TULSA, Okla., OCT. 12, 2018 – No. 23 USF rallied back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit and defeated Tulsa, 25-24, thanks to a 22-yard field goal by Coby Weiss with two seconds remaining Friday night.

USF (6-0, 2-0 in AAC) stormed back with 15 unanswered points and used a thrilling seven-play, 52-yard scoring drive in the final minute to improve to 6-0 for the second straight season. Weiss' clutch kick was set up by a 32-yard catch by Tyre McCants (Niceville, Fla.) that got the Bulls down to the Tulsa 5 before they stopped the clock with a spike.

USF put together its largest fourth-quarter comeback since rallying from 15 points down at Nevada in 2012. Getting the job done helped the Bulls become bowl eligible for the fourth straight season and they set a program record for wins across a four-season period (35-9, 79.5% winning percentage).

Blake Barnett (Corona, Calif.) led the fourth-quarter comeback with two touchdown runs down the stretch and delivered with his arm when USF needed it the most. The junior quarterback completed consecutive passes to Mitchell Wilcox (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) for a total of 28 yards on the game-winning drive before his pivotal 32-yard strike to McCants. Wilcox finished with five receptions for 95 yards while McCants covered 91 yards on a game-high eight catches.

Explosive junior back Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) extended his 100-yard rushing game streak to four with 151 yards on 25 carries during a performance that included a 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Cronkrite has rushed for 582 yards in the past three games (second-best USF total in three straight games) and he's well on his way to posting a 1,000-yard season with 757 yards in just five games.

After having eight days to prepare for the Bulls, Tulsa (1-5, 0-3) took a 10-3 lead into halftime despite being outgained in total offensive yards by a 171-134 margin.

Tulsa grabbed a 7-0 advantage with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter and USF responded less than four minutes later with a 22-yard field goal by Weiss (Gainesville, Fla.). The 11-play, 78-yard scoring drive was kept alive by Wilcox's 45-yard reception on third-and-15 from the USF 12.

USF's defense kept things close in the opening half by forcing five punts, including four three-and-outs.

The Bulls evened things up at 10-10 just over a minute into the second half thanks to Cronkrite's 66-yard sprint to the end zone. It marked the junior's team-leading sixth touchdown run of the year and his fourth scoring run from at least 66 yards out this season, a USF season record.

Tulsa scored 14 straight points to take a 24-10 lead into the fourth quarter before the Bulls answered back midway through the period. Barnett's 1-yard touchdown run with 7:10 remaining got the Bulls closer but the extra-point attempt was blocked.

USF forced Tulsa's eighth punt of the game and got the ball back with 4:48 remaining. Barnett moved the chains twice on third-and-long with runs of 13 and 11 yards before Darnell Salomon (Miami) got the Bulls down to Tulsa 14 with a 31-yard catch and run.

Barnett's 12-yard touchdown run with 2:09 to play dropped the deficit to 24-22 but he couldn't complete the two-point conversion with his feet. USF's defense ended up forcing Tulsa's ninth punt of the game and the Bulls got the ball back at its own 43 with 1:03 remaining.

Key plays on the final drive by Barnett, Wilcox, McCants and Weiss helped the Bulls improve to 13-2 in games away from Tampa in the last three seasons. USF has won four straight vs. AAC West Division foes.

Quotable
Head coach Charlie Strong on the Bulls' thrilling victory over Tulsa:
"The thing about these guys is they just don't quit. We were down 14 with less than 10 minutes to go in the game and we get in there and get us a drive put together. If there is a bigger player than Wilcox and McCants, I'd love to see them. Those guys came down with some big catches and Blake made the throws at the right time. I'm just so happy and so proud of this team and the way they battled."

Key Stats
151 – The amount of rushing yards by Jordan Cronkrite, who posted his fourth straight 100-yard game.
52 – USF went 52 yards on its game-winning scoring drive in 1:01 to remain undefeated.
36 – The number of consecutive 20-plus point games by the Bulls, a streak that leads the nation.
15 – The amount of fourth-quarter points scored by the Bulls to erase a 14-point deficit.
9 – USF's defense forced nine punts to keep the Bulls within striking distance.

Notables

• Weiss made USF's first game-winning field goal since Marvin Kloss' 44-yard field goal with 4:03 to play in a 13-10 win at UConn in 2013. The last game-winning kick before that was made by Maikon Bonani on the final play of overtime from 37 yards out in a 24-21 win at Louisville on Nov. 12, 2010.
• USF remained unbeaten on the season. The Bulls were one of just 11 undefeated teams entering Friday night. Charlie Strong improved to 16-2 as USF head coach.
• The Bulls became bowl eligible for the fourth straight season and 10^th time in program history. The four straight seasons of bowl eligibility are the second-longest in program history behind six straight bowl appearances from 2005-10.
• USF improved to 6-0 to start a season for the second straight year and just the third time in program history. The Bulls posted a program-best 7-0 start last season.
• With its 35th victory (35-9) since the 2015 season, USF set a program record for wins across a four-season period, surpassing the mark of 34-18 (65%) set from 2006-09. The Bulls reached the mark in just 44 games (79.5% winning percentage).
• USF finished with 487 total yards and has posted 400-plus yards in 15 of its last 16 games.

 
Up Next
USF returns to Raymond James Stadium to host UConn in the program's homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
 
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