South Florida, Marshall put bowl success on the line
The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl features two programs that know how to come up with bowl wins.
South Florida (7-5) might have only six appearances since 2008, but under five different coaches — TJ Weist stepped in for Willie Taggart for the 2016 Birmingham win over South Carolina — the Bulls have gone 5-1.
Marshall (8-4) has been even more reliable, winning its last six bowls, including five in a row under Doc Holliday, and 10 of its last 11 dating to the 1997 Motor City.
Two other reasons to watch Thursday’s game:
❚ South Florida gets to play in its home stadium in Tampa, Florida, for its bowl game, and it’ll take all the help it can get after going on a five-game losing streak to sour a 7-0 start to the season. The Bulls beat just one team that’s going bowling over those first seven games, and all five losses came against strong teams off to get a bowl swag bag. The narrative for the entire season will hinge on this. The Bulls’ defense has been the biggest problem, especially against the run, allowing 245 yards per game and getting hit for 220 yards or more in six of the last seven games, plus 22 touchdowns during that span.
❚ This is the prove-it moment for Marshall. It lost to North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, and the best win was … Florida International? The Thundering Herd beat one bowl team, fattening up on a whole slew of Conference USA cupcakes. Beating USF — even a strug- gling USF — would make the year.
Key to the game: The Thundering Herd came up with 39 sacks with 87 tackles for loss. Against a shaky South Florida offensive line, Marshall likely will get into the backfield enough to stop the inconsistent attack. Marshall’s offense might not be anything special, but if it should get enough points early, then the Herd could rely on the defense to take over.