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After letting the good vibes marinate throughout the holiday season, it's time for a glorious Victory Rewind of the sights, sound bites, stats, highlights and learning experiences from USF's 45-0 triumph against the Syracuse Orange at the Dec. 21 Boca Raton Bowl, while beginning the look ahead to an eagerly anticipated 2024 season.

The Big Play

With USF leading 7-0, the Orange lined up for a 47-yard field-goal attempt and a chance to regain some momentum. But the snap was mishandled and it wound up in the hands of Syracuse place-kicker Brady Denaburg, who tried to run. But USF's Tavin Ward punched it from Denaburg's grasp … into the waiting scoop of Aamaris Brown-Bunkley, who ran with an escort of Bulls untouched for a 64-yard touchdown. It was 14-0 in the first quarter. As it turned out, it was over.

Game Balls

* QB Byrum Brown, selected as the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player, was 19-for-26 passing (after starting 10-for-11) with 214 yards and three touchdowns. He had a team-high 64 rushing yards on 14 carries and also caught a 21-yard pass from WR Sean Atkins.

* Speaking of Atkins, he had six receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns. With his completion to Brown, Atkins, a former high-school quarterback, finished the season 4-for-4 passing for 149 yards a touchdown and a 495.4 pass efficiency rating for the year.

* DB Daquan Evans, the Defensive MVP, had five tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble (that was returned for a touchdown).

* Brown-Bunkley, the Special Teams MVP, returned a botched Syracuse field-goal attempt for a score while adding three tackles.

* DL Tramel Logan returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown, setting a new season record for fumble return yards with 131.

Notable Numbers

3 — Number of defensive touchdowns scored this season by Logan, who converted two fumble returns and one interception. That tied the program record of DB Trae Williams (2007) for the most defensive touchdowns in one season.

4 — The number of takeaways forced by USF's defense against Syracuse, the Bulls third game on the year with four or more.

26 — Touchdown passes this season by Brown, who set a USF record. Brown also set a USF mark for single-season completion percentage (64.6).

4,101 — Total single-season yards generated by Brown, who has the second-highest total in USF history behind the 4,342 of Quinton Flowers in 2016.

45-0 — The final score represented the most lopsided shutout victory in college football bowl history.

55 — Number of career games played by OT Donovan Jennings, who set a USF record.

Bowled Over In Boca Raton

After USF's 45-0 win against the Syracuse Orange in the Boca Raton Bowl — with fans spilling over the stadium walls to join Bulls players in the celebration — Coach Alex Golesh had a seminal moment in the ESPN post-game interview.

"We just went and whooped that ass, didn't we?''

He said it ever so casually, punctuating the statement with a little head nod. Fans couldn't get enough of the exchange on social media. Former coach Rick Neuheisel, now a commentator on Sirius radio, described it as "savage.'' Yes, Golesh's words are bound to wind up on T-shirts.

The message was clear:

USF football has regained its swagger.

The Bulls (7-6) reached the postseason for the first time in five years and won their first bowl game since 2017. It was a victory against an ACC program — albeit one playing without its starting quarterback — and that can't be overstated.

"We played harder than those guys,'' said Golesh, doubling down on the swagger during an interview with the USF radio network.

"We've been so up and down. When I stood there at the podium at the (preseason) conference media days and we were picked 13th and nobody had any questions because we were irrelevant … we have come a long way since then. I think we put the ACC on notice that we're relevant. We're going to continue to build and put the country on notice that we're going to be relevant.''

Quarterback Byrum Brown had three touchdown passes — two to Sean Atkins and another to Khafre Brown. Place-kicker John Cannon booted a 40-yard field goal and completed the season a perfect 52-of-52 on PAT, and running back Nay'Quan Wright rumbled into the end zone from 5 yards out.

The defensive highlights were a pair of fumble-return scores — a 64-yarder by cornerback Aamaris Brown-Bunkley off a muffed field-goal attempt (with help from Tavin Ward) and a 61-yard scoop-and-score by defensive lineman Tramel Logan (after Daquan Evans forced the turnover).

Everyone had a hand — or foot — in this victory.

"One year ago, we asked this group to buy into a vision,'' Golesh said. "I challenged these guys to do something rather than be somebody. In modern-day college football or modern-day society, it tells you that it's about you and it's not about the team. So, I thank these guys for having some blind faith in me and our staff so we could lay a foundation and never put a ceiling on it. Certainly, the floor was where we were at.

"I'm grateful for the 117 of them that bought into being a process-driven program rather than a result-driven program. They bought into the process of doing things right — eating right, sleeping right, hydrating. It's hard to do. These guys chose to stay (at USF) when it wasn't cool to stay. It's a bunch of really, really resilient dudes.

"Now we have real belief and real faith in something. I tell our guys don't ever let a man tell you what you can and can't do. Seven wins is not the pinnacle of college football. But it's certainly a foundation. We will win championships in Tampa and we will win championships at South Florida. We'll get there when we're ready for that moment. I can't wait.''

Atkins: He's Just Grand!

Atkins is USF's first 1,000-yard receiver.

Atkins had six catches for 93 yards against Syracuse, extending his single-season program records to 92 receptions for 1,054 yards. He also had a pair of touchdown receptions, giving him seven scores for the season, which ranks tied for second in a season.

The saga of Atkins, an undersized former walk-on who worked a full-time job to supplement his college expenses before earning a scholarship, has been well-documented. But with another season of eligibility remaining, Atkins won't be overlooked any more. He's one of the AAC's best returning offensive talents.

"It's like Coach Golesh says, whatever (success we had) is based on our process being right,'' Atkins said. "Whenever you have a bunch of guys on the field pulling for the same goal, you're going to get wins and that's the reason I was able (to succeed individually).''

