TAMPA, Fla. – Every player in the program should feel the pain of last week’s loss at Navy. They also need to move away from it and prepare for the tasks that remain.
“I think it’s important to feel the emotion and the disappointment of a tough loss like that, but it’s important not to dwell on it,” said senior offensive lineman, Derek Bowman. “Remember what it feels like, turn the page, wipe the slate and ensure that you do everything in your ability to never feel that again.”
It’s tough. Especially when there was a clear path to the College Football Playoff before the Midshipmen piled up 348 rushing yards in a 41-38 win over the then-No. 24 Bulls. Alas, it was back to work in preparation for Saturday’s game (3 p.m., ESPN+) at UAB.
“Obviously disappointing as all get out,” said coach Alex Golesh, whose team is 7-3, including 4-2 in the American. “I think it took everybody in the program to get out on the field Monday and snap out of it. The challenge for us is to respond to the feeling that we had leaving (Annapolis).”
Golesh noted he was pleased with how the team’s leadership has responded, which should come as no surprise given many of the Bulls have been with him every step of the way the past three seasons.
“Really encouraged by the response, encouraged by the fight,” he said. “Truly, the message as a program is we will be in that situation again. It’s on me to get us there again and we will certainly do that as a program as we continue to build and as we continue set our expectations of what this program is.”
Those expectations are high, and they should be. Golesh did not arrive at USF in December 2022 to achieve 7-6 with a bowl win. As he said time and again, such an outcome is not the standard. Make no mistake, the past two years were nice stepping stones – especially after a total of four wins the previous three seasons — in a process-building environment that aims for a championship-level of play.
“The expectations are high because of everything that we have done to this point, which is a credit to our kids, a credit to our staff and certainly a credit to the commitment that they made to continue to fight like crazy,” he said.
Again, the loss at Navy was a bitter pill to swallow. Still, three games remain. Three games to respond. Three games to win. That’s the feeling that began to prevail as the pads popped on the practice field.
“(The Navy loss) was disappointing, but at the end of the day if you truly love this game, then no matter the outcome you’re going to respond,” said senior safety, Tavin Ward. “Respond like pros and come in the next week and move on.”
READ: How The USF Bulls Fared Each Of The Previous Seven Seasons They Were Ranked
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