Could this be the start of a new in-state rivalry?

Although it’s just the second meeting between No. 17 Miami and South Florida (the other game was a 27-7 UM win in 2005), the Hurricanes (8-3) and Bulls (7-3) are expected to see more of each other in the future, unlike those chicken Gators…

Attendance at Raymond James Stadium expects to be at capacity (65,857) and plenty of former high school teammates and rivals will face each other on the college football gridiron.

USF is very much a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team. With blowout losses to ranked Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, the Bulls got solid victories against Florida State and West Virginia, but were shutout 31-0 to Rutgers! Which team will show up?

Below is a list of things to look out for.

• Junior running back Damien Berry will be asked to wear down the Bull defense on Saturday much like he has since seeing playing time against Florida A&M. The question is will it make much of a difference if the weather is cooler and his opponents are Florida boys?
• Who will lead the offensive line and protect sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris with senior midseason All-American Jason Fox out with an illness? Battles are won in the trenches, and with the speedy defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul the top sacker for USF, the O-line must step up.
• Miami’s defense has gotten the job done of late. Despite giving up some big yardage in the air (see Wake Forest and Duke), both of their offenses failed to score down the home stretch. Senior Day was capped by senior linebacker Darryl Sharpton’s 73-yard interception return. It was a welcome relief to a John Lovett defense not creating enough turnovers or key plays.
• There’s no doubt that redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels is USF’s offense. He is the leading passer (1,529) and rusher (671) after taking over for Matt Grothe, who suffered a season-ending injury. Linebackers Colin McCarthy (83) and Sharpton (79) must continue to be the tackle machines they’ve been this season and keep an eye on Daniels. Head coach Randy Shannon said that sophomore Sean Spence would see more action this weekend.
• Although Harris leads the ACC with 3,003 passing yards and is second with 21 touchdowns, USF’s defense has picked off quarterbacks 12 times. Harris is (still is?) second in the nation in interceptions (17).
• The Hurricanes are a second-half team. They’re never awake in the first half, sadly. Miami has outscored opponents 205-107 in the final 30 minutes.

OTHER USF PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Linebacker Kion Wilson - 91 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, one interception
• Safety Nate Allen - 64 tackles, four interceptions
• Wide receivers Dontavia Bogan and Carlton Mitchell each have four touchdowns

INJURY REPORT

Sophomore running back Lee Chambers (lower extremity), sophomore wide receiver Thearon Collier (ankle) and senior corner Sam Shields (lower extremity) were upgraded to PROBABLE