It's a Victory Rewind of the sights, sound bites, stats, highlights and learning experiences from USF's 44-21 road triumph against the Florida Atlantic Owls, while beginning the lookahead to Saturday's Homecoming game against the Navy Midshipmen at Raymond James Stadium.
The Big Play
It was 21-21 late in the third quarter, obviously still anybody's ballgame. FAU QB Cam Fancher, on third-and-1 from USF's 26-yard line, was hurried into an incompletion. The Owls disdained a field-goal attempt, but on fourth down, RB Zuberi Mobley was stopped for no gain by USF DL Decarius Hawthorne. It changed the game. The Bulls drove for a go-ahead 34-yard field goal by John Cannon and never looked back.
Game Balls
* RB Nay'Quan Wright, who had a season-high 117 rushing yards, including a career-long, 64-yard touchdown run.
* RB Ta'Ron Keith, who had 123 all-purpose yards and 81-yard rushing on just three carries (including a career-long, 42-yard touchdown and a 38-yard scamper).
* QB Bryce Archie, who was 19-for-32 with 206 yards and two touchdown passes. He also rushed eight times for 25 yards and a 1-yard score.
* LB Jhalyn Shuler, who had a team-high 10 tackles, along with 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries.
* DL Decarius Hawthorne, who made the defensive play of the game while collecting six tackles and 1.5 sacks.
* LB DJ Gordon, who contributed to a sack of Fancher (along with DL Bernard Gooden) and recovered a fumble deep in FAU territory … all within a critical four-minute span in the third quarter.
Notable Numbers
8 — Number of 40-point games in Coach Alex Golesh's 21-game tenure. The Bulls are 7-1 in those games.
24th — National ranking of USF's red-zone defense after limiting FAU to 1-for-3 from the 20-yard-line area.
11 and 23 — Number of sacks (11) and tackles for loss (23) in USF's past two games. USF now ranks 26th nationally in sacks and 12th in tackles for loss.
37 — Number of points scored by USF in the second half, the program's second-highest total in one half of play during an American Athletic Conference game (the Bulls put up 51 points in the first half of a 65-27 win against Cincinnati in 2015).
373 — Combined all-purpose yards by USF's running backs — Nay'Quan Wright (129), Ta'Ron Keith (123) and Kelley Joiner (121) — against FAU.
473 — Rushing yards for USF in its past two games.
Bulls Flourish In Second-Half Showcase
Did you see it? Somewhere between opening kickoff and The Handshake (more on that later) on Friday night, the USF Bulls slipped into a dominant zone that was straight from the textbook of how Coach Alex Golesh wants his team to play.
USF's 44-21 victory at Florida Atlantic did much more than pull the Bulls back to .500 after a rugged early season schedule. It was more significant than avenging last season's embarrassing 56-14 defeat at the talons of the Owls in Tampa.
The Bulls (4-4, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) appear perfectly positioned for a November stretch run to earn the program's second straight bowl-game appearance under Golesh.
After a lackluster first half, when FAU led the Bulls 14-7, ESPN2 viewers were treated to an entertaining display — as effective as a USF team has played on both sides of the ball in quite some time.
The Bulls scored on their first six possessions of the second half — touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown — to pull away decisively.
QB Bryce Archie had a pair of touchdown passes — 13 yards to WR Sean Atkins and 3 yards to RB Kelley Joiner — while scoring from the 1 himself. The running game was formidable. Ta'Ron Keith (81 rushing yards) had a 42-yard TD and Joiner (82 rushing yards) scored on a 17-yard scamper. Meanwhile, PK John Cannon added a 34-yard field goal.
The Bulls finished with 525 total yards, while going 5-for-5 in the red zone.
USF's defense was outstanding, limiting FAU to just 179 yards (and no points) in the second half. The Bulls tied a program record with seven sacks — the most since 2011 against UConn — with LB Jhalyn Shuler (1.5 sacks), DL Decarius Hawthorne (1.5), LB Mac Harris (1.0), B-backer Rico Watson III (1.0), DL Michael Williams II (0.5), LB DJ Gordon IV (0.5), DL Bernard Gooden (0.5) and B-backer Ira Singleton (0.5) leading the way. The havoc continued with 13 different players contributing to a season-high 13 tackles for a loss.
Afterward, while wearing an EDGE cap (Everyone Dedicating Great Effort), Bulls head coach Alex Golesh said he was thinking about his friend, men's basketball head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who died on Oct. 24 at age 43. In tribute, the USF coaching gear and helmets had an "AAR'' decal.
