MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami quarterback Carson Beck hasn't thrown an interception since November, which obviously means he's been fairly accurate tossing the football.
Now, consider South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown, who hasn't thrown an interception since November — that is, November 2023.
There are many ways to dissect a suddenly bigger-than-many-might-have-expected matchup on Saturday between No. 5 Miami and No. 18 South Florida — a pair of teams off to 2-0 starts — but the way the quarterbacks excel is probably atop the list. Brown has gone 240 passes without an interception while Beck has gone 185 going back to his days at Georgia last season.
“I don’t think either of us are really worried about stats," Beck said. "I know him. I’ve trained with him before. I mean, he’s a good kid. He’s obviously had a lot of success this year, so, again, hopefully he does well the rest of the year. I’m rooting for him. But this game, hopefully our defense comes in and attacks him.”
If Miami's defense can't find a way to slow Brown down, it could be trouble.
USF was the nation's only team to face AP-ranked teams in Week 1 and Week 2 — and the Bulls won both, running past then-No. 25 Boise State 34-7 to begin the season and then going to then-No. 13 Florida last week and winning 18-16.
The test just gets tougher this week for the Bulls.
They'll become the first program since 2020, when Arkansas and Missouri both did it in the COVID-ravaged season, to open against three consecutive AP-ranked opponents. The last team to do it in a non-COVID year was Miami in 2009; the Hurricanes actually opened with four consecutive ranked foes that year. And the last team to open 3-0 against three ranked teams was Miami in 1987.
“I give our kids a ton of credit for taking the coaching," USF coach Alex Golesh said. "They’ve been really, really easy to coach. They’re really, really engaged right now and then more than anything, I think I give a lot of credit to our leadership on our team.”
The series
Miami leads USF 6-1 in the all-time series and is coming off a 50-15 win in Tampa last fall.
USF led that game 15-14 late in the first half; the Hurricanes outscored the Bulls 36-0 in the final 32 minutes.
USF — a team with 33 seniors — remembers that and Miami knows it'll be a motivating factor. The Hurricanes also know they have to find a way to counter that.
“I think any time you step on the field for a game, it better mean more to you than it does to the other side," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.
USF's defense
The Bulls' defense has given up two touchdowns through two games, and both were set up by short fields.
Boise State's lone touchdown was on a 38-yard drive after USF turned the ball over on downs; Florida's lone touchdown came on a 20-yard drive set up by what essentially was a 55-yard punt return — 40 on the actual return, 15 more on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Against the state
Miami has won five consecutive games against in-state opponents, all by at least 20 points. The Hurricanes haven't won six in a row against Sunshine State foes since a stretch spanning October 2008 through September 2010.
Since 2000, Miami is 33-17 against other FBS-level programs from the state of Florida — the best record among Sunshine State schools in that span.
Versus the ‘Big 3’
USF's win over Florida was historic in the sense that the Bulls now have victories over Florida State, Miami and the Gators.
Among the newer FBS programs in the state — USF, Florida Atlantic, FIU and UCF — the Bulls are the first to beat each of the “Big 3” programs in Florida.
No turnovers
Through two games, neither Miami nor USF has committed a turnover.
It's the second straight year that the Bulls made it through their first two contests without a giveaway — but the Hurricanes, going back to their first national title season in 1983, had never posted a zero-turnover, two-game start until now.
People across the Tampa Bay-area remember 9/11 on the 24th anniversary
In Hillsborough County, the community is coming together to ensure that the memory of 9/11 endures for future generations.
