# 2021 South Florida Bulls football team

The 2021 South Florida Bulls football team represented the University of South Florida (USF) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by second-year head coach Jeff Scott and played their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This season was the ninth for the Bulls as members of the American Athletic Conference and 25th season overall.

## Staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at South Florida | Alma mater |
| Jeff Scott | Head Coach | 2 | Clemson (2003) |
| Glenn Spencer | Defensive Coordinator / Safeties | 2 | Georgia Tech (1987) |
| Charlie Weis Jr. | Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | 2 | Kansas (2015) |
| Allen Mogridge | Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Line | 2 | North Carolina(1999) |
| Cam Aiken | Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator | 1 | Clemson (2013) |
| George Barlow | Cornerbacks | 1 | Marshall (1990) |
| Bobby Bentley | Wide Receivers/Pass Game Coordinator | 1 | Presbyterian (1990) |
| Da'Quan Bowers | Defensive Line | 2 | Clemson (2019) |
| Daniel Da Prato | Special Teams Coordinator | 1 | Louisiana–Monroe (2003) |
| Xavier Dye | Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator | 2 | Clemson (2010) |
| Ernie Sims | Linebackers | 2 | FSU (2006) |
| Brad Scott | Chief of Staff | 2 | South Florida (1979) |
| A.J. Artis | Director of Football Strength & Conditioning | 1 | Campbell (2015) |
| Brandon Roberts | Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach | 2 | Middle Tennessee State (2009) |

## Preseason
### American Athletic Conference preseason media poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021. Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Cincinnati | 262 (22) |
| 2 | UCF | 241 (2) |
| 3 | SMU | 188 |
| 4 | Houston | 181 |
| 5 | Memphis | 168 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 153 |
| 7 | Tulane | 132 |
| т-8 | East Carolina | 85 |
| т-8 | Navy | 85 |
| 10 | Temple | 46 |
| 11 | South Florida | 43 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | at NC State* | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ACCN | L 0–45 | 52,633 |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 13 Florida* | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ABC | L 20–42 | 66,646 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida A&M* | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPN+ | W 38–17 | 29,475 |
| September 25 | 10:15 p.m. | at No. 15 BYU* | LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT | ESPN2 | L 27–35 | 60,217 |
| October 2 | 4:00 p.m. | at SMU | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPNU | L 17–41 | 23,355 |
| October 16 | 11:00 a.m. | Tulsa | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPNU | L 31–32 | 21,767 |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPN+ | W 34–14 | 25,430 |
| October 28 | 7:30 p.m. | at East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC | ESPN | L 14–29 | 32,015 |
| November 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Houston | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPNU | L 42–54 | 28,667 |
| November 12 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 5 Cincinnati | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPN2 | L 28–45 | 30,780 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at Tulane | Yulman StadiumNew Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | L 14–45 | 14,496 |
| November 26 | 3:30 p.m. | at UCF | FBC Mortgage StadiumOrlando, FL (War on I-4) | ESPN | L 13–17 | 41,157 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
Source:

## Game summaries
### At NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • RV Wolfpack | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NCST –20.0 | 58 |
| Statistics | South Florida | NC State |
| First downs | 15 | 27 |
| Total yards | 271 | 525 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 293 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 232 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:48 | 29:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 7/13, 126 yards, 2 INTs |
| South Florida | Rushing | Jaren Mangham | 5 carries, 26 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 2 receptions, 73 yards |
| NC State | Passing | Devin Leary | 17/26, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| NC State | Rushing | Zonovan Knight | 16 carries, 163 yards, 1 TD |
| NC State | Receiving | Emeka Emezie | 5 receptions, 71 yards |

### No. 13 Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 13 Gators | 14 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 42 |
| Bulls | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| FLA –29.0 | 57 |
| Statistics | Florida | South Florida |
| First downs | 26 | 20 |
| Total yards | 666 | 297 |
| Rushing yards | 363 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 303 | 188 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:42 | 29:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida | Passing | Anthony Richardson | 3/3, 152 yards, 2 TDs |
| Florida | Rushing | Anthony Richardson | 4 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida | Receiving | Jacob Copeland | 5 receptions, 175 yards, 2 TDs |
| South Florida | Passing | Cade Fortin | 12/18, 91 yards, 1 INT |
| South Florida | Rushing | Darrian Felix | 14 carries, 48 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 2 receptions, 68 yards |

### Florida A&M

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rattlers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| • Bulls | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| USF –22.5 | 50 |
| Statistics | Florida A&M | South Florida |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 380 | 406 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 243 |
| Passing yards | 248 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:38 | 30:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida A&M | Passing | Rasean McKay | 25/49, 248 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida A&M | Rushing | Terrell Jennings | 6 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida A&M | Receiving | Xavier Smith | 15 receptions, 139 yards |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 12/23, 163 yards, 1 TD |
| South Florida | Rushing | Brian Battie | 10 carries, 139 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 5 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD |

