USF hosted Bethune-Cookman on Sunday evening in week one of the college football season. The game marked the opening of each team’s yearly campaign.
The Wildcats quickly forced USF to go three and out to begin the game. The Bulls responded with a defensive stand of their own which sparked the offense on the succeeding possession. Quarterback Byrum Brown methodically marched his offense towards midfield before he broke free on a 3rd & 2 read option and jogged down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown for USF’s first score of the season.
On the next Bethune-Cookman possession, quarterback Micah Bowens attempted to hit his receiver on third down via a dig route which was jumped by USF senior linebacker Jhalyn Shuler and returned to the six-yard line which set up 1st and goal for the Bulls. The interception went down as Shuler’s first at USF. The offense capitalized on the great starting field position with a two-yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal by running back Kelley Joiner to put them ahead by a score of 14-0 early in the contest.
The Wildcats were continually unable to get anything going as their next drive resulted in a three and out. Solid special teams play resulted in USF starting in opposing territory for the second straight possession. As the second quarter began, the Bulls made the best of the starting field position yet again by adding another touchdown to their lead. Running back Ta’Ron Keith surged up the middle of the offensive line from one yard out to make the score 21-0.
Three and outs were starting to become a trend for the Bethune-Cookman offense as the Bulls continued to stand strong defensively. Then, for the first time in three drives, the South Florida offense was unable to get anything going and were forced to punt the ball back to the Wildcats, setting them up inside their own five-yard line.
Forcing Bethune-Cookman back up against their own goal line worked out well for the USF offense as another three and out set them up on the Wildcat side of the field for the third time in four possessions. USF was unable to make anything of the great starting position as they managed to march all the way down the field but came up short on 4th & 1 at the two-yard line.
A fourth straight three and out for the Wildcats gave USF another great opportunity to start at the opposing 40-yard line. The Bulls made quick work of the field position this time around as Byrum Brown’s arm efficiently put them on the goal line while running back Nay’Quan Wright finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run on 1st and goal. Wright became the third different USF running back to record a touchdown on the evening and extended their lead to 28-0.
As the first half started to wind down, Bethune-Cookman replaced Micah Bowens with junior quarterback Cam’Ron Ransom. This sparked the team as their two-minute offense powered them down to the USF 25-yard line. The Bulls defense then stood tall and forced a 49-yard field goal attempt which was converted by kicker Cade Hechter. USF quickly responded with a 23-yard scramble by Byrum Brown to get the Bulls within field goal range. Kicker John Cannon drilled a 53-yard field goal as the first half clock expired to send both teams into the locker room with USF leading 31-3.
The Bethune-Cookman offense returned to their inefficient form as the second half began with the USF defense forcing them into a quick three and out. The Bulls marched down the field on their first series of the half before stalling in the red zone. Cannon was sent out for another field goal attempt and drilled it again, this time from 40 yards out to widen the gap to 34-3.
Following another Wildcats punt, the offensive onslaught continued as Byrum Brown hit wide receiver Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen over the middle of the field for a 41-yard completion. Kelley Joiner completed the scoring drive by bouncing an outside run for four yards into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, putting the Bulls up 41-3.
The next Bethune-Cookman drive emphasized their continuous struggle as Cam’Ron Ransom threw an interception to safety D’Marco Augustin who was lurking over the middle of the field and returned the ball to the Wildcat 15-yard line. With the second-team unit now in for the Bulls, quarterback Bryce Archie made the best of the opportunity by connecting with wide receiver Michael Brown-Stephens on a toe-tap reception in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. Archie, a dual-sport football and baseball athlete, recorded the first touchdown of his career on his first pass attempt of the season.
With the deficit now insurmountable and the fourth quarter approaching, each side inserted their backups into the game and traded punts as the clock continued to run down. The game ended by a final score of 48-3 in favor of USF.
Byrum Brown stood out for the team as he finished the game completing 13 of 20 attempted passes for 152 yards while adding another eight carries for 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Regarding his performance post-game, head coach Alex Golesh said, “I thought Byrum… led really well, really well poised, really under control.”
“It’s great to get a win, it’s great to be 1-0… I’m glad we did,” Golesh also added when discussing the team’s overall performance.
For Bethune-Cookman, they will start the season at 0-1 (0-0) and look forward to hosting Mercer next weekend as they are still a few games away from conference play within the SWAC.
For USF, they could not have executed a more impressive opening to the season. Clean and efficient offense that was absent of turnovers combined with stout defensive play contributed to a win in dominating fashion. Starting the season at 1-0 (0-0), they travel west next weekend to Tuscaloosa to take on a formidable opponent in Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide. They will have to wait until Week 5 before competing in American Conference play where they are projected to be near the top of the standings and in the running for a conference championship.