Saturday, Sept. 5 • 7 p.m. • ESPN3
FLORIDA A&M
at
USF
Raymond James Stadium (65,857/Grass)
Tampa, Fla.
Television
Mike Corey and Rene Ingoglia
USF Radio - WWBA-AM 820 (flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the third meeting between USF and Florida A&M, which is located in Tallahassee … The Bulls are 2-0 in the series after then-20th-ranked USF took a 70-17 win in the 2011 season … USF is 17-1 all-time in home openers, with the lone loss coming to McNeese State in the 2013 season.
FLORIDA A&M
0-0
Head Coach
Alex Wood (Iowa ’79)
0-0, first season at Florida A&M
25-24, fifth full season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Florida A&M looks to bounce back from a 3-9 season in 2014 … The Rattlers scored wins against Savannah State, Howard and Delaware State last season … Florida A&M plays four of its first five games on the road … Head coach Alex Wood previously served as head coach at James Madison and was the running backs coach for two Miami (Fla.) teams that won national championships … Wood most recently served as offensive coordinator at Buffalo and was the Bulls’ interim head coach for the final four games of the 2014 season … .RB Gerald Hearns rushed for 475 yards on 131 carries last season … WR Brandon Norwood had 36 receptions for 516 yards and a touchdown … The defense is led by LB Akili Blount, who had a team-high 72 tackles in 2014 … CB Jacques Bryant had 59 stops with two sacks and five tackles for loss … NT Michael Lovejoy was tabbed as a preseason All-MEAC selection after he registered 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 2014 … The Rattlers were projected to finish eighth in the MEAC preseason poll … Florida A&M is not eligible for postseason competition in 2015.
USF
0-0
Head Coach
Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky ’98)
6-18, third season at USF
24-38, sixth season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
USF improved to 4-8 in the 2014 season after the Bulls finished 2-10 in 2013 … The Bulls look to return to postseason play after going four straight years without a bowl bid … RB Marlon Mack was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors last season … Mack rushed for a league-leading 1,041 yards with nine touchdowns on 202 carries as a true freshman … The top returning receiver is WR Rodney Adams, who had 23 catches for 323 yards and two touchdowns in 2014 … The starting spot behind center will go to QB Quinton Flowers, who saw action in five games and made one start as a freshman last year … The Bulls have developed depth and talent on defense and have seven returning starters this season … LB Jamie Byrd had a team-high 95 tackles with two interceptions, while LB Nigel Harris had 77 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a school-record six forced fumbles … Harris and LB Tashon Whitehurst will miss the first two games of the season for a team-imposed suspension … P Mattias Ciabatti, who averaged 44.4 yards last season, is a candidate for the Ray Guy Award.