"You're thinking about somebody the same age as you in this business, someone who stood for all the right things,'' Golesh said. "If anything, I think about those three little kids (Abdur-Rahim's children). I'm fortunate that after this game, I've got my little man down there. My daughter was there. My wife was there. My parents were there. I could go hug them and those little kids won't be able to do that (with their father). That's probably where my heart breaks more than anywhere else. So yes, Coach Amir was on our minds tonight.''
Coach Amir would have been proud of USF's performance.
"Once we got going, the momentum shifted,'' Golesh said. "Then we really got locked in on both sides of the ball. Our quarterback (Archie) really got comfortable because we were ahead of the sticks and running the ball so well.
"In the locker room, I told our team the two things I thought about that Coach Amir always talked about. Love wins. And you play for something bigger than yourself. When you do that, it's hard to let go of the rope, whether we win or lose. We get to be around some guys with incredible futures. To God be the glory on that. I don't wear my faith on my sleeve a whole lot. I think Amir did and he helped a lot of people grow tremendously, including myself. And I love him for that.''
USF players were pleased with the overall effort.
"The whole thing gets contagious, man,'' Hawthorne said. "If everybody comes together, this is what the results look like. It's amazing to see it happen. The hardest part of every game is finishing. And we were able to finish tonight.''
"We're still on the hunt,'' said RB Nay'Quan Wright, who had a team-high 117 rushing yards. "There are still games out there that we've got to have. We've got to keep working and keep building this team's legacy. But this game, no doubt, it was a positive step.''
The Wright Stuff
Wright had 797 rushing yards last season and a 105-yard game at Southern Miss on Sept. 14, keeping business as usual. But since then, Wright had rushing games of 11, 38, 3 and 22 yards (on just 24 combined carries).
And now he's back.
Wright had 17 carries for 117 yards and a career-long 64-yard score, when he broke a pair of tackles at the line, then outran defenders down the left sideline.
"Every game isn't going to be a 100-yard game,'' Wright said. "I just had to keep working. Sometimes, you might get just 20 (yards rushing), but as long as you're doing your assignments and contributing to the team, it's OK. Winning is all I want to do, Man, just winning.''
Golesh said Wright's 64-yard TD run was "absolutely monumental in terms of us getting our mojo going.''
"I think Nay'Quan has had a really funky season,'' Golesh said. "I think it has taken him a while to find his groove. Going into our bye, we watched some film and you're like, 'Man, look at 5 (Wright's number).' Running the ball, catching the ball, pass protection … he was phenomenal.
"I think it was good for him to watch that and see it. (Friday morning), I told him, 'Dude, the 5 in that film, that's the 5 everybody is used to.' It was great to see him have a big game because we need him.''
Wright, a rugged runner who's best known for his work between the tackles, was happy to get a big-play 64-yarder. In the first quarter, his first carry was a 17-yarder, when he tried to cut back and got caught from behind. On the 64-yarder, it was all about following his blocking and establishing north-south momentum.
"On that first carry (17-yarder), I had an open field and they caught me, so they (teammates) got on me about that,'' Wright said. "I told the if I get another opportunity, I was just going to run. Then that's what I did. The blocking up front was huge.''
The Hawk Swoops In
After a night when the Bulls had seven sacks, 13 tackles for a loss and one takeaway, it might be difficult to focus on one defensive play. But DL Decarius Hawthorne — known as "Hawk'' — helped to change the game's momentum when he stopped FAU RB Zuberi Mobley for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the USF 26-yard line in the third quarter.
It was an especially meaningful moment for Hawthorne, who spent four seasons playing with the FAU Owls before transferring to USF.
"That play was big,'' Hawthorne said. "The emotions were high for me, going up against my old program, a place where I spent a lot of time. And I'll say it was even bigger play for me because if you were paying attention, you know I messed up.''
With the game 14-14 in the third quarter, USF forced FAU into a third-and-8 situation from its 21. In a collapsing pocket, Fancher soared a pass attempt to WR Marlyn Johnson. But there was a flag. Roughing the quarterback on Hawthorne. A crushing sequence.
The drive was prolonged, and FAU wound up with a go-ahead 63-yard touchdown pass from Fancher to CJ Campbell.
"I threw him (Fancher) down because I thought he still had the ball,'' Hawthorne said. "That cost us. I feel like my play started a chain effect with the rest of the guys. I had to own up to my mistake, come back, not worry about it, play the next play. Complete next-play mentality.''
