2018 South Florida at Massachusetts

Undefeated South Florida Is Back Off A Bye And Bound For UMass

Undefeated South Florida Is Back Off A Bye And Bound For UMass

Fresh off of a bye week, Charlie Strong and unbeaten South Florida will hit the road for a non-conference matchup with UMass on Saturday.

Oct 2, 2018 by Kolby Paxton
Undefeated South Florida Is Back Off A Bye And Bound For UMass

Fresh off of a bye week, Charlie Strong and unbeaten South Florida will hit the road for a non-conference matchup with UMass on Saturday.


Who: South Florida (4-0) vs. Massachusetts (2-4)

When: Saturday, Oct. 6, 3:30 PM ET

Where: Amherst, Mass., McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Watch: LIVE on FloFootball


Under Strong, the Bulls have cemented themselves among the upper-echelon of the Group of Five, jumping out to a 4-0 start this season—winning, most recently, by a touchdown in Tampa, Fla., against an upset-minded East Carolina squad.

Jordan Cronkite led the way for South Florida with 129 yards rushing—including an 80-yard touchdown run—to push his season total to 304 yards, which is good for a per game average of 101.3.

Massachusetts has battled quarterback injuries throughout the season, but it hasn’t stopped the Minutemen from scoring.

UMass has scored at least 42 points three times in its first six games, including each of the last two. Unfortunately, Ohio rallied from a 21-7 deficit last week to run past Mark Whipple’s team, 58-42.

Andy Isabella, who has been fantastic all season, hauled in 12 passes for 198 yards and three scores in the loss.

Bryton Barr Is Everywhere

UMass graduate linebacker Bryton Barr is a tackling machine.

The nation’s leader tackler at 13.7 stops per game, Barr has tallied double-digit tackles in each of the past five games, including a career-best 21 tackles in a victory over Charlotte.

The Bulls Travel Well

South Florida is 11-2 away from home—8-2 in true road games—over the past three years.

Strong’s group is hunting its sixth consecutive road win against a non-conference opponent on Saturday.

Blake Barnett Is Fitting In Just Fine

The well-traveled Barnett—a former five-star prospect—is on his third team in three years and the third time has, indeed, been the charm.

Barnett ranks 15th in the nation in total offense (304.8 yards per game), 14th nationally in points responsible for (18.5) and 23rd in passing yards per game (274.8).

More often than not, senior Tyre McCants is the target of Barnett’s passes. The senior from Niceville, Fla., has 219 yards and a score on 22 receptions thus far. He needs just three more touchdown receptions to move into a tie atop the school’s all-time list.

Whipple Suspended

UMass head coach Mark Whipple has been suspended without pay by the university after a rather unfortunate officiating complaint following his team’s loss to Ohio.

Whipple used the word “rape” to describe what he believed to be a missed call by officials after being asked about a potential pass interference penalty that wasn’t called—and later opted, instead, for the term “mugged” to describe what happened to his player.