Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer – GOUSFBULLS.COM – YOUR SOURCE FOR ALL BULLS SPORTS
USF (6-5; 4-3 American) at Rice (3-8; 2-5 American)
Saturday, Nov. 30 • 2:00 P.M. (ET) • Rice Stadium (47,000) • Houston, Texas
SURFACE: Artificial Turf
TV: ESPN+: David Saltzman (P-by-P) & LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
AUDIO: 102.5 FM/102.5 HD2 The Strike & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
SERIES: USF leads, 1-0
IN TAMPA: USF leads, 1-0, W, 42-29 last year
IN HOUSTON: First meeting
LAST TIME: USF won first-ever meeting
EYE ON STREAK: USF seeks first three-game win streak since 2018, first in conference since 2017
USF GAME NOTES
There were dozens of highlights to celebrate in USF’s momentous 63-30 victory against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane last Saturday.
Two USF plays — all about effort and hustle — won’t jump off the stat sheet. But they spoke volumes. They also screamed and shouted.
In the first quarter, with USF leading 28-0, Tulsa running back Anthony Watkins was headed for what looked like a 79-yard touchdown run. But Bulls freshman cornerback James Chenault, making up 15 yards of ground and outracing three other defenders, chased Watkins down from behind at the USF 2-yard line. Tulsa then failed to score on four downs.
In the third quarter, with USF leading 49-7, Tulsa quarterback Kirk Francis found wide receiver Joseph Williams open on the right side after he had beaten cornerback Ben Knox. Williams was headed for the end zone on an apparent 73-yard touchdown. But Knox caught up about the 10-yard line. He grabbed Williams’ pads with his left hand, then reached to punch the ball loose with his right hand. It was dislodged from the startled Williams and Knox corralled the fumble in mid-air at USF’s 1-yard line.
With the Bulls (6-5, 4-3 American Athletic Conference) headed to Rice (3-8, 2-5) for the regular-season finale — and USF’s second straight bowl bid already secured — head coach Alex Golesh said he will hold up the Chenault/Knox plays as prime examples of how a USF football player should operate.
“Super proud,” Golesh said. “That’s what you want the standard to be.”
Knox’s play didn’t start out well. He was cleanly beaten on a “go-pattern” by Williams.
“But Ben played through the very last inch of that play, which is awesome,” Golesh said. “The strain to finish was elite. It’s a really good teaching (video) clip of why you keep playing and why you play until the echo of the whistle.”
Had Knox loafed, it would’ve been chalked away by fans as an inconsequential moment in the second half of a rout.
But Knox’s hustle might have produced the defining moment of his USF career.
“At first, I was just trying to locate the ball,” Knox said. “Then I realized he caught the ball and it was a hard thing at that point, you know, not letting my teammates down and finding a way to make the play.
“We all play for each other. You don’t want to let your teammates down or your coaches down. Having that bond with the whole program just takes the game to another level.”
Knox said he wasn’t going to be denied.
“It was really more just instinct,” Knox said. “When I was running up to him, I saw the way he was holding the ball and I thought I could go get it. It was like, ‘Go try something … do something.’ So, I took my chance with it.
“We do it at practice. Like I say, practice makes perfect. We focus on getting turnovers, running to the ball, little fundamental things.”
Knox executed it perfectly. Right place, right time. And it was another crushing, frustrating moment for Tulsa.
Afterward, Knox said he went home and went to sleep. He didn’t think it was a particularly notable play because “I got beat and I was holding myself accountable. I was really beating myself up over it.”
Later, Knox realized his play was being celebrated on social media and it became No. 8 on the list of Top Plays from ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“I got a lot of text messages,” Knox said. “My mom was over there hyping me up. So, everything was cool.”
Chenault’s play was also cool.
As Watkins broke through the line, Chenault was on the near side, facing a wide receiver. He then whirled and gave chase, sprinting some 70 yards and diving for a shoestring tackle that prevented a touchdown.
“The Chenault play is the first thing I showed in our team meeting,” Golesh said. “Chenault is a freshman who has been fighting for playing time all season. What an incredible effort.
“You can point to a freshman and say, ‘Man, like, that’s impressive.’ High-level football.”
With 715 total yards, nine touchdowns, 12 tackles for a loss and five forced turnovers, the Bulls were humming at a high level through most of the game.
But Chenault and Knox — relying on the time-honored concepts of hustle and effort — rose above the statistics.
“You want it to be a symbol of what your program is all about,” Golesh said. “You strain and fight and claw. If you’re in a tight game, both of those plays (probably) determine the outcome of the game. This time, they happened to just add to the outcome of the game.
“Those are momentum shifts and they created opportunities for our offense. The standard should be that you play through the end of the play all the time. On those two occasions, our guys showed how it’s done.”
