USF managed to capture a shaky win against Temple this Saturday afternoon. In a game that had its fair share of ups and downs for both sides, it’s clear that there is much to be praised and much to be addressed for the Bulls.
USF got out to a hot start in the first quarter. A 7-yard touchdown run by Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown on the first drive, a 41-yard field goal by kicker John Cannon on the second drive, and a 32-yard touchdown pass from Brown to wide receiver Khafre Brown on the third drive culminated in an early 17-0 dominating lead for USF. The USF defense also came out of the tunnel ready to play, forcing two consecutive punts from Temple to start the game and then an interception by defensive back Aamaris Brown on Temple quarterback E.J. Warner.
Once the field flipped at the end of the first quarter, Temple found a new life in their team on back-to-back scoring drives to start the second quarter. E.J. Warner found tight end Jordan Smith on a seam up the hash marks for a 16-yard touchdown. On the following drive, Temple marched down into field goal range and kicker Camden Price converted on a 42-yard attempt to cut the USF lead down to 7 at 17-10.
In the final 8 minutes of the first half, USF and Temple found themselves locked in a defensive stalemate with both teams amassing only short drives that ended in trading the ball back and forth through a series of punts and interceptions. However, on the final drive of the first half for the Bulls, Byrum Brown found wide receiver Sean Atkins for two 20-yard completions on a drive starting from deep in their own territory that would get USF into field goal range to make the score 20-10 after Cannon converted on a 44-yard field goal.
The Bulls continued this positive momentum defensively coming out of halftime. After a missed Temple 46-yard field goal attempt, USF followed this up by recovering a fumble forced by defensive back Jaelen Stokes on Temple tight end David Martin-Robinson which was recovered by linebacker Mac Harris. Then on the concurrent Temple drive, E.J. Warner fired an arid pass towards the flats which was cut off and returned for a touchdown by Defensive End Tramel Logan. This pick-six put USF up 27-10. Following the pick-six, E.J. Warner committed a third straight Temple turnover by throwing a wayward pass deep into coverage which was intercepted by Aamaris Brown for his second of the game and gave Warner his third interception thrown of the afternoon. Addressing his ball hawking ability postgame, Brown said he focuses on, “going up, getting the ball at its highest point so the receiver can’t get it too.”
Given these three turnovers, Byrum Brown and the USF offense found little success offensively. Besides the pick-six by Logan, USF was held scoreless throughout the entirety of the second half. Even with the offense’s scoring troubles Brown and Sean Atkins proved themselves the stars of the team’s passing attack. Brown eclipsed 300 yards through the air for the fourth time this season, which matches Quinton Flowers record set back in 2017. Additionally, Atkins broke records of his own by towering over the century mark in receiving yards and hauling in 9 receptions to break the single season record of 67 receptions set by Rodney Adams back in the 2016 season. Atkins now sits at 69 receptions on the year. Regarding his record setting performance postgame, Atkins said, “it was a special day for me, but going out there and getting that W is all the really mattered.”
In the fourth quarter, E.J. Warner put together multiple strong drives for the Owls, one in which he fired multiple passes over 15 yards and culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dante Wright. This drive put the dormant USF second half offense on its heels as Temple was able to cut the lead for USF to just four at 27-23. USF responded with a methodical drive of their own led by the rushing game which finally broke through as running backs Kelley Joiner and Nay’Quan Wright each accrued several carries that shaved all the remaining seven minutes off the clock. Byrum Brown sealed the deal by throwing a 16-yard strike to Sean Atkins on the sideline. With 1:30 remaining in the game, USF finally broke into the red zone for the first time in the second half where Byrum Brown would lead his offense out of the huddle in victory formation to run out the clock and secure a 27-23 victory for the USF Bulls over the Temple Owls.
All in all, USF played a game that was very characteristic of them throughout the season. High flying plays combined with silent stretches from the offense, with a strong defensive performance that can never truly be predicted. Going forward, the Bulls will look to have offensive success similar to that as they did the first three drives of the game. When asked about the offense’s apparent lack of success in the second half, head coach Alex Golesh commented, “An ugly win, but we’ll have to take it. 450 yards resulting in 27 points… it’s not good enough.” Defensively, USF will look to produce more of the same as today, 4 turnovers and only 20 points against is a strong recipe for success.
With only two games remaining in the season, USF gears up to make a run for bowl eligibility. They need to win at least one of their next two games, away at UTSA this upcoming Friday, and their home finale against Charlotte on Nov 25th to secure their spot in a bowl game this season. It’s a massive jump for USF, whose tale this season is dramatically different from their 1-11 end to last year. Going from playing that poorly, to playing at this level is something of a spectacle, and it will be seen if the Bulls can find a way to follow through at the end of the year.