USF held their annual spring football game on Saturday afternoon. Green Team took on White Team as the two sides engaged in a defensive battle throughout the game.
The major names on the Green Team were starting quarterback Byrum Brown, wide receiver Naiem Simmons, and defensive back Aamaris Brown. For the White Team, they were highlighted by wide receiver Sean Atkins and running back Nay’Quan Wright.
Both sides began the contest by going three and out and trading back-to-back punts. The biggest play of the game came halfway through the first quarter when dual-sport quarterback Bryce Archie lateraled the ball to Sean Atkins who threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Kelley Joiner Jr.
Going into his senior season, Atkins is no stranger to that sort of a play, as he accounted for a number of pass attempts and touchdowns last season for the Bulls.
Green Team struggled offensively, led by quarterback Israel Carter, after Byrum Brown was taken out of the game following two drives.
In the final few minutes of the first half, Bryce Archie marched White Team down the field to get into field goal range. A successful 45-yard field goal by kicker Ty Ippolito extended White Team’s lead to 10-0 going into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Green Team found new light in their offense as Israel Carter lobbed a deep ball to wide receiver Christian Helms on a crossing route for a 34 yard touchdown.
That touchdown ended up being the final score of the game as the defense on both sides stepped up to limit any offensive momentum. Both defenses ran the tempo of the game as Green Team was only able to amass 151 yards on offense and White Team was limited to 90 yards on the afternoon.
The standout player of the game was White Team’s Jhalyn Shuler as he garnered 12 total tackles with 1.5 of those tackles being sacks.
Following the game, coach Alex Golesh said, “everybody that came back has taken a monumental step.”
Looking forward, the Bulls hope to take that monumental step into the upcoming season in the fall. USF will have their work cut out for them as they prepare for a schedule that includes powerhouses such as Alabama and Miami. However, they see themselves as true contenders to win the American Conference next season coming off of a dominating bowl win against Syracuse to conclude the 2023 campaign. Only time will tell, but it is hard not to feel that the sky is the limit for the future of USF football.