For USF’s homecoming week, the Bulls returned to Raymond James Stadium to snap its two game losing streak with a 29-2 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes.
The first ever matchup between these two teams marked USF’s second win over a Mid-American Conference opponent this season. The last was a 14-6 win at Bowling Green University on Sept 26. Similar to that game, USF’s defense held strong to mitigate the Bulls’ offensive struggles.
With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, USF sat on its own two-yard line following a fourth-and-goal stop by the Bulls defense. USF running back DJ Crowther was tackled behind USF’s goal line for a safety.
ent State reached USF’s goal line on its following drive, but the Bulls defense held strong once more.
On second and goal at the two yard line, Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields pushed the pile across the goal line for what would have been the games first touchdown, had the officials not blown the play dead moments before. The very next snap, DeShields tried another keeper, but the snap sent the ball four yards behind him.
Bulls defensive end CJ Hicks recovered the ball at the USF4, and the Ohio State transfer sprinted 96 yards the other way to put USF up 7-2. The scoop and score ties defensive back Kayvon Webster’s 96-yard fumble recovery during a 2011 matchup against Notre Dame for the longest defensive touchdown in program history.
Coincidentally, Webster was in attendance, as he was honored alongside former quarterback Quinton Flowers in celebration of USF’s 30th season.
“Once I got to like midfield with [defensive back] Ayden Jackson, and once I high fived him, I kind of seen like it was straight green dirt just behind me,” Hicks said. “So I was like, good, just make sure I get to the end zone.”
Hartline however, gave his defense little credit.
“They dropped the ball, we didn’t do anything,” Hartline said. “That was just poor execution by them, so for us to celebrate, that’s just silly. We shouldn’t have been down there in the first place.”
Kent State reached scoring position again its next possession and USF again held them scoreless. The Golden Flashes offense set up a 46-yard field goal attempt with two minutes until the half, but kicker Sean Leonard sailed it wide right.
Keeping opposing offenses off the board has been the Bulls specialty this season. When the Bulls defensive does not score points, it allows the least amount of points per game in the American Conference (17.3).
Allowing zero points through back-to-back goal line stands and a missed kick, USF turned what could have been a multi-score lead for Kent State into a Bulls eight-point lead at halftime following a 49-yard field goal from Nico Gramatica.
That kick, and USF’s first offensive points, came with just five seconds until halftime.
The Bulls’ opening drive of the second half ended at midfield after a failed fourth-and-one conversion. In USF territory for a fourth time, Kent State turned the ball over on downs, but were awarded a first from a roughing the passer call.
The penalty also disqualified defender Marshon Oxley after a targeting confirmation. The error was uncharacteristic for a Bulls defense that entered the contest with the least yards through penalties per game in the American Conference (35).
USF’s 62 penalty yards were one of many areas USF head coach Brian Hartline believes the team needs improvement.
The amount of penalties we’ve done shooting ourselves in the foot, the taking care of the football, the ball was exposed way too often today,” said Hartline postgame. “I thought we were checking these boxes, but we check boxes, then we uncheck them.”
Kent State reached the USF13 nearly three minutes later, but a fumbled snap on a field goal try ended a fourth Kent State possession in USF territory with nothing to show for it. With a minute left in the third quarter, USF’s offense scored its first touchdown on a goal line quarterback run by Luke Kromenhoek.
Through the last five plays of USF’s scoring drive, Kent State committed three penalties and the officials missed a play with twelve Golden Flashes on the field. USF’s first big offensive play arrived with eleven minutes left in the fourth, with a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Van Buren to receiver Cam Seldon.
USF began its next drive on Kent State’s nine after a sack on fourth down by bulls edge rusher Micheal Williams. Two plays later, the Bulls offense found itself back at the KSU30 after Van Buren threw an illegal pass that was tipped back to him.
The loss of yards led to a missed 35-yard attempt from Gramatica that kept the score at 24-2. Gramatica completed his next attempt to raise the score to 27-2.
After nearly four quarters of unlikely moments, the bizarre contest ended as it began, with another safety.
Bulls punter Luke Goater pinned the ball on Kent States one-yard-line. Then with eleven seconds until the final whistle, quarterback Nolan Good was brought down behind Kent State’s endzone to conclude the score at 29-2.
A college football game has not ended with that score since 1959, when Navy beat William and Mary on Sept. 26.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of good, there’s really good examples of execution and blocking and defense rallying and all those kind of things,” Hartline said. “But really there’s lapses, we got to figure out the lapses.”
Following next week’s bye, USF will look to fix those lapses while hosting the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Oct. 31.