Atkins paid tribute to receivers coach L'Damian Washington, saying, "I can't give enough respect to him (because) he taught me how to be the receiver I am today.''

"I just love this team and the 1,000 yards, that's not really anything,'' Atkins said. "It's being with these guys and winning the bowl game, that's what means more to me than anything else.''

Byrum Brown said Atkins' contributions were monumental.

"Everything Sean has done, it speaks to who he is as a person,'' Brown said. "He's a team-first guy. That means everything to us. His numbers speak for themselves. We're glad that Sean Atkins is on our side.''

Defensive Domination

What a night for the USF defense.

It was USF's first shutout since a 59-0 victory against Charleston Southern in 2009 (when Matt Grothe started at QB).

The Bulls held Syracuse to 1-for-17 on third-down plays and 1-for-3 on fourth-down plays.

USF out-gained Syracuse 407 yards to 159 and surrendered just 20 yards rushing.

Star Orange running back LeQuint Allen, a 1,062-yard rusher who occasionally worked out of the direct-snap Wildcat formation, was limited to just 2 yards on the ground.

That total seemed even more startling when juxtaposed against Allen's previous four rushing games (144 yards against Wake Forest, 120 against Georgia Tech, 102 against Pittsburgh, 142 against Boston College).

"We dominated,'' Evans said.

Slight understatement.

How ridiculously one-sided was it?

USF's nose tackle, Jacquez Williams, had an interception. In the second half, Syracuse ran just six plays in USF territory. The Orange had a total of nine first downs. Brown-Bunkley and Logan could compare the artistry of their scoop-and-score touchdowns, outscoring the Orange on their own.

"All I saw was green grass in front of me,'' Brown-Bunkley said. "It was sweet. It was like a party out there.''

"Right place, right time,'' Logan said.

Some might claim the ball bounced the right way for USF's defense. Golesh won't say that. Last spring, Golesh overheard some returning USF players complaining about some bad breaks on an errant field-goal snap that might have cost the Bulls a victory at Florida in 2022. Golesh wouldn't hear of it.

"I learned a long time ago that balls don't bounce your way or not your way,'' Golesh said. "You make balls bounce (your way). I've told the guys our process is what makes the ball bounce our way. That's the lesson we've learned.''

The shutout was USF's just reward.

"Coach Golesh influenced me to come back (to USF),'' Evans said. "He gave me a blueprint. He said stick to the blueprint. He put me in the right place to live my life and he made me a better person, on and off the field. This is a perfect way to finish — with a shutout.''

"Believe me, we wanted that Krispy Kreme (doughnut-hole shutout),'' Logan said.

"It was a big achievement,'' Brown-Bunkley said. "We've been preaching process would lead to a good result on the scoreboard. Tonight, for the last game, we were elite. And that means a lot for our team.''

Fandemonium!

With the Boca Raton Bowl only a four-hour drive (or less) from most parts of the Tampa Bay area, USF fans turned out in full force. A horde of green and gold greeted the Bulls as they arrived at the stadium and cheered them through a good 100-yard tunnel of humanity as they entered.The USF section of the stands was packed and loud. USF's Herd of Thunder band never sounded better, adding to the impressive atmosphere.

"You could feel the energy right from the start,'' Golesh said. "Our band — holy smokes — brought so much juice and energy. It was incredible and I'm super grateful to our fans who supported us all through the year.

"I think this fan base is just dying for a winner, man. We have played football here for (27) years, so we're still growing in that regard. But we led our league in attendance. Our fans were great. Our band … I give credit to those 300 young men and women. This is what college football is. We'll get to the point where our place is packed because we play a brand of football that is fun and exciting. Our place will be packed and rocking like it should be.''

Behind The Curtain

A few observations on game elements that didn't get the primary headlines:

* When it was still a game, a pass attempt from Brown to Atkins was ruled a lateral. It was scooped up by a Syracuse defender, who returned it for an apparent game-winning touchdown. But Brown, hustling all the way, sprinted downfield trying to prevent the score and was blocked in the back by a Syracuse player. Instead of a 7-7 game, the penalty backed the Orange to the USF 28-yard line. After a 1-yard gain on the next play, Syracuse had what would ultimately be its deepest penetration into USF territory all night. They settled for a field goal attempt, the snap was muffed and the rest is history.

* The Bulls ran a program-record 1,028 plays this season, becoming the nation's top up-tempo team. And that was the first season under Golesh — when no one had operated at that level before. Imagine what it will be like in 2024 when the core group is immediately familiar with the overall plan and its expectations.

* Death, taxes and the USF takeaway statistics. Few things are more reliable. The Bulls generated four takeaways, giving them a total of 21 in their seven victories. In USF's six losses, it had just three combined takeaways.

Next Up: The 2024 Season

Last summer, USF was picked to finish 13th in the 14-team American Athletic Conference.

Next summer, the Bulls will undoubtedly be designated as one of the AAC's prime contenders.

With the College Football Playoff increasing its field to 12 teams — and the AAC champion likely claiming one of those spots — it's the perfect time for upward mobility.

The Bulls will also have an opportunity to make some waves with their non-conference schedule. On Sept. 7, the Bulls will visit SEC powerhouse Alabama (the Crimson Tide escaped with a 17-3 win last season at Raymond James Stadium). On Sept. 21, the Bulls host the ACC's Miami Hurricanes.

USF will also face Bethune-Cookman (Aug. 31) and travel to Southern Miss (Sept. 14) in non-conference games.

In the AAC, the Bulls will host Memphis, Navy, Tulsa and UAB, while traveling to Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Rice and Tulane (conference-game dates will be announced later).

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