdown of the night.
Amarion Fortenberry later recovered a fumble at the FIU 36, giving the Bulls another short field. Tavin Ward added an interception later in the fourth quarter.
USF’s defense allowed 301 passing yards, but most of those yards came underneath.
The Bulls held FIU to 80 rushing yards and kept the Panthers out of the end zone until the final play, when the outcome had already been decided.
Gramatica did the rest.
He made field goals from 37, 53, 30, and 29 yards, tied his career high with 13 points, and extended his streak to 11 consecutive successful field-goal attempts.
His 53-yarder was the sixth field goal of at least 50 yards in his USF career, extending his school record.
Having a dependable kicker is a tremendous advantage. But even Hartline acknowledged the danger of continually settling for three points.
“Every time you’re kicking a field goal, you’re that much closer to letting somebody back in the game,” Hartline said.
Gramatica saved USF against FIU. The Bulls should not ask him to do it every week.
The offense needs more answers
USF’s passing attack rarely threatened FIU downfield. Van Buren averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt, and no Bulls receiver finished with more than 28 yards.
The running game was not much better. USF gained 108 yards on 35 attempts, an average of 3.1 yards per carry.
The Bulls also struggled when the field became compressed.
Three fourth-quarter possessions began in FIU territory following turnovers. Those opportunities produced one touchdown and two field goals.
That was enough against FIU. It may not be enough against the better teams on the schedule.
The good news is that USF does not need to reinvent its offense. It needs to execute the offense Hartline and coordinator Tim Beck built over the offseason.
That means improving assignments up front, creating more opportunities for the receivers and giving Van Buren enough time to push the ball downfield.
It also means finding ways to get playmakers into space instead of asking the offense to grind through every possession.
Van Buren deserves time. This was his first start at USF in a new system with mostly new teammates.
He managed the game, avoided the reckless mistake, and became the 12th Bulls quarterback to win his debut.
USF brought in Van Buren because of his talent and Power Four experience.
The Bulls need him to stretch defenses, create explosive plays, and turn favorable field position into touchdowns.
Winning bought USF time—but not much
The best thing about Saturday night is that USF gets to correct its mistakes after a victory.
Too many Bulls teams from recent years found creative ways to lose games like this.
This team remained patient, played complementary football and trusted its defense and special teams.
A crowd of 41,847—including 9,873 students—watched Hartline earn his first victory as a head coach.
USF extended its home winning streak to eight games and began a new era with the result everyone wanted.
But the schedule leaves little time to celebrate.
Army rushed for 338 yards in its opener against Bryant. The Black Knights will shorten Saturday’s game, control possession and make every USF offensive opportunity more valuable.
Against Army, three-and-outs will place enormous pressure on Josh Aldridge’s defense.
Field goals might not be enough. The Bulls must sustain drives and finish them in the end zone.
USF proved it can win without much offense.
Now Hartline must make sure it does not have to try again.
