Inside The Play That May Define A Season
By Joey Johnston
For much of his USF career to this point, backup sophomore tight end Chris Carter has not significantly stood out. In 29 career games, he has just six receptions. He's a blocker, a special-teams player. He's in the background. He likes it that way.
"I do my job,'' Carter said. "I stay out of everybody's way. Ask me to do something and I'll do it. It's never about me. It's about the team.''
Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium, Carter made the play that everyone is still talking about. The play that Coach Jeff Scott said typifies the heart and soul of his developing team. The play that set the tone for an important result — USF's 34-14 victory over the Temple Owls — and maybe the direction of an entire season.
As a special-teams blocker on the field goal unit, Carter raced nearly the entire length of the field to catch Temple's Keyshawn Paul, a starting cornerback, who had scooped up an errant snap over the holder on a USF field-goal attempt on the game's opening possession. Paul was alone, had open field and was sailing toward what appeared to be a certain touchdown.
In fact, ESPN's cameras caught a sideline shot of Temple's coach Rod Carey already holding up one finger, signaling to his team that the Owls would go for the extra point after Paul completed the touchdown return.
But Carter never stopped pursuing. Once Paul was in his sights, the Bulls' No. 88 dove and wrapped him up by the legs, bringing the Owl down at the 5-yard line with a perfect tackle.
It was a stunning effort. Coaches always preach effort, never giving up on a play and how the little things can make a big difference. For Carter, a self-avowed believer that good habits always pay off since he began playing football as a 5-year-old in pee-wee, there was never a question about his intentions.
"I felt like it was my duty to go get that guy,'' Carter said.
From lining up at the Temple 10-yard line on the field-goal attempt to making the tackle at the USF 5, Carter ran 85 yards (likely more as his pursuit took him nearly across the horizontal width of the field).
Excited USF fans might have exaggerated Carter's effort. But luckily it was actually quantified. USF uses accelerometers from Catapult Sports, tiny GPS devices that slip inside the shoulder pads to measure a player's speed. Carter reached a speed of 21.12 miles per hour on the play, a staggering acceleration for a 6-foot-4, 238-pound man. It was the fastest he has ever run in a game or a practice, the second-fastest for any USF player measured on this particular night.
"Even after the tackle, I was still a little bit shocked and mad that we put our defense in that position,'' Carter said. "Their backs were against the wall.''
USF's defense came through. Temple gained 3 yards on two running plays, then was whistled for holding. The Owls went to the end zone on third-and-goal from the USF 12. But the pass from D'Wan Mathis was tipped by Christian Williams and intercepted by Mekhi LaPointe. No points relinquished.
The Bulls then marched 80 yards in 19 plays, a drive that carried into the second quarter, and scored on Jaren Mangham's 1-yard run to take a 7-0 lead they wouldn't lose. By game's end, USF had set a program record for rushing with 421 yards. The defense limited Temple to just 35 plays and only 231 yards, both four-year lows. Highlights were everywhere. Stars were aplenty.
But it all began with Carter's hustle play.
"Watching that play confirmed what I know about this team,'' Scott said. "It's going to do whatever it takes to turn the tide. That play set the tone. We've been waiting for that play, that moment, that game. It's where you draw the line in the sand and say, 'Hey, enough's enough. We've got to get over the hump.'
"I really feel like we're going to look back at that play and that game at the end of the season. It's when we were really able to flip the script and start becoming who we are.''
What Happened?
For the full context of Carter's play, you must return to a week earlier, when USF suffered a heartbreaking 32-31 defeat against Tulsa. The Bulls held a two-touchdown lead in the first half and an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, but let it slip away. Trying to put the game away, the Bulls couldn't gain a yard on third and fourth downs near midfield, setting up the Golden Hurricane for the game-winning score.
USF went back to work, determined to find a way to beat Temple and end some ignominious streaks (13 straight defeats in American Athletic Conference games and 17 straight losses against FBS opponents).
A botched field-goal attempt on USF's first drive against Temple? The Owls potentially going up 7-0? Worst-case scenario. The swing of not getting a certain three points — then potentially surrendering a gift touchdown — would have been a psychologically damaging "here-we-go-again'' sequence.
"Those are the times when it's easy to put your head down, when you're coming off a difficult loss and you start a game like that,'' Scott said. "It's always easier to quit. It's harder to work and keep doing what you believe in. But I think we've got a whole lot of guys in our locker room who don't quit, who want to work, who want to do their jobs.''
It began well. The Bulls took the opening kickoff against the Temple Owls and rolled to the 10-yard line, running on nine of the 10 plays. But that's where the drive stalled.
Carter, doing his job, was on the left wing as a blocker when Spencer Shrader lined up for a 27-yard field-goal attempt. Pretty routine stuff, almost like an extra point. But this was different.
"I was getting ready to block my guy, but I heard the crowd noise,'' Carter said. "Everybody started yelling. I was confused. Then I turned around the saw the ball on the ground.''
