Alex Golesh sees the importance of the opportunity ahead, even if he doesn’t want to state the obvious.
No. 8 Miami is the next test in Golesh’s effort to make USF football relevant again, and the former Tennessee offensive coordinator believes that, win or lose on Saturday night, the improved Bulls (2-1) are moving in a positive direction.
“It would be really big for us to get a win, but I think it would be really big for them to get a win, too,” said Golesh, who was hired about two years ago to rebuild what was once considered the fastest-growing program in the nation.
The Bulls were started in 1997 and quickly rose to No. 2 in the AP Poll less than a decade later. However, a slow decline since their upset of then-No. 5 West Virginia in 2007 has left USF behind in recent conference realignments.
Golesh took over a team that went 1-11 two years ago and led them to a turnaround, finishing with a record of 7-6 in 2023.
The Bulls gained Miami’s attention after giving No. 4 Alabama a tough game before falling apart in the fourth quarter two weeks ago.
The game ended 42-16, but USF was only down 14-13 going into the final quarter.
“They’ve got a great football team,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “It doesn’t take, what, three or four clips watching them play the University of Alabama for everybody to realize how drastic, how big of a step (they’ve taken), how good of a team that really is.
So, the tape doesn’t lie. Our guys have a chance to see it, so we’re excited for a great challenge.”
Cristobal is in his third year of rebuilding the Hurricanes (3-0), who will start Atlantic Coast Conference play after this weekend. Miami is led by quarterback Cam Ward, one of the early favorites for the Heisman Trophy this season.
Golesh, whose team will soon move on to the American Athletic Conference schedule, mentioned that this is also a big game for Miami.
