FACTS & STATS: Site: Raymond James Stadium (65,857) -- Tampa, Florida. Television: ESPN. Home Record: UConn 4-1, USF 3-2. Away Record: UConn 3-2, USF 3-2. Neutral Record: UConn 0-0, USF 0-0. Conference Record: UConn 3-2, USF 1-4. Series Record: South Florida leads, 3-2.

GAME NOTES: The South Florida Bulls hope to snap out of their rut when they host the Connecticut Huskies Sunday night in a Big East showdown at Raymond James Stadium. After a 5-0 start, the Bulls have dropped four of their last five, including three straight. Last weekend, they suffered their worst loss of the season in a 49-16 shellacking at the hands of Rutgers. The loss dropped the Bulls to 1-4 in the Big East; a stark contrast from the team that spent the first nine weeks of the season in the national rankings. Now, they'll face a UConn team brimming with confidence following last week's 39-14 win at Syracuse. The Huskies went into that game rested from a bye, and they came out with their second win in the past three games. UConn is bowl eligible for the fourth time in the past six seasons. South Florida leads the head-to-head series, 3-2, although UConn won last season's meeting, 22-15.

There isn't a scout team player out there who can mimic the elusive running style of UConn junior tailback Donald Brown, who leads the nation with 156.22 rushing yards per game. So while the Bulls' defenders insist they're ready to stop him, going out and doing it is a whole different story. In just 10 games, Brown has amassed 1,537 yards (5.6 ypc) and 16 touchdowns. With each passing week, he further states his case for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards. He was at it again last week, gashing Syracuse for 131 yards (6.0 ypc) and a touchdown. For obvious reasons, coach Randy Edsall has tailored his offense to revolve around Brown. The Huskies enter this game ranked 17th in the nation in rushing offense, while they rank 103rd in passing offense. Every defense knows what to expect when they face UConn, yet none have been able to do anything about it. Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen returned to the starting lineup last week, after missing the previous four games with a broken foot.

For all the attention Brown gets (and deserves), often overlooked is the play of the UConn defense. Currently, the Huskies lead the Big East in total defense (290.2 ypg), and they rank second in scoring defense (18.6 ppg). Cornerback Darius Butler (left knee) has missed the last few weeks, but the other guys have simply picked up the slack. Surprisingly, the Huskies found themselves in a tight battle in the second half against a struggling Syracuse team. Then, within seconds, everything changed. Jasper Howard returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown to put UConn ahead 32-14 late in the third quarter. On the first play of Syracuse's next possession, Huskies cornerback Robert McClain stepped in front of a pass and returned it 37 yards to the house to put the game away. UConn's ball-control style plays right into the hands of its defense, as the players are able to stay fresh and make plays late in games. And despite how things have gone lately for USF, the Huskies are going to need a few big plays from the defense in this one.

For South Florida, there weren't a whole lot of positives that came out of the Rutgers game last week. The offense turned the ball over six times. Half of those were on the shoulders of quarterback Matt Grothe, who was intercepted three times. Grothe (292 yards, TD) was able to move the offense up and down the field, but it seldom led to points. The result of the team's first six drives: fumble, punt, missed field goal, field goal, interception, interception. The only player who had a decent day was junior wideout Jessie Hester, who caught 10 passes for 110 yards. However, he also lost a fumble. The Bulls still lead the Big East in total offense (416.6 ypg) and are averaging 29.4 ppg. But over the last two weeks, they are averaging just 13 ppg.

With so many turnovers, the USF defense was constantly forced to try and stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do so. Rutgers tailback Joe Martinek ran for 98 yards and two TDs, while quarterback Mike Teel carved up the Bulls' secondary for 294 yards and three scores. More often than not, the Bulls have proven to be a stout defensive unit. They enter this weekend's tilt ranked 18th nationally in total defense (296.3 ypg), but they are yielding a rather generous 22 ppg, which ranks 44th in the nation. Senior linebacker Tyrone McKenzie leads the team and ranks second in the Big East with 78 tackles. Defensive ends George Selvie (five sacks) and Jarriett Buie (four sacks) have been able to apply pressure off the edge.

UConn has a good defense and arguably the nation's top running back. Combined, those two elements should be enough to take down a Bulls team whose confidence is shaken.