TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Bulls held Alabama to less than 200 yards through three quarters, came away with points in each of their red-zone opportunities, played a turnover-free game and recovered three fumbles.
The above reads like a recipe for victory. Unfortunately for the Bulls, mixed into the ingredients were a woeful 2-for-18 on third-down conversions and an otherwise stout defense was torched for 21 points in a 4:13 span in the back end of the fourth quarter. The late meltdown turned a one-score game (21-16) into a 42-16 defeat in front of a sellout crowd of 100,077 to cap a Saturday in Tuscaloosa when the Crimson Tide’s home venue was renamed Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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“There was a lack of execution throughout, which led to third-and-long situations,” said head coach Alex Golesh. “You get back three possessions on three fumbles and come out with 16 points. We were third-and-four, five, six-plus the entire game. That’s a hard way to live.”
Especially against the No. 4 team in the country. It is imperative to capitalize on marquee chances for the simple reason not many are likely to come.
The Bulls (1-1) took the opening kick and marched down the field and had a first down the Crimson Tide 12 and had to settle for a John Cannon field goal. Trailing 7-3 early in the second quarter, they had a first-and-goal at the nine and had to settle for another three points.
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After Alabama (2-0) took a 21-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Bulls could seemingly do no wrong on the ensuing possession when Byrum Brown’s arm and Nay’Quan Wright’s legs created another first-and-goal from the nine. Alas, another Cannon field goal was the result.
“That’s on me,” said Brown, on not taking advantage of such chances. “I need to get the offense going. There were some flashes of consistency, but we need to be more consistent throughout the whole game. We will get that right.”
Unfinished Business
After Cannon’s third field goal made it 21-16, the Crimson Tide went three plays and 75 yards to open a 28-16 advantage with 5:50 remaining in the game. That opened the floodgates as ‘Bama had three “drives” totaling six plays and 164 yards to more than open up that five-point lead.
“You play three-and-a-half quarters as good as you can play, especially defensively,” said Golesh. “I felt after we kicked the field goal that the bottom fell out. I couldn’t tell you why exactly. But it did.”
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That’s where things need to change if USF is to build something substantial on top of the foundation Golesh and his staff laid in 2023.
“The hope was, in the fourth quarter, we could go win the game,” he said. “That’s where we are right now as a program. That’s the last step of our growth, to go finish that game.”
Perhaps linebacker Mac Harris said it best: “We have to find a way as a team to go into that fourth quarter and finish it. Then, at that point, we will decide that we really want to flip this thing.”
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