"The late hit kept the drive alive and led to a score, so we've got to be more disciplined than that,'' Golesh said. "As we continue to grow, that's going to be a huge emphasis. We've got to focus because when we lose focus, it doesn't look good.''
Hawthorne found his redemption.
"When a play like that (Hawthorne stopping Mobley) happens, man, the offense is over there geeked,'' Golesh said. "And when a play happens on offense, the defense is over there geeked. Whether you call it complementary football or not, they're happy for each other. They pick each other up. That's when the culture starts feeling like it should.''
Frosty Greeting
You could have cooled down the entire Selmon Athletics Center with the frosty post-game pleasantries between Golesh and FAU coach Tom Herman.
Certainly, there were hard feelings after last season's game in Tampa, when the Owls successfully executed a fourth-quarter onside kick after going up 56-14.
In Friday's fourth quarter, after making it 44-21, the Bulls attempted a two-point conversion (the pass was incomplete), recalling the old-line Ohio State coach Woody Hayes had when asked why he went for two while routing Michigan.
"Because I couldn't go for three!'' Hayes said.
In the post-game, Herman extended his hand and Golesh offered a quick shake and kept walking. Herman wheeled and seemed to protest, but Golesh still never broke stride or looked Herman's way as he sought out various Owls to acknowledge.
"There wasn't a whole lot of back and forth,'' Golesh said. "I said a year ago we would be back to get it, and we came back to get it. Whatever was said was said. I'm good. … I've got a lot of respect for a lot of those guys (on the FAU staff). We got embarrassed at home (last season). We came back and got it, and we'll continue to do so.''
With USF and FAU sharing a conference home during the past two years, Golesh said he heard it said the Bulls and Owls recruit against each other and don't like each other.
"I don't think we specifically recruit against each other,'' Golesh said. "I can't think of a guy (signed by USF) that we had to go beat them on. We certainly run into them (on the recruiting trail). I've got a lot of respect for a lot of those guys (on the FAU staff).''
Behind The Curtain
A few observations on game elements that didn't get the primary headlines:
* When you rush for 319 yards (7.4-yard average, four touchdowns) and your quarterback is sacked just once, it's a pretty clear indication that your offensive line played an outstanding game. And that's exactly what happened for USF against FAU.
Give it up for RJ Perry, Jack Wilty, Cole Best, Andrew Kilfoyl and Derek Bowman, along with tight ends Evan Dangler and Payton Singletary. And don't forget the pass protection from the backs, either.
* USF's Herd of Thunder (HOT) Marching Band and the spirit squad made their presence known by creating a home-game environment from an end-zone perch. That support was appreciated by Golesh, who remembered a similar sensation last season in the FAU Stadium, when the Bulls defeated Syracuse 45-0 at the Boca Raton Bowl.
"I'm super grateful for our band, man,'' Golesh said. "You could feel the energy in that stadium. It was awesome. It was a really, really fun night and I'm glad the entire country got to see it tonight.''
* The Bulls had to hang in there after a difficult first half at FAU, where they were fortunate to be trailing just 14-7 at the break. The Owls had six first-half possessions. Two produced touchdowns. There was one three-and-out. And the other three reached USF territory, but there was a fourth-and-5 stop (CB Brent Austin made the play) and two drives that ended with missed field-goal attempts (49 and 36 yards by Morgan Suarez).
"Obviously, the first half was not great,'' Golesh said. "I felt like every single thing we were doing, we self-inflicted about every wound you could imagine. We couldn't finish drives. Penalties all over the place. But we made some adjustments, played a lot better in the second half, and rebounded from that.''
Next Up: Navy
It's a week of revelry around USF with the on-campus stadium groundbreaking ceremonies occurring on Friday, then the noon Homecoming game against the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.
Navy (6-2, 4-1) brings a suddenly different vibe to Ray-Jay after beginning the season with six straight victories and earning a No. 24 national ranking. Since then, the Midshipmen have dropped two straight against Notre Dame (51-14, when Navy committed six turnovers) and Rice (24-10).
It's Navy's first visit to Tampa since 2016 (a scheduled 2020 meeting was negated by COVID-19). This version of the Midshipman appears familiar with the forward pass. Blake Horvath has passed for 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 814 and 12 more scores. Meanwhile, running back Eli Heidenreich (6.1-yard rushing average, 28 receptions) has proven to be a reliable offensive weapon.
USF defeated Navy 44-30 last season at Annapolis, Md., when Byrum Brown tossed three touchdown passes, including an 88-yarder to Sean Atkins.
–#GoBulls–
