Bulls are healthy after bye week

TAMPA — The bye week benefited the USF Bulls, who appear as healthy as one could reasonably expect six weeks into a season.

Running backs and both of whom wore protective boots last week, were seen running post-practice sprints Tuesday. S who missed the East Carolina game with an unspecified ailment, also practiced.

And slot WR absent the last two games with what is believed to be a foot injury, will be available Saturday against Cincinnati, coach said.

A couple of offensive players confirmed Tuesday that the philosophy of some opponents toward QB has shifted a bit. If you can’t tackle him, taunt him. “People try to get in his head, and it’s gonna come with the territory,” C said, basically confirming the belief that opponents are talking more smack toward USF's dual-threat extraordinaire this year. “It’s like, ‘He’s a great player, so let’s see if we can break him down mentally.’”

So far, the efforts to rile up Flowers have been about as efficient as the efforts to wrap him up. Granted, he's averaging only 265.8 yards a game, nearly 47 shy of his average this time last year. But he's engineering a more run-heavy offense and a more balanced backfield.

Still, he's seventh in the American Athletic Conference in rushing (79.0 ypg) and total offense (265.8), and eighth in passing yards per game (186.8).

Darius Tice Cameron Ruff D’Ernest Johnson, Tajee Fullwood, Deangelo Antoine, Charlie Strong Quinton Flowers