The Sunshine State’s college football rivalries have not been must-watch TV of late, but a frosty postgame handshake between USF coach Alex Golesh and Florida Atlantic coach Tom Herman is likely to create some buzz on Saturday morning’s pregame shows.
The Bulls dominated the second half of Friday night’s game in Boca Raton and rolled to a 44-21 victory. But instead of seeing a traditional handshake between coaches, Golesh reached for Herman’s hand and did not stop to have a conversation.
Herman attempted to chase Golesh down to chat and the two exchanged a few more words, but USF’s coach didn’t stop and kept shaking hands with Owls players as he proceeded to walk off the field.
“Not a whole lot of back and forth,” Golesh told reporters about what was said between the two coaches. “Nothing, really. I said a year ago we would be back to get it, and we came back to get it. Whatever was said, I’m good.”
Herman told FAU’s media that he “wished” there had been a conversation between him and Golesh.
Last year, FAU beat USF 56-14 in Tampa and poured it on late, attempting and recovering an onside kick in the fourth quarter of the blowout victory.
Herman has had other interesting handshakes with opposing coaches in the past. The 49-year-old former Texas Longhorns coach is 6-14 in his two seasons with the Owls. Golesh, 40, is 11-10 as South Florida’s coach.
FAU joined USF in the American Athletic Conference two years ago. USF leads the all-time series 4-2.
“I think it was said that we recruit against each other,” Golesh said. “I think it was said we don’t like each other. I got a lot of respect for the staff. I think they do a really good job. I don’t specifically think we recruit against each other. I can’t think of a guy that we had to go beat them on.
“Got a lot of respect for a lot of those guys, but I said we were coming back to get it. Last year at the end of the game we got embarrassed at home. We came and got it and we’ll continue to do so.”
Required reading
(Photo of USF coach Alex Golesh: William McLelland / Imagn Images)
