For USF, it was always going to come down to November. November would be the test; four big games with huge consequences. New coach Brian Hartline had said this program should be better than it was in the past, that it had not lived up to its potential. Under Alex Golesh, USF had played pretty well; 9-3 in his final season last year. Hartline promised more, and November would indicate how much more was there…
East Carolina can be troublesome. It is not the best team in the American but it is not the worst, either. And that’s where November started for the Bulls, a game at East Carolina that would set the tone for a home game against Memphis, always a powerhouse in the American, and then a trip to upstart FAU. The November finale would be against Tulane, up and down and, most people think, not playing to its potential.
But that was a long way away. East Carolina held the key to November and it looked like the Bulls had unlocked the door until the last play of the game, when the Pirates stunned USF with a 55-yard field goal as time expired to steal a 20-17 win.
So now, the pressure is on. The offense has been inconsistent all year and that showed up again in the loss to East Carolina, and the defense, which has played well for the most part, is susceptible to allowing late scoring drives. Memphis, which has beaten USF five straight times and is hot on the trail of an American Conference championship, will come in confident, ready to exploit any doubts that have crept into the players’ minds after the disappointing defeat at East Carolina.
Hartline says his team has put East Carolina in the rear view mirror. “How’s the mood of these guys? Really good,” Hartline said before the Memphis game. “I mean that was probably my biggest concern, you know, the conversation that was had between the team and the leadership group. But that’s been awesome. That’s probably your biggest concern,” Hartline repeated.
“You know, in this day and age the reality of it is you got your team and you got your goals and you also still have individual goals,” Hartline said. “You want to make sure there’s not a splintering. You have to understand that individual goals align with team goals and if you have goals, whatever they are, they’re typically aligned with having a good football team.
“So you see a whole lot of all-conference football players or guys getting opportunities at the next level who are on bad teams” Hartline continued. “It all works together and I think, in this day and age, it’s very easy to turn away from that and get individualized and very self centered. It’s just natural.”
The only way to prevent that, according to Hartline, is to establish a culture that makes individual achievement subordinate to the higher team goals, for the players to take pride in what they’re building. “I think there’s a lot of guys that are in their last year of eligibility that really take pride in building the foundation for what’s going to happen moving forward,” Hartline remarked, referring to USF.
“And then there’s a bunch of guys who want to be here next year, that want to take the next three or four games to the next level,” he added. That would build momentum for next season and give the team confidence that what Hartline is trying to do will work.
Still, there are some problems here. This team is still struggling. It has not shown it can compete consistently with the best teams in the league, and it needs proof of concept. Winning out would provide that, but winning out will be extremely difficult with Memphis and then FAU providing major road blocks.
So far, Hartline has not lived up the expectations he encouraged prior to the start of the season. He needs a strong finish; some of the fan base is already restless, disappointed. He has not reached the standard set by Golesh, let alone improved on it.
If this team slips to 6-6 or 7-5, there will be no carry over to 2027 and the opening of a new stadium, which has energized the fan base and raised expectations of better things to come. The next three weeks are very important for Hartline, the players and the administration because they will signal which way this program is headed. Up, or down.
