2021 South Florida Bulls football team

2021 American Athletic Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^	8	–	0	13	–	1
No. 17 Houston y	8	–	0	12	–	2
UCF	5	–	3	9	–	4
East Carolina	5	–	3	7	–	5
Tulsa	5	–	3	7	–	6
SMU	4	–	4	8	–	4
Memphis	3	–	5	6	–	6
Navy	3	–	5	4	–	8
Tulane	1	–	7	2	–	10
South Florida	1	–	7	2	–	10
Temple	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

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.^[1] Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll
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 Stadium Raleigh, NC	ACCN	L 0–45	52,633
September 11	1:00 p.m.	No. 13 Florida*	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ABC	L 20–42	66,646
September 18	7:00 p.m.	Florida A&M*	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN+	W 38–17	29,475
September 25	10:15 p.m.	at No. 15 BYU*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	ESPN2	L 27–35	60,217
October 2	4:00 p.m.	at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, TX	ESPNU	L 17–41	23,355
October 16	11:00 a.m.	Tulsa	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPNU	L 31–32	21,767
October 23	7:00 p.m.	Temple	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN+	W 34–14	25,430
October 28	7:30 p.m.	at East Carolina	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN	L 14–29	32,015
November 6	7:30 p.m.	Houston	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPNU	L 42–54	28,667
November 12	6:00 p.m.	No. 5 Cincinnati	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN2	L 28–45	30,780
November 20	12:00 p.m.	at Tulane	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, LA	ESPN+	L 14–45	14,496
November 26	3:30 p.m.	at UCF	FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, FL (War on I-4)	ESPN	L 13–17	41,157
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Source:^[2]

Game summaries

At NC State

South Florida at NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
• RV Wolfpack	10	14	14	7	45

Date: September 2, 2021
Location: Carter–Finley Stadium
Raleigh, NC
Game start: 7:33 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Game attendance: 52,633
Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Referee: Charles Lamertina
TV announcers (ACC Network): Dave O'Brien (play–by–play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), and Kelsey Riggs (sideline reporter)

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
	Rushing	Jaren Mangham	5 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	2 receptions, 73 yards
NC State	Passing	Devin Leary	17/26, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Zonovan Knight	16 carries, 163 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Emeka Emezie	5 receptions, 71 yards

No. 13 Florida

Florida at South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 13 Gators	14	21	0	7	42
Bulls	3	0	10	7	20

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 1:06 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 25 minutes
Game attendance: 66,646
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Cloudy
Referee: Hank Johns
TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen (play–by–play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline reporter)

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
	Rushing	Anthony Richardson	4 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jacob Copeland	5 receptions, 175 yards, 2 TDs
South Florida	Passing	Cade Fortin	12/18, 91 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Darrian Felix	14 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	2 receptions, 68 yards

Florida A&M

Florida A&M at South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers	3	0	7	7	17
• Bulls	10	14	7	7	38

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 7:06 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 33 minutes
Game attendance: 29,475
Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 7 MPH
Referee: Tim Rich
TV announcers (ESPN+): Drew Fellios (play–by–play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)

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
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	6 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Xavier Smith	15 receptions, 139 yards
South Florida	Passing	Timmy McClain	12/23, 163 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Brian Battie	10 carries, 139 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD

At No. 15 BYU

South Florida at BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	6	14	7	27
• No. 15 Cougars	21	7	7	0	35

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, UT
Game start: 10:25 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Game attendance: 60,217
Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 1 MPH
Referee: Luke Richmond
TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline)

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
	Rushing	Jaren Mangham	26 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 76 yards
BYU	Passing	Baylor Romney	20/25, 305 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Tyler Allgeier	15 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Gunner Romney	5 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD

At SMU

South Florida at SMU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	3	14	0	17
• Mustangs	10	7	10	14	41

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium
University Park, TX
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes
Game attendance: 23,355
Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: W 8 MPH
Referee: Edwin Lee
TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
SMU –21	68.5^[3]

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
	Rushing	Brian Battie	7 rushes, 46 yards
	Receiving	Jimmy Horn Jr.	5 receptions, 102 yards
SMU	Passing	Tanner Mordecai	29/42, 301 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Tre Siggers	20 rushes, 86 yards, TD
	Receiving	Danny Gray	7 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TD

Tulsa

Tulsa at South Florida

	1	2	Total
Golden Hurricane			0
Bulls			0

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 21,767
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

Over/under

Statistics	Tulsa	South Florida
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tulsa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Temple

Temple at South Florida

	1	2	Total
Owls			0
Bulls			0

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 7:00 EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Brandon Weeden (analyst)

Over/under

Statistics	Temple	South Florida
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Temple	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At East Carolina

South Florida at East Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	14	0	0	14
• Pirates	0	6	13	10	29

Date: October 28, 2021
Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
Greenville, SC
Game start: 7:35 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes
Game attendance: 32,015
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: E 8 MPH
Referee: Hank Johns
TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), and Lauren Sisler (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under
ECU –9.5	55.5^[4]

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
	Rushing	Kelley Joiner	12 carries, 103 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 91 yards, TD
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	21/35, 220 yards, TD
	Rushing	Rahjai Harris	22 carries, 100 yards, TD
	Receiving	C. J. Johnson	5 receptions, 84 yards

Houston

Houston at South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cougars	9	17	21	7	54
Bulls	14	14	7	7	42

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 28,667
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee: Tim Rich
TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

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
	Rushing	Ta'Zhawn Henry	10 rushes, 130 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Tank Dell	8 receptions, 164 yards, 1 TD
South Florida	Passing	Timmy McClain	22/46, 289 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Timmy McClain	11 rushes, 46 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	6 receptions, 105 yards

No. 5 Cincinnati

Cincinnati at South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 5 Bearcats	7	17	7	14	45
Bulls	7	0	14	7	28

Date: November 12, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes
Game attendance: 30,780
Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 5 MPH
Referee: Nate Black
TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

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
	Rushing	Ryan Montgomery	6 carries, 72 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Josh Whyle	5 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD
South Florida	Passing	Timmy McClain	16/30, 245 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jaren Mangham	16 carries, 53 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jimmy Horn Jr.	5 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD

At Tulane

South Florida at Tulane

	1	2	Total
Bulls			0
Green Wave			0

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Yulman Stadium
New Orleans, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 14,496
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jack Benjamin (play-by-play) and Brian Kinchen (analyst)

Over/under

Statistics	South Florida	Tulane
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tulane	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At UCF

South Florida at UCF

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	7	0	6	0	13
• Knights	7	7	0	3	17

Date: November 26, 2021
Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium
Orlando, FL
Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 41,157
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and Lauren Sisler (sideline)

Over/under

Statistics	South Florida	UCF
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UCF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "Cincinnati Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll". theAmerican.org. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "2021 USF Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
^ "South Florida Bulls vs SMU Mustangs". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ "USF Bulls vs East Carolina Pirates". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 28, 2021.

[1] "Cincinnati Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll". theAmerican.org. Retrieved August 4, 2021.

[2] "2021 USF Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

[3] "South Florida Bulls vs SMU Mustangs". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.

[4] "USF Bulls vs East Carolina Pirates". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 28, 2021.

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South Florida Bulls football
Venues	Tampa Stadium (1997–1998) Raymond James Stadium (1998–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games UCF
Culture & lore	Rocky the Bull Golden Brahman March Herd of Thunder
People	NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025