USF coach Alex Golesh has mixed emotions as he prepares for Memphis

TAMPA — His approach to a game that no longer seems decisive or even consequential to most locals was well-intentioned.

As the wrath of Hurricane Milton first approached Tampa, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked how he divides things up, even when a storm and the Saints' defense agree in his thought process.

“(I) break down the preparation part step by step when it comes to the storm,” Mayfield said Wednesday via Zoom from New Orleans, where the Bucs had moved a day earlier. “Then when we get out there (against the Saints), we realize that this could be the kind of Sunday that gives people in Florida, especially in our area, some hope and something to look forward to.”

A time zone away, USF coach Alex Golesh was wrestling with a similar question: How important could his team's game Saturday against Memphis be for a region that needs a few hours' rest?

The answer came in a stutter step. Instead of a linear response, Golesh tilted and faded, rolled and crossed. How do you comfortably put a football game in perspective when your perspective is messed up? Maybe, just maybe, the Bulls' clash with Memphis can provide relief and relief to the powers that be.

For thousands of others, relief means a hot shower or a hot meal, not a hot read of the quarterback.

“My feelings are super, super mixed,” Golesh said.

Make no mistake, Golesh will do his best to keep his anxious kids focused and prepared for a game on which their conference title hopes could depend. But afterward, their collective mindset will immediately refocus on their loved ones and pets and a community that thrives on generators (the Selmon Athletics Center remained without power Thursday night).

“So we’re going to take it day by day here,” Golesh said earlier this week. “We're going to make sure our kids are mentally prepared, we're going to make sure our kids are physically prepared, and the reality is there are going to be people who have to deal with crazy things. There are people struggling with the crazy things that happened two weeks ago (Hurricane Helene) and I don’t know, I really don’t.”

What he does know is that no one will feel sorry for the Bulls (2-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference), who traveled by bus to Orlando on Tuesday afternoon (a surprisingly brisk 90-minute ride) and stayed there, to prepare for Saturday's game against Memphis (4-1, 0-1) at Camping World Stadium. College football remains cutthroat; When the kick-off comes, the compassion evaporates.

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“During the COVID-19 crisis, there were times where we couldn't practice for five days and they said we should play the football game,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield told local reporters on Monday.

“We went with 50 players against Tulane (a 35-21 loss in 2020) and the league wasn’t worried about us. … I hope (the Bulls) have the opportunity to practice, and most importantly I want it to be a game where everyone has all their weapons and we can go out and play a full football game on national television. “

In this regard, the Bulls could be well prepared. On Tuesday, Golesh said quarterback Byrum Brown, who left two weeks ago at Tulane with a left leg injury, had a chance to return on Saturday. A number of players who were injured during or before this game (left tackle RJ Perry, cornerback DeShawn Rucker, edge rusher Jason Vaughn, linebacker Jhalyn Shuler) are also expected back.

But the Bulls' very strained psyche remains questionable. How could it not?

“I understand the importance of every football game for us,” Golesh said Tuesday afternoon.

“I understand how important it is that we get back on our feet and get back into a rhythm where we play really, really good football. So I think both sides are important, but I don't know. I would be lying to you if I told you, man, I feel like this football game on Saturday is going to be really important after what happened here on Thursday.”

Contact Joey Knight at [email protected] . Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

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