TAMPA, SEPT. 22, 2018 – USF became the fastest Florida FBS team to reach 150 program wins with a 20-13 victory over East Carolina in the Bulls' American Athletic Conference opener at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night.

USF (4-0, 1-0) reached 150 wins in program game No. 255, three games faster than Florida, and junior Jordan Cronkrite broke a 13-13 tie with a career long 80-yard touchdown run with 10:13 remaining. Cronkrite (Miami) posted his second straight 100-yard rushing game with 129 yards on 15 carries (8.6 ypc).

Redshirt freshman safety Nick Roberts (Jacksonville, Fla.) sealed the victory by intercepting his first career pass at the ECU 44-yard line with two minutes remaining. USF's defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter for the second straight game to help the Bulls improve to 20-5 in AAC games over the past three seasons, the best record in the conference. The Bulls have scored 46 unanswered points in the fourth quarter over the last three games.

ECU (1-2, 0-1) grabbed a 7-0 lead on the game's opening drive before the Bulls rattled off 13 straight points and took a 13-10 lead into halftime.

Blake Barnett (Corona, Calif.) got the Bulls on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run with 3:33 remaining in the opening quarter after running back Johnny Ford gained 39 yards on his first career reception. Through the air, Barnett completed 12 of 20 passes for 181 yards and threw a touchdown pass in his fourth straight game.

Darnell Salomon (Miami) put USF ahead with a 66-yard touchdown catch just over a minute into the second quarter. Salomon led the Bulls with 79 yards on two receptions and has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games.

Tied at 13-13 in the fourth quarter, Cronkrite busted through the middle of the line and sprinted 80 yards to the end zone with 10:13 remaining. It marked USF's longest scoring run since Marcus Shaw went 80 yards against McNeese State on Aug. 31, 2013.

ECU's comeback attempt was dashed with two minutes left, when Roberts hauled in his first career interception at the Pirates' 44-yard line. Roberts finished with a career-high eight tackles while senior safety Jaymon Thomas (Immokalee, Fla.) led the way with 10 total stops.

USF won its fourth straight conference opener and improved to 5-1 in American Athletic Conference openers and 10-6 in conference openers overall.

Key Stats
150 – USF became the fastest Florida FBS team to reach 150 wins. The Bulls accomplished the feat in 255 games, three games faster than Florida.
80 – Jordan Cronkrite's 80-yard touchdown run broke a 13-13 tie in the fourth quarter.
0 – The Bulls' defense shut out its second straight opponent in the fourth quarter. USF has outscored opponents, 49-14, in the fourth quarter this season.

Notables

• USF became the fastest Florida FBS team to reach 150 program wins, accomplishing the feat in its 255^th game. The next closest is Florida, which reached win No. 150 in 258 games. USF has gone 25-4 since the start of 2016.
• USF improved to 20-5 in AAC games over the past three seasons, the best record in the conference, and has won 11 of its last 12 AAC home games. USF has won 19 of its past 22 home games overall.
• USF has scored at least 20 points in 34 straight games, the longest streak in the nation.

 
Up Next
Following a bye week, the Bulls are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 6 at UMass. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in Amherst, Mass.

USF resumes conference play at Tulsa on Friday, Oct. 12 and returns to Raymond James Stadium to host UConn on Saturday, Oct. 20. 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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