Kick Times Set for Wisconsin, SC State, Navy & Temple Games

Bulls will open the 2019 season with a 7 p.m. kickoff vs. Badgers on ESPN

TAMPA, MAY 30, 2019 – The USF football team will open the 2019 season with a 7 p.m. primetime kickoff vs. Wisconsin on ESPN, the American Athletic Conference announced today among several kickoff times set for conference schools.

The Bulls’ Fri., Aug. 30 season opener vs. the Badgers in Raymond James Stadium was one of four kickoff times announced for the 2019 USF football season presented by Valley Bank. The Bulls’ Sat., Sept. 14 game vs. South Carolina State will kick off at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN3. USF’s Sat., Oct. 19 game at Navy will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Bulls’ primetime clash with Temple on Thur., Nov. 7 will kick off at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

USF’s Week 2 game at Georgia Tech was previously announced as a 2 p.m. kickoff on the ACC Network, giving the Bulls five set kick times and broadcast designations for the season. Kickoff times and broadcast designations for USF’s remaining seven regular season games are expected to be announced during the season on a 12- or six-day selection basis.

Coming off the program’s fourth straight bowl appearance, USF will open its third season under head coach Charlie Strong with a primetime clash vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers, coming off their 17^th straight bowl appearance, were ranked No. 19 in the Athlon Sports preseason Top 25 and return 2018 Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 2,194 yards last season.

The Bulls face BYU on Sat., Oct. 12 in a Homecoming clash that will round out the non-conference schedule. USF’s conference slate is highlighted by three straight November home clashes with conference title contenders Temple (2018 East Division runner-up), Cincinnati (2018 East Division third place) and Memphis (back-to-back West Division winner). The regular season finale vs. UCF in the War on I-4 in Orlando on Fri., Nov. 29 will air on ABC or ESPN with a kickoff time to be announced later. The American Conference Championship game on Sat., Dec. 7 has been set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC and will be played at a home site.

The Bulls return 16 starters, including nine on offense, five on defense and their punter and kicker. The USF offense returns starting quarterback Blake Barnett (2,710 yards and 12 TD passing), 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Cronkrite (1,121 yards and 9 TD), dynamic playmaker Johnny Ford (787 yards rushing and 8 TD), first-team all-conference tight end Mitchell Wilcox (43 receptions for 540 yards), all five offensive line starters from the Gasparilla Bowl, and 2018 leading receiver Randall St. Felix(679 yards and 4 TD).

On defense, the Bulls return second-leading tackler Greg Reaves (89 tackles), who is expected to return to his defensive end position after starting the final seven games of 2018 at linebacker. Honorable mention all-conference cornerback Mike Hampton returns after posting the second-most pass defenses (18) in program history, as do safety Nick Roberts (72 tackles and three interceptions) and defensive end Kirk Livingstone (56 tackles and team leading 10 TFL).

USF football season ticket members can renew their tickets for the 2019 season and new season tickets can be purchased by visiting USFBullsTix.com by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

Mobile ticket options for the 2019 season, such as the Boundless Bulls Pass and the Horns Up Pass, which offer fans flexibility and convenience, can also be purchased by visiting USFBullsTix.com by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
In just its 22^nd season of football, and 19^th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program’s 150^th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.

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