Tampa Bay Times
The headline gave the defense the credit. The subhead delivered the insult: USF's longest offensive play gained only 14 yards.
Read the report208 YARDS OF REGRET
USF beat FIU 19–9. The defense forced three turnovers. Nico Gramatica scored 13 points. Tim Beck's offense spent the night making a win feel like a warning.
HARTLINE'S OWN STANDARD CONVICTS THE OFFENSE
“We want to score touchdowns. And if it's a field goal, we feel like we let our team down.” — Brian Hartline after the game
USF kicked four field goals and scored one offensive touchdown. By Hartline's own standard, the offense kept letting the team down. He also admitted it must become “more explosive.” That is a gentle way to describe an attack whose longest play gained 14 yards.
THE BOX SCORE DID NOT HIDE
381–208FIU's total-yardage advantage in a game USF somehow won.
100 YARDSMichael Van Buren's entire passing total on 18 attempts.
2.8 PER RUSHThirty-eight attempts turned into only 108 yards.
14 YARDSUSF's longest offensive play all night.
ONE TDThe offense found the end zone once, after an interception handed it the ball at FIU's 35.
13 POINTSThree FIU turnovers became 13 USF points. The defense supplied the field position Beck's offense could not create.
LOCAL COVERAGE SAW THE SAME WRECK
Bay Area Examiner
“USF's offense sputtered all night.” It also noted that no Bulls drive went longer than 39 yards.
Read the reportWUSF
Its summary was blunt without trying to be: Gramatica accounted for 13 points while the offense survived on three fourth-quarter FIU turnovers.
Read the reportREDDIT HELD THE POSTGAME REVIEW
“Please tell me that was Hartline letting Beck call the plays to see how he'd do and that he's gonna take playcalling duties away after this.”u/Gusanito99
“I am so sorry. Nobody deserves Tim Beck.”u/DistanceRelevant3899
“This offense Hartline/Tim Beck are running is ass my dudes... That was GLACIALLY boring to watch.”u/Tarlcabot18
“The score shows USF won, but why do I feel like I been kicked in the balls while my heart got ripped out. No tempo, no fun, no soul on this team right now...”u/ImPugnax
“The most vanilla play calling I've seen in a USF game.”u/United_Energy_7503
“Tim Beck still cannot call an offense.”u/hotrod33809
“There was just no juice on offense and I'm afraid that's a product of hiring Tim Beck.”u/anxiousauditor
“It literally looks like there's no life in Van Buren as he's being forced to run the same run play 30 times.”u/Mc7Abyssrium