It was a special-teams catastrophe.
Long-snapper Andrew Beardall sailed one high and over the head of holder Kenny Scribner, a punter.
"I've caught a lot of high snaps before, but that one had a lot of speed on it,'' Scribner said. "It was straight up, really fast. It wasn't even about how high it was. It was about how fast it came out.''
"I'm focused on making the kick, just taking my steps, getting locked in,'' Shrader said. "Then I see this object (football) flying past me. You can see on film that I kind of stutter there for a second. I'm not sure what just happened.''
On the left side of USF's blocking line, it was Carter on the wing, next to defensive lineman Rashawn Yates and offensive tackle Donovan Jennings.
"The guy I was blocking ran at me, then he stopped,'' Yates said. "I didn't know the ball was on the ground. I was confused.''
"Chris Carter was off to the side of me, then I saw him take off, running the other way,'' Jennings said. "I still didn't know what was going on. When I turned, Chris was still a long way from where the ball was.''
"I was yelling at Spencer to go, go, go because he's a lot faster than I am,'' Scribner said. "I'm somewhat slower.''
Scribner had the best shot at Paul, who scooped the ball at about the 34-yard line. But Paul kicked out of Scribner's ankle tackle attempt and had nothing but green grass in front of him.
Shrader backtracked and seemed to have an angle near midfield. But Temple's Cameron Ruiz, who was chasing the play on the full run, put himself between Shrader and Paul. Shrader weaved in another direction, but Ruiz knocked him to the turf. Paul was clear. Then Carter, running on an angle from right to left, entered the picture.
"I can remember Coach Scott always saying the play is never over (until the whistle), so my mindset was to put my head down and go,'' Carter said. "From the jump, he was like 20 yards ahead of me. He might have been jogging at the end. I was going all out.''
Carter and Paul have never met, although they are both from Dade County. Carter, from Homestead South Dade, and Paul, from Miami Jackson, played against each other in a 2017 high-school game. They also shared the field in 2019, when USF visited UConn, where Paul began his college career.
Now they are linked forever.
Two of Carter's favorite plays from high school were tackles. One was chasing down a defender who made an interception. Another was on a misdirection run, when Carter was playing defense. Both tackles were made just short of the goal line, preventing touchdowns.
But neither beat the odds of Carter chasing down Paul, running as fast as he could, giving maximum effort.
"Hats off to Kenny and Spencer because they had a part in it, too,'' Carter said. "They slowed him down maybe and almost got him. I had the clear shot. He never saw me coming. I felt like the play was on me.''
"I was just amazed to see Chris Carter make that tackle,'' Shrader said. "But I'm not at all surprised by the effort. That's Chris Carter. He didn't hesitate one bit. He did what was necessary. That's who he is. That's how he always is in our locker room.''
The Future
Carter, a three-star prospect who had offers from Auburn and Illinois among others, was the first USF commitment in the recruiting class of 2018. He wanted to stay in the state and he believed USF's program was on the rise.
There have been some difficult times since then, several defeats and not much individual glory.
Carter said he wouldn't change a thing.
"I'm going to be able to see I was part of getting this program turned around,'' Carter said.
He's Christopher Tavarius Carter Jr. Sometimes, people ask him if he's actually the son of Cris Carter, the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver who worked on the staff of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas High, but Carter just chuckles at that.
His life is pretty simple. He loves football. He loves sports overall. He practices, plays and goes to class, where he has twice been an AAC All-Academic Team selection.
He's majoring in Integrated Public Relations and Advertising and is scheduled to receive his degree in December. Due to COVID, he actually has two more seasons of football eligibility, but isn't certain about his life's direction. When football is done, his goal is to continue in sports somehow and his dream job is with the NFL Players Association.
"He's the kind of guy I like,'' Scott said. "Low maintenance and a hard-worker, a blue-collar kind of guy. You know what you can expect from him every day in practice.
"He's a guy who just works hard. Sometimes, there are games where guys don't get opportunities. He has never been a guy who's worried about that. He wants to help the team win.''
Carter, who plays behind starter Mitchell Brinkman, usually comes in as the second tight end for extra blocking. But in Saturday night's second quarter, Carter got his first reception of the season, an 8-yarder from Timmy McClain, where he hurdled a defender to get extra yardage.
"Nice catch, nice run,'' Scott said with a smile.
Scott won't remember Carter's statistics. But he will likely always remember the effort behind Carter's field-length run and tackle of Paul. If USF finishes this season with a flourish, Carter's play will be held as a turning point. In later years, when Carter returns to campus, fans will remember his name. He was almost struck speechless by that thought.
If Carter does anything in USF's Thursday night game at East Carolina — or even if he doesn't — it wouldn't be surprising if the ESPN crew showed the highlight and talked about his unforgettable impact.
"If they remember me at USF, I just want them to remember a guy who played for his team and gave it everything he had,'' Carter said. "That's what football is all about. You put in the work and it will get greater later. That's what's ahead for this program. We're going to win.''
