by Carter Brantley
Byrum Brown is still not under center for USF, but Friday night, that didn’t seem to matter, as USF rolled to a 44-21 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Bulls played a tough brand of football against the Owls, gaining over 300 yards on the ground to support a defense that was all over the Owls and their lefty QB Cam Fancher, with USF’s defense racking up 7 sacks on the night, tying a school record for sacks in a single game
USF’s rushing attack was spearheaded by the usual 3-headed monster of Nay’Quan Wright, Kelley Joiner, and Ta’Ron Keith, who all had a rushing touchdown and over 80 yards on the ground.
Wright kicked off the scoring for South Florida with a 64-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter, but that was the only scoring USF did in the first half.
Luckily, the offense came alive in the second half, putting together 6 consecutive scoring drives, 5 of them resulting in touchdowns.
Joiner and steady veteran wideout Sean Atkins each contributed a receiving touchdown, and Bryce Archie punched one in during the Bulls’ remarkable second-half offensive run.
There was also some post-game antics, as FAU coach Tom Herman seemed to take issue with decisions made by USF, with Herman seemingly trying to confront USF head coach Alex Golesh but Golesh blowing by and ignoring the former University of Texas HC.
FAU and USF seem to be a brewing rivalry, as FAU embarrassed the Bulls last season in a 56-14 drumming in October of this past year.
The 2 American Conference teams are scheduled to have another rematch next season at Raymond James Stadium.
While the Bulls have struggled at times during this tumultuous season that was a sneaky pick to win the American Conference, they’re still very much on track to accomplish their main goal of continuing to put together competitive seasons while the team continues to replenish their roster with solid talent through recruiting and the transfer portal.
Now 4-4 on the season, USF is two wins away from bowl eligibility for a second consecutive season, a massive step forward for a football program still trying to grow under its second-year coach.
It’s not quite where USF needs to be, but it’s a great sign of things to come that a team that had put together consecutive miserable seasons.
