The University of South Florida might be 0-3 all-time against the Florida Gators, but Saturday afternoon's meeting at The Swamp has a different feel to it after the Bulls crushed then-No. 25 Boise State 34-7 in their season opener. Before that upset, Florida might have had one eye on its Week 3 showdown with Southeastern Conference rival Louisiana State. Now, says Gators coach Billy Napier, USF has "got our attention" and calls this game with the Bulls "The real (season) opener" following his team's 55-0 thrashing of Long Island University last week. 

Here are three things to know about the Bulls:

1. USF breaks out with statement win

The Bulls (1-0) enter a sold-out Swamp brimming with confidence after dismantling Boise State. The victory represents the program’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 2016. It also sets up a rare chance for USF to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2018 and capture its first-ever win against Florida. With another in-state showdown looming at Miami on Sept. 13, this stretch offers the Bulls a chance to gauge just how good they are.

2. Smothering defense

USF's defense was all over Boise State, forcing three turnovers and four fourth-down stops. Linebacker Jhalyn Shuler (14 tackles) and Mac Harris (eight) set the tone, while defensive backs De’Shawn Rucker and Tavin Ward combined for 19 tackles in a fundamentally sound showing. Shuler is a USF graduate student and his performance against Boise State earned him the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and the Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week

3. Dual-threat QB at the reigns of aggressive offense

Offensively, the Bulls are led by senior quarterback Byrum Brown, who last week completed 16 of 24 pass attempts for 210 yards and rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The Bulls' offense also features Tennessee transfer Chas Nimrod, who had three catches for 96 yards in the opener, including a 55-yard catch. The pivotal moment against Boise State came in the third quarter from freshman QB Locklan Hewlett, who lined up in punt formation, took the snap and tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Keshaun Singleton. That score gave USF a 17-7 lead and the Bulls defense shut out the Broncos the remainder of the game. 

That type of aggressive play calling by third-year Bulls head coach Alex Golesh should come as no surprise. In 2022, Golesh was the offensive coordinator of a University of Tennessee team that ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring (47.33), yards per game (538.1), points per possession (3.24) and yards per play (7.35) during the regular season.