NEW ORLEANS — Redshirt freshman Darian Mensah threw for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, two in less than three minutes going to Mario Williams for a 31-point lead in the second quarter, and Tulane routed South Florida 45-10 on Saturday to begin American Athletic Conference play for both teams. It wasn’t the type of game that the Bulls expected but they looked flat on both sides of the ball and frankly maybe the bye week is coming a good time as Memphis looms large on the horizon in two weeks when the Tigers come to Tampa.

USF currently holds a 2-3 overall record and is 0-1 in the American, with losses to two top ten ranked teams, Alabama and Miami. Their latest defeat was at the hands of a formidable Tulane team. At Tulane starting quarterback Byrum Brown needed medical attention and cautiously left the field with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter, leading the Bulls to call on backup QB Bryce Archie to finish the game while Brown’s injury was assessed.

We are not sure if Brown will be ready to face Memphis or if Archie will be at the controls. But there will be some time to figure things out.

The real question is how fatigued are the Bulls? Before Brown’s second-quarter touchdown, they had been outscored 59-0 across nearly 60 minutes of play. This includes a 28-0 deficit in the second half against Miami last week and a 31-0 shortfall to the Green Wave prior to Brown’s run.

The Bulls’ defense appears unable to leave the field, consistently allowing opponents to score at will. Regarding the offense, Brown is missing open targets, and the running game seems to be almost nonexistent.

The sudden drop in energy and focus follows victories over Bethune-Cookman and Southern Mississippi, and a competitive 52 minutes against Alabama before succumbing to a significant loss. However, recent defeats at home to Miami and on the road against Tulane have highlighted a struggling Bulls team that seems to have lost its direction.

USF head coach Alex Golesh and his team will dedicate a week to intensive film study, aiming to steer the Bulls in the right direction before their nationally televised Friday night game at home against Memphis, widely regarded as the top team in the AAC. Following the Memphis game, the remainder of the AAC schedule appears less intimidating, and the Bulls remain contenders for the conference title, although significant work lies ahead.