Box Score
 |
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Final |
| USF |
2 |
10 |
0 |
10 |
22 |
| ECU |
0 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
17 |
|
| |
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
GREENVILLE, N.C., NOV. 7, 2015 – Quinton Flowers threw a go-ahead, 67-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Adams with 4:40 remaining and USF held on for an important 22-17 comeback win at East Carolina on Saturday night.
USF (5-4, 3-2) moved closer to bowl eligibility after dominating East Carolina (4-6, 2-4) in total yards by a 442-220 margin on a rainy night at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The Bulls have won four of their past five games and stayed in the hunt for The American's East Division title.
“On the road, lead changes, they could have easily given up, but those guys stuck together and made the plays when the plays needed to be made,” head coach Willie Taggart said after the Bulls topped their 2014 win total.
Marlon Mack (Sarasota) registered his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 117 yards to help the Bulls rack up 242 yards on the ground. The sophomore from Sarasota now has nine career 100-yard rushing games and moved into fifth on USF's all-time rushing list with 1,876 yards.
Flowers (Miami) completed 12 of 23 pass attempts for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Sean Price became USF's all-time receiving yards leader for a tight end with a 16-yard TD catch in the second quarter. Price finished with four catches for 56 yards, while Adams had four catches for a game-high 95 yards.
Sophomore kicker Emilio Nadelman made two clutch field goals and his 39-yarder spotted the Bulls a 15-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Tom Allen's “Bull Sharks” defense totaled 13 tackles for loss, forced a safety and held ECU to 62 rushing yards. The Bulls posted three sacks and ended ECU's comeback try on the final play with a combined sack by Kevin Bronson and Zack Bullock at the Pirates' 33.
“If you want to win a championship, this is what champions do,” Taggart said. “They come through and they make the plays that needed to be made.”
USF headed into halftime with a 12-7 lead after dominating on both sides of the ball. The Bulls opened with a 277-29 advantage in total yards while ECU failed to pick up a first down and generated just 6 passing yards.
Both offenses struggled to find their footing during five consecutive three-and-outs to start the game before the USF defense took charge.
The Bulls took a 2-0 lead with 1:33 left in the first quarter after ECU quarterback James Summers was penalized for intentional grounding while throwing out of the end zone. Senior defensive end Shawn Hill was credited with a sack on the play.
USF has scored first in seven consecutive games, eight out nine outings on the year, and the Bulls added to their lead after the safety.
USF followed with a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive that was capped off by Price's 16-yard touchdown reception with 14:16 remaining in the half. With his second-career TD catch, Price became USF's all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end, passing Cedric Hill (774 yards, 2005-08).
Price, a senior from Citra, Fla., now owns both of USF's top tight end career receiving marks with 71 catches for 816 yards.
“Sean has been making plays like that for us all year,” Taggart said. “Him being a senior and being the guy that he is, that's what we expect from him.”
Despite going 0-for-5 on third down, ECU managed to find the end zone after USF lost a fumble at its own 7-yard line. One play later, Summers' 7-yard touchdown run helped cut the Pirates' deficit to 9-7 with 4:06 left in the half. The Pirates had the ball for just 7:55 in the opening half.
Nadelman (Miami) shook off a field goal miss midway through the second quarter and made a 36-yard field goal to extend USF's lead to 12-7 with 41 seconds to go before halftime.
ECU more than doubled its first-half yardage output while taking its first lead on an eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Summers put the Pirates ahead with a 3-yard touchdown run on a drive that was aided by a pass interference call.
Nadelman came through again with a 39-yard field goal that gave the Bulls a 15-14 lead with 12:21 remaining. USF's nine-play, 36-yard scoring drive was kept alive with a gutsy, 5-yard run by Mack on a fourth-and-2 at the ECU 32.
Saturday's see-saw battle tipped back into ECU's favor on the ensuing drive. Davis Plowman's 40-yard field goal gave the Pirates a 17-15 lead with 9:53 remaining.
The “Bull Sharks” got the stop they needed down the stretch, forcing a punt with 5:40 remaining, and USF's offense started its 85-yard march. Just three plays in, Flowers found streaking Adams wide open on a three-receiver set screen play. Adams ran to the end zone untouched on the 67-yard strike that helped give USF a 22-17 lead with 4:40 remaining.
USF zoomed downfield in 54 seconds, marking the Bulls' 21st scoring drive in less than 2 minutes this season.
“There are nothing but great things ahead for Flowers and our football team,” Taggart said.
The “Bull Sharks” forced another ECU punt with less than 3 minutes remaining and finished another memorable stand in the final minute. Auggie Sanchez (St. Petersburg) made a team-high 11 tackles and three tackles for loss. Nigel Harris (Tampa) finished with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.
“We're playing in November, playing for something that's really big,” Taggart said. “I'm really proud of these guys and I'm glad we get to come back home in front of our fans.”
Watch the Bulls try to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010 when they return to Raymond James Stadium to host Temple on Saturday, Nov. 14. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and fans can reserve their seats at USFBullsTix.com.
The USF Football program is in its 19th season overall and 16th at the FBS level. The Bulls have made six bowl appearances, including every season between 2005-10, and have four bowl game victories. USF has produced 14 All-America selections, 25 NFL Draft picks and reached the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press Poll in 2007.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
