GAME 4 PREVIEW: Matchup at USF could be sneaky tough for Miami, with Bulls returning explosive pieces on offense

CaneSport is taking a deeper dive inside Miami’s games this season, and today we have your breakdown of Game 4 at the University of South Florida:

MIAMI AT USF, SAT., SEPT. 21, TAMPA, FLA., TIME TBA

GAME PREVIEWS: FLORIDA … FLORIDA A&M … BALL STATE

OVERVIEW

These are the kinds of games that in the past a Miami fan couldn’t quite pencil in as a win, right? Because the Canes have tended to play down to the level of some of these not-great opponents … or Miami simply didn’t have a real good team. So it’ll be very interesting to see if the Canes, coming off games against two very subpar opponents in Florida A&M and Ball State, are able to do what they should against the AAC’s Bulls , and that means win in a blowout. A caveat here is that even though USF was 7-6 last year (a big jump up after winning just one game in 2023) and doesn’t have Miami’s level of talent, the team did only lose to Alabama by 14 points last season and thrashed Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl, 45-0. The team is on the rise under Alex Golesh, who took over for last season, and the team ranked no. 17 in offense (451 yards per game) and had its first home winning record since 2018 and first bowl win since 2017. So Miami can’t really overlook this game as a sure win like the Canes can for the prior two.

THE PERSONNEL

USF returns starting QB Byrum Brown, who set several school records in 2023 when he threw for 3,292 yards with 26 TDs with 11 interceptions while completing 64.6 percent of his passes. He also led the team in rushing with 809 yards and 11 more TDs. He and Jayden Daniels were the only two FBS players that had over 3,000 passing yards and 800 rush yards. So yes, Miami will need to contain Brown. The team’s top receiving threat is also back – Sean Atkins had 92 catches for 1,054 yards and seven TDs. Purdue’s Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen is also on board after he had 329 yards on 25 receptions with six starts last year before injury ended his season. The run game is led by former Florida transfer Nay’Quan Wright, who ran for 797 yards and eight TDs in 2023. The team also has back four offensive linemen with starting experience. So the offense that ranked No. 17 in yards and No. 32 in scoring could pose some challenges for Miami.

On the other side of the ball? The team has back some solid personnel led by DT Rashad Cheney (42 tackles, 8.5 TFL), DE Tramel Logan (8 TFL, 1.5 sacks), LB Jhalyn Shuler (team high 97 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks), S Jaelen Stokes (61 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INTs), CB Tavin Ward (38 tackles, 2 INTs) and CB Aamaris Brown (40 tackles, 2 INTs). A big loss here was Daquan Evans and his 63 tackles, 14 TFL and 4 sacks. Also keep in mind this was a unit that struggled and was No. 115 in the nation in total defense for a reason. There just aren’t a lot of game-changing guys on this side of the ball, and USF went to the portal for help here and needs some of those guys to pan out. Among that group is Youngstown State safety D’Marco Augustin (34 career starts and last year had 22 tackles with 1.5 TFL and 2 pass breakups).

QUESTION MARK AREAS MIAMI CAN EXPLOIT

This is a team that finished last year ranked No. 115 in the nation in total defense and No. 129 in passing yards allowed , giving up 29 TD passes. So while USF has some pieces on offense that can make you worried, this is a defense that a team like Miami should be able to put up a lot of points against. It was an inconsistent group at all levels that Cam Ward should be able to pick apart. And while the offense put up some big numbers a year ago, the team also allowed 43 sacks, so that’s something that should perk up the ears of Miami’s defenders.

GAME DIFFICULTY RATING FOR MIAMI

This isn’t going to be the pushover it seemed when USF finished with a 1-11 record two years ago. Golesh has done a nice job rejuvenating this program, and while USF doesn’t have near the talent level of Miami it’s still a team that can make life difficult with a talented dual-threat QB and some pieces on offense that will be able to generate explosive plays. This could be one of those games Miami will need to win 45-28 or thereabouts. And if the UM offense falters here or there then it could be one of those nailbiters that haven’t gone the Canes’ way against subpar opponents in the past … so Miami can’t overlook this one. Our game difficulty rating, with 10 representing Miami’s most difficult game vs. FSU and 1 the easiest against FAMU, would be a 6.0.

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