The USF Bulls went on the road to face their archrival, FAU, and took down the Owls 44-21 on Friday night to put them above .500 on the season.
The win also helps the Bulls’ bowl chances, provided they handle business the rest of the season.
FAU had their way in the first half, with the Owls jumping to an early 7-0 lead and eventually a 14-7 lead at the half.
Cam Fancher, the FAU quarterback, did most of his damage in the first half. For the game, Fancher was 22/42 for 306 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulls trailed 14-7 at the half after an uneven first 30 minutes in which FAU outgained the Bulls 306 to 166 and logged 149 yards on the ground. That changed after halftime as USF would score on six straight possessions, reeling off 30 straight points and rushing for 223 yards.
Quarterback Bryce Archie had his best game as a Bull, passing for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
A solid running game in the second half also helped Archie out. Nay’Quan Wright ran for 117 yards, Kelly Joiner rushed for 89 yards, and Ta’ron Keith had 81 yards on the ground. All three ran for a touchdown as the Bulls finished with 319 yards on the ground, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
Alex Golesh credits the adjustments made at halftime on both sides of the ball as one key to USF’s victory.
“I felt like the adjustments at halftime on both sides of the ball were really good,” Golesh said.
“I thought we found different ways to run the football offensively, I thought we got Bryce in a rhythm offensively, and then defensively, we affected the quarterback and created sacks, created negative-yards plays, and made it really hard. I felt like once we got going, the momentum shifted.”
Sean Atkins led the Bulls with six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulls’ defense also cranked it up in the second half, finishing the game with seven sacks, which ties a program record. They also forced the Owls into a turnover, three punts, and three turnover on downs. They also had seven tackles for a loss.
Jhalyn Shuler and Decarius Hawthorne led the Bulls with 1.5 sacks.
There is still some bad blood between these two teams, as Alex Golesh just brushed past FAU head coach Tom Herman in the post-game handshake, barely extending a hand. Herman tried to track Golesh down but was not successful.
This was probably the most complete game USF has played this season outside of the Southern Mississippi game.
With the win, the Bulls are now 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in the conference with four games remaining.
The Bulls have just one game remaining against a team with a winning record: Navy next weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
Charlotte, Tulsa, and Rice will then round out the Bulls’ schedule. With four weeks to go in the season, seven wins and a bowl trip look possible.
The Bulls haven’t had a signature win this season, losing to Alabama, Miami, and top conference foes Tulane and Memphis.
It would be nice to win against Navy next weekend. Navy is unbeaten, and a win would almost guarantee USF a bowl game.
This will be USF’s homecoming game and also the salute to service game.