Nov 73 min read

Bulls Look to Pull Off the Upset Against the Midshipmen

Bulls | Sean Atkins — © Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The South Florida Bulls (4-4, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) will take on the Navy Midshipmen (6-2, 4-1 AAC) on Nov. 9 at Noon EST in Tampa, Fla. The last time out, the Bulls defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls 44-21 in Boca Raton on Nov. 1. For the Midshipmen, they come off losing to Rice 24-10 on Nov. 2. It was their first loss in-conference and just the second all-year.

What is at Stake?

Both teams have just three games left to improve their records as best as they can. Navy is already bowl-eligible. They are also a longshot for the Group of 5 College Football Playoff spot that is still up in the air. Should they get to the AAC Championship game, they could have a path to fight for that spot. Looking at the rest of their schedule, it is certainly possible. They face both Tulane as well as Army, who are the only two teams ahead of them in the AAC standings. Winning against them will be crucial and put Navy back on track for the CFP spot.

For the Bulls, they are slowly but surely making their way back from a poor start to the season. After losses to Alabama and Miami and the injury to starting quarterback Byrum Brown, the Bulls have gotten themselves back and are looking to win yet again. A win against Navy puts them just one win away from being eligible for a bowl for the second season in a row with three games to go. All three of those games should be more winnable than this one. A win here is just the cherry on top.

Key Players: South Florida Bulls

The Bulls have been waiting for the return of Brown. However, they are not hurting in the meantime with backup quarterback Bryce Archie. Archie has led the Bulls to back-to-back wins against AAC opponents, Alabama-Birmingham on Oct. 19 and Florida Atlantic on Nov. 1. Archie had significant help from Bulls' running backs Kelley Joiner Jr., Nay'Quan Wright and Ta'Ron Keith. In the game against the Owls, all four (including Archie) had at one rushing touchdown. Reciever Sean Atkins continued his impressive season as he is now up to 42 receptions after the Owls game. He also scored his first TD in that matchup.

Bulls' Caqavouis Berryhill — © Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Defensively, the Bulls got a massive player back in Jhalyn Shuler, the defensive leader of the team against UAB. They will need him, linebacker Mac Harris and defensive back Brent Austin to be at their very best and lead the Bulls against the Midshipmen.

Key Players: Navy Midshipmen

The Midshipmen are led by quarterback Blake Horvath. Horvath is a dual-threat quarterback as he almost has as many rushing yards as he does passing (1,096 passing, 814 rushing), leading in both categories for Navy. Due to Navy's unique offense, it also has three other players with over 200 yards on the season, including fullback Alex Tecza. Tecza has 370 yards and 7 TDs on the year. In the passing game, receiver Eli Heidenreich has 551 yards and 5 TDs so far, leading the team.

Midshipmen's Blake Horvath — © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On defense, the Midshipmen are led by two monster linebackers, Colin Ramos and Kyle Jacob. The two lead the team in total tackles with Ramos at 92 and Jacob at 63. The duo also have forced several turnovers and Ramos has got a couple of sacks. They will certainly need to be contained by the Bulls come game day.