10 Football Foundation Wins: Third Edition
July 01, 2015 | Football
Over the years, the stories have been told, the game stats analyzed, the memories shared and celebrated. USF Football beats Florida State. Miami. Notre Dame. West Virginia. Louisville.
Great days indeed, but the list of landmark wins for the Bulls doesn't end there. As we approach the 19th season of USF Football, some very good and very memorable wins from USF Football's first dozen seasons helped take the program to the next level.
This summer we take a look back at 10 USF Football foundation wins. They are not the greatest Bulls games of all time, and some of the opponents are far from national powerhouses, but the story lines for each are intriguing. And these games, maybe as much as the blockbuster wins we all remember, show how the meteoric climb of USF Football began.
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
USF 42, New Hampshire 41 (2 OT)
Tampa
October 23, 1999
The 30th game in USF Football history had the feel of a mismatch. The Bulls were 5-2, and by then had a clear plan to leave 1-AA football for 1-A status and full membership in Conference USA. New Hampshire was 3-3 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and was adjusting to a new head coach. This would be USF's fourth consecutive home game, and the Bulls had won the previous three by allowing an average of only nine points per game.
Little did we know that it would be the offense that would save USF that day, and that the Bulls would win only thanks to the failure of one of the most daring trick plays ever attempted by a USF opponent.
It took very little time to get the scoring started, as the Wildcats got on the board just 5 minutes in to the game. USF countered quickly on a Dyral McMillan 2-yard touchdown run, and that's pretty much how the game went from there on out. New Hampshire scored in every quarter, and the Bulls scored in every quarter except the first. If there was ever a game where it was crucial to have the last possession, this was it.
USF took its first lead midway through the third quarter on a Hugh Smith touchdown run. It's easy to forget that Smith, who held USF's all-time receptions record all the way up until 2014, started as a running back. On this day he ran for 60 yards and caught one pass.
The Bulls had the lead briefly in the fourth quarter, but New Hampshire quarterback Ryan Day tied the game on a short touchdown run with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Despite a strong offensive output, the Bulls were limited in the kicking game. Bill Gramatica was out with an injury, forcing punter Tony Umholtz in to double duty as the placekicker. The Bulls lost an opportunity to win in regulation when a 27-yard field goal attempt missed with just over 7 minutes remaining. The score was 28-28 at the end of regulation.
So overtime it was, for the first time in USF Football history. Although we didn't know it then, this was the beginning of the Bulls' remarkable undefeated streak in overtime that would last until 2011.
Just like in regulation, the offenses controlled overtime. The Bulls deferred on the toss, and New Hampshire scored first. USF countered with a pair of Dyral McMillan touchdowns, one on the ground and one on a pass from Marquel Blackwell. For McMillan, it would be a breakout year as he became the first Bull to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He finished with 144 yards in this game.
The Bulls went back on the field with a 42-35 lead, looking for the defensive stop that would end the game. But the Wildcats offense continued to mystify USF, and Day threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game to make it 42-41.
Then the fun really began.
Looking back, New Hampshire's decision not to kick the extra point does make some sense. New Hampshire was an underdog playing on the road, and felt they had a chance to end things right there rather than risk an additional overtime. But understandable as it may seem, I doubt very many people in the stadium saw the game's final play coming. Judging from some of the post-game comments, many of the Bulls players and coaches did not. And as the play unfolded at the end of the field near the student section, the delayed reaction by the crowd indicated surprise as well.
The Wildcats set up for the extra point, with quarterback Day holding for kicker Peter Carbonara. There was nothing unusual about the formation, and in our minds many of us were already getting ready for the third overtime.
But instead of setting the ball down, Day rolled to his left and tried to throw to the kicker Carbonara in the end zone for the win. Did we defend it? Well, there were Bulls in the area, but the play was definitely there. Day, who had thrown four touchdowns passes and ran for one in the game, couldn't connect this time and the pass fell incomplete. It seemed to be almost a full second before the realization hit everyone that the game was over and the Bulls had won, 42-41.
It was an uncharacteristic game for the Bulls defense, which gave up 492 yards and allowed New Hampshire over 43 minutes of possession time. But the Bulls offense was stout, with 479 total yards of their own.
USF would drop two of their last three remaining games but still finished with a solid 7-4 record for the 1999 season. Although they wouldn't go to overtime again until 2003, this one set the tone for many of the nail-biting USF wins that would continue well into the next decade.
First Edition: USF 44, Cumberland 0 (1997)