### At No. 15 BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
| • No. 15 Cougars | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| BYU –24.0 | 55 |
| Statistics | South Florida | BYU |
| First downs | 23 | 21 |
| Total yards | 360 | 448 |
| Rushing yards | 174 | 143 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 305 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:37 | 24:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 17/24, 186 yards |
| South Florida | Rushing | Jaren Mangham | 26 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 5 receptions, 76 yards |
| BYU | Passing | Baylor Romney | 20/25, 305 yards, 3 TDs |
| BYU | Rushing | Tyler Allgeier | 15 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs |
| BYU | Receiving | Gunner Romney | 5 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD |

### At SMU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| • Mustangs | 10 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SMU –21 | 68.5 |
| Statistics | South Florida | SMU |
| First downs | 19 | 30 |
| Total yards | 336 | 463 |
| Rushing yards | 113 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 223 | 301 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:11 | 32:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 14/22, 223 yards |
| South Florida | Rushing | Brian Battie | 7 rushes, 46 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Jimmy Horn Jr. | 5 receptions, 102 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Tanner Mordecai | 29/42, 301 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Tre Siggers | 20 rushes, 86 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Danny Gray | 7 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TD |

### Tulsa

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Golden Hurricane | | | 0 |
| Bulls | | | 0 |
* Over/under
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Tulsa | Passing |
| Tulsa | Rushing |
| Tulsa | Receiving |
| South Florida | Passing |
| South Florida | Rushing |
| South Florida | Receiving |

### Temple

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Owls | | | 0 |
| Bulls | | | 0 |
* Over/under
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Temple | Passing |
| Temple | Rushing |
| Temple | Receiving |
| South Florida | Passing |
| South Florida | Rushing |
| South Florida | Receiving |

### At East Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • Pirates | 0 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 29 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ECU –9.5 | 55.5 |
| Statistics | South Florida | East Carolina |
| First downs | 19 | 30 |
| Total yards | 391 | 471 |
| Rushing yards | 199 | 251 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 220 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 21:38 | 38:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Katravis Marsh | 15/30, 192 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| South Florida | Rushing | Kelley Joiner | 12 carries, 103 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 5 receptions, 91 yards, TD |
| East Carolina | Passing | Holton Ahlers | 21/35, 220 yards, TD |
| East Carolina | Rushing | Rahjai Harris | 22 carries, 100 yards, TD |
| East Carolina | Receiving | C. J. Johnson | 5 receptions, 84 yards |

### Houston

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cougars | 9 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 54 |
| Bulls | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU –13.5 | 53 |
| Statistics | Houston | South Florida |
| First downs | 30 | 23 |
| Total yards | 646 | 399 |
| Rushing yards | 261 | 110 |
| Passing yards | 385 | 289 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:07 | 26:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 21/26, 385 yards, 3 TDs |
| Houston | Rushing | Ta'Zhawn Henry | 10 rushes, 130 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Tank Dell | 8 receptions, 164 yards, 1 TD |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 22/46, 289 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| South Florida | Rushing | Timmy McClain | 11 rushes, 46 yards, 1 TD |
| South Florida | Receiving | Xavier Weaver | 6 receptions, 105 yards |

### No. 5 Cincinnati

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Bearcats | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN –24 | 58.5 |
| Statistics | Cincinnati | South Florida |
| First downs | 30 | 21 |
| Total yards | 506 | 346 |
| Rushing yards | 202 | 101 |
| Passing yards | 304 | 245 |
| Turnovers | | |
| Time of possession | 32:30 | 27:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 31/39, 304 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Cincinnati | Rushing | Ryan Montgomery | 6 carries, 72 yards, 2 TD |
| Cincinnati | Receiving | Josh Whyle | 5 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD |
| South Florida | Passing | Timmy McClain | 16/30, 245 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| South Florida | Rushing | Jaren Mangham | 16 carries, 53 yards, 2 TD |
| South Florida | Receiving | Jimmy Horn Jr. | 5 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD |

### At Tulane

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Bulls | | | 0 |
| Green Wave | | | 0 |
* Over/under
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| South Florida | Passing |
| South Florida | Rushing |
| South Florida | Receiving |
| Tulane | Passing |
| Tulane | Rushing |
| Tulane | Receiving |

### At UCF

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| • Knights | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
* Over/under
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| South Florida | Passing |
| South Florida | Rushing |
| South Florida | Receiving |
| UCF | Passing |
| UCF | Rushing |
| UCF | Receiving |