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Nevada Football: An Early Preview of Nevada Vs South Florida
An early preview of the Nevada Wolf Pack’s match-up against the South Florida Bulls.
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An Early Preview of Nevada-South Florida
In their final non-conference game of the 2020 season, the Nevada Wolf Pack will take on the South Florida Bulls out of the American Athletic Conference. The contest between the Wolf Pack and the Bulls will be held in Tampa, Florida and the date is scheduled for September 19th.
Nevada is looking to close out the non-conference portion of the 2020 season by defeating the Bulls in Tampa. This contest between the Wolf Pack and the Bulls is the first ever match-up between the two schools. One of the keys for Nevada to leave Tampa with a win over the Bulls is the play of running back Toa Taua.
Taua had an impressive freshman season in 2018 as he ran for 872 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns. In 2019 Taua did run for over 800 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns but struggled at times due to the inconsistency of the Nevada offensive line. This season the Wolf Pack hope an improved offensive line and the continued improvement of quarterback Carson Strong will propel the rushing attack of Taua and fellow running back Devontae Lee.
The Wolf Pack are taking on a South Florida team that is rebuilding with a new head coach this season. Gone is former head coach Charlie Strong and the new head coach for the Bulls is Jeff Scott. Scott spent the last four seasons as co-offensive coordinator of the Clemson Tigers where he was on staff as the Tigers won two national championships in 2016 and 2018.
Scott is taking over a Bulls football team that finished with a disappointing 4-8 record in 2019. The Bulls are only two seasons removed from a 10-2 season and a #21 ranking in the final Top 25 AP Poll in 2017. From that season on, the Bulls have descended into the bottom of the American Athletic Conference standings. And now, Jeff Scott is now tasked to get the South Florida Bulls back to the top of the AAC standings.
Scott has some work to do on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball as he looks to get the Bulls back on the winning track. On offense, the Bulls struggled in that category in 2019 as they finished last in the AAC in total offense (331 ypg) and next to last in passing offense (170 pass ypg) and scoring offense (21 ppg)
The Bulls were slightly better on defense in 2019 as they led the AAC in passing defense as they gave up only 189 passing yards per game. But they were next to last in the AAC in run defense as they gave up over 208 yards on the ground in 2019. The Bulls struggles on run defense and on the offensive side of the ball gives the Wolf Pack a chance to defeat the rebuilding Bulls team in Tampa.
The Wolf Pack are taking on a South Florida team that is transitioning with a new head coach in Jeff Scott. The Bulls have some strengths on the defensive side of the ball but, they are a few years away from competing in the AAC. The Wolf Pack have the offensive talent to leave Tampa with a win over the Bulls and end non-conference play on a winning note.
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