Three things we learned at Navy 41, USF 38
On the exact wrong day, this was the Same Ol' South Florida.
Here’s what we learned from Annapolis on Saturday, in what will be remembered as one of the most brutal losses in a program littered with pain.
The defense had faced plenty of triple option. But not enough of it clearly.
Navy averaged 7.3 yards per play today, but it was the big plays that killed the Bulls. 82 yards to Eli Heidenreich through the air. 76 yards by Alex Tecza on the ground. 32 more to Heidenreich. And it was capped off by a 64 yard TD run by QB Braxton Woodson.
The Mids can be explosive, but they certainly shouldn’t be that explosive against a USF defense that had nine days to prepare, and has seen plenty of option football while playing in the American Conference. As a double-digit favorite on the road, it was the wrong day to lay an egg.
53 carries for 338 yards by Navy simply cannot happen.Welcome to playing out the string.
There’s no way to sugar coat this. The Bulls had the American Conference Championship on their racket, and blew it in spectacular fashion. The recent momentum from the turnaround of Alex Golesh had made real inroads locally and with USF’s stakeholders. But it is now overwhelmingly likely it will be at least 30 seasons before the Bulls shall even play for a conference championship, much less win one.How much of the 2025 team will return in 2026?
With nothing left to play for, attention now turns to what happens in the offseason. Yes there will be a bowl game, but despite the loss today Alex Golesh will remain one of the hotter names in the largest coaching market in decades. There’s a stadium coming online in 2027, and being good at football in that year is huge for long-term priorities and fundraising.
In terms of both roster and coaching offices, the reassessment of the roster begins now. Because as heartbreaking as today is, there is no time to waste. It’s just 294 days until the last-ever home opener at Raymond James Stadium.