Louk's Closer Look: Bulls Set for Homecoming Test Against BYU

BYU comes in after a bye week. The Cougars played one of the toughest schedules in the nation so far, with three ranked opponents in their first five games. They've also traveled a lot; this is already their third eastern trip of the season.

The Bulls are 13-9 in homecoming games, with four consecutive wins. The last homecoming loss was against East Carolina on Oct. 11, 2014.

USF has been a little streaky on homecoming. The Bulls won six in a row from 1998 to 2003, lost five in a row from 2010 to 2014, and now have the four consecutive wins.

BYU's football program started in 1922, and although they are now an independent, the Cougars have won 23 conference championships. Among their former conferences are the WAC (1962-1998) and the Mountain West (1999-2010).

Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) ran for 148 yards last week, marking the sixth time he has had 100 or more rushing yards in a USF game.

(Miami) ran for 148 yards last week, marking the sixth time he has had 100 or more rushing yards in a USF game. BYU finished 13-0 in 1984 and won the Holiday Bowl on its way to the national championship.

While the Bulls and Cougars have never played, USF has played three teams from BYU's home state. USF went 2-1 against Utah, Utah State and Southern Utah, will all the games coming in 2001.

Both the Bulls and BYU have had their share of injuries. The Cougars will be without starting quarterback Zach Wilson and top rusher Ty'son Williams on Saturday.

USF's defense is keeping up a great pace in tackles for loss with 9.8 per game (fourth in the nation). The Bulls are also top 10 nationally in turnovers forced and fumbles recovered.

Saturday's game is the front end of a home-and-home series. The Bulls will meet BYU again, this time in Provo, on Sept, 25, 2021.

BYU has made 36 bowl game appearances, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last year. Its bowl record is 15-20-1.

This will be the 270 th game in USF football history. The Bulls are 155-114 overall.

game in USF football history. The Bulls are 155-114 overall. BYU has played seven games in the state of Florida, and has lost every one.

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL

– #GoBulls –

BYU (2-3, independent) at USF (2-3, 1-1 in AAC)Saturday/3:30 p.m.Raymond James Stadium, TampaCBS Sports Network/USF Radio Network:WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &First meeting. Next meeting Sept. 25, 2021 in Provo, Utah– It's great to be home after an encouraging win at Connecticut last week. It's homecoming week, and we're looking forward to seeing a great crowd at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday for the first-ever meeting between USF and BYU.The Bulls and Cougars both enter this game with a 2-3 record. Here are a few items about the matchup:Our kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m., and television will be handled by the CBS Sports Network. Our radio coverage begins 1:30 p.m. with our first pregame hour exclusive to USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart radio app. We'll start on FM 95.3 and AM 620 WDAE at 2:30 p.m.This game marks the midway point of the 2019 regular season, and you won't be able to see the Bulls at home again until they play Temple on Nov. 7. Enjoy the homecoming week activities (including the on-campus Horns Up Rally on Friday) and we'll see you at the stadium this weekend. Horns Up!Having completed just its 22season of football, and 19at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.