USF’s Alex Golesh snaps FAU’s Tom Herman with an icy handshake after Bulls’ 44-21 win over Owls
The Sunshine State’s college football rivalry hasn’t been must-watch TV lately, but an icy postgame handshake between USF coach Alex Golesh and Florida Atlantic coach Tom Herman will likely provide some excitement during Saturday morning’s pregame shows .
The Bulls dominated the second half of Friday night’s game in Boca Raton, earning a 44-21 victory. But instead of seeing a traditional handshake between coaches, Golesh took Herman’s hand and didn’t stop to have a conversation.
Herman tried to chase Golesh down to chat and the two exchanged a few more words, but the USF coach didn’t stop and continued to shake hands with the Owls players as he left the field.
“Not much back and forth,” Golesh told reporters about what was said between the two coaches. ‘Nothing really. I said a year ago that we would come back to pick it up, and we came back to pick it up. Whatever was said, I’m fine.”
Herman told FAU media that he “wished” a conversation had taken place between him and Golesh.
Last year, FAU beat USF 56-14 in Tampa and started it late, trying to recover 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 are recruiting against each other,” Golesh said. ‘I think it was said that we don’t like each other. I gained a lot of respect for the staff. I think they are doing very well. I don’t specifically think we’re recruiting against each other. I can’t think of a guy we had to beat them to.
“I have a lot of respect for a lot of those guys, but I said we were going to come back and get it. Last year we were embarrassed at home at the end of the match. We came and got it and we will continue to do so.”
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(Photo of USF coach Alex Golesh: William McLelland / Imagn Images)
