By FRANCIS FEDOR
The USF Bulls continued their streak of hot play this week, going on the road to get a big 63-36 American Conference win over the University of North Texas Eagles. The 63-point output matched their point total in the game vs. South Carolina State on Sept. 20 in Tampa. USF has been lighting up the scoreboard over the past three weeks and, with the 54 points last week vs Charlotte, only fell nine points short of three consecutive 63 point scoring nights. The Bulls reentered the top 25 rankings last week at 24 and, with their third consecutive win and only the Miami loss on their record, have now moved up five spots to 19 and entered the USA Today coaches poll for the first time at 23. USF was ranked at 18 after its win over the Florida Gators on Sept. 6 but fell out of the Top 25 after a loss to undefeated Miami, which helped their strength-of-schedule.
USF QB Bryum Brown talks with the offensive players after Cartevious Norton was carted off the field with an injury in win over Charlotte on Oct. 3.
Bulls defender Jair Murphy gets the punt block for the safety in win over Charlotte on Oct. 3.
Rob Higgins takes the field for the first time as CEO of USF Athletics prior to the Bulls win over Charlotte on Oct. 3.
The first half was a back-and-forth game with North Texas scoring the first points of the game, a TD at the 8:42 mark on an eight-play 40-yard drive. USF answered with its own eight-play drive, capped by a Bryrum Brown 7-yard run to tie the game. The teams traded scores like a heavyweight title bout and went to the locker rooms knotted at 21 each. Nearly mimicking the game vs South Carolina State, where the Bulls scored five third-quarter TDs, USF again had a big third quarter, scored four times, only interrupted by a mid-quarter North Texas score, to break the game open and extend their lead.
Byrum Brown remained in the game to score the Bulls final TD, a 9-yard Brown run, to add points to the win. Points scored are significant when the pollsters look at where to rank teams, based on strength of schedule, points scored and margins of victory. Brown finished the game with 22 completions for 245 yards and three TDs, his only blemish, an interception. Brown pulled the ball down and took off 21 times for 110 yards, scoring twice (moving into seventh place in the USF record book) and leading all rushers. Chase Garnett was next with 74 yards rushing, filling in for the injured Cartevious Norton, who was carted off the field in the Charlotte win and taken to Tampa General for further testing but is recovering. Chas Neptune, typically a WR creating havoc in the secondary, was called on for a little trickery and tossed a 29-yard TD to get on the stat sheet as a QB.
Francis Fedor Photos
USF junior JeyQuan Smith makes a diving attempt to down the ball after a punt on the goal line in win over the 49ers on Oct. 3.
The defense, which continues to excel, kept North Texas from a fourth-quarter comeback and sent the Bulls back to Florida with a huge win. The defensive secondary picked off three passes, one each from Jhalyn Shuler, Fred Gaskin and Jonas Duclona (first career INT) to end NT drives. Tavin Ward led all tacklers with a career-high 14 tackles, 12 of them solo tackles.
USF now turns its attention to homecoming week on campus, capped by a Saturday night lights game vs the Florida Atlantic Owls, which wraps its Florida opponents for this season, at 7:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls will look to extend a winning streak and move toward gaining ground in the polls and position themselves for a shot at the American Conference championship.