October 11, 2026 | Football
Editor's Note: To commemorate the University of South Florida's 30th football season, GoUSFBulls.com is presenting a 12-part series that covers the sights, sounds, milestones, biggest games, top performers and unforgettable personalities from the program's history. The installments will appear each Sunday that precedes a South Florida game week. Today's Part 7 is South Florida's Essential Offensive Plays.
Sometimes, it seemed as if South Florida running back Marlon Mack could accomplish amazing things with one hand behind his back.
That played out in real time on Nov. 26, 2016, when the Bulls defeated the Central Florida Knights 48-31 in the "War On I-4'' rivalry game at Raymond James Stadium.ย
In perhaps the most spectacular run of Mack's equally spectacular three-season Bulls career, his 56-yard score left everyone gasping for air. With the Bulls leading 17-7 in the second quarter, Mack broke about seven tackles on the play, twice holding up the ball in his left hand to avoid congestion. Mack interrupted his stride to stiff-arm Central Florida's Shaquill Griffin to the turf at about the 25-yard line before rolling into the end zone.ย
Mack, playing his final game at Ray-Jay because he left one season early for the NFL Draft, rushed for 155 yards against the Knights.
Bulls coach Willie Taggart, probably more stunned than jubilant, said he spoke the following words into his headset: "Guys, I don't think we realize how good these guys are, some of the stuff they do. That was big-time.''
Big-time, indeed.
But that was Marlon Mack from the moment he first emerged for the Bulls.
In his first game as a true freshman, when he unexpectedly started due to a teammate's pregame injury, Mack promptly tied a program record by rushing for 275 yards and four touchdowns.
By the time Mack's career had finished, he rushed for a then program-record 3,609 yards and 32 touchdowns. He had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, a career 6.2-yard average, 20 games of 100 yards or more, plus five runs of 60 yards or greater.
"Pretty early on, you could tell that Marlon was special,'' Taggart said. "But he never talked much about it. Every now and then, he would say, 'Come on, ya'll boys, let's go.' But mostly, he just lined up and did his job.''
"I'm a team player, and winning means more than an award,'' Mack said. "Rushing for 100 yards and losing is not a good thing. I'd rather get the win.''
Here's the overriding statistic: When Mack rushed for 100 yards or greater, the Bulls were 17-3.
ย
Here are South Florida's other Essential Offensive Plays:
ย
The First Touchdown (Sept. 6, 1997) โ Running back Rafael Williams had a 1-yard touchdown run for the first score in program history. He wanted to dance or rip off his helmet. Instead, he just dropped the ball down and celebrated with teammates. He had just become the answer to a trivia question as the Bulls rolled to an 80-3 victory against Kentucky Wesleyan.
ย
Clutch Catch (Sept. 8, 2001) โ With the visiting and 22-point underdog Bulls on the verge on a monumental upset, Pittsburgh had closed to 28-26. On third-and-3, wide receiver DeAndrew Rubin had a 53-yard catch and run to the Pitt 2-yard line. Quarterback Marquel Blackwell scored the clinching touchdown with 4:31 remaining and the Bulls prevailed 35-26.
ย
Massive Turnaround (Nov. 3, 2004) โ Wide receiver Johnny Peyton hauled in a 77-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Pat Julmiste, putting South Florida ahead to stay in a 45-20 road victory against the UAB Blazers. The Bulls, 18.5-point underdogs, won by scoring 35 unanswered points in the program's only Wednesday night regular-season game.
ย
Big Catch (Sept. 24, 2005) โ It was a coming out party for wide receiver Amarri Jackson, who scored on two reverses and threw an option touchdown pass in a 45-14 home upset of No. 9-ranked Louisville. But it all began with his 57-yard reception โ to the Louisville 1-yard line โ that indicated an unforgettable night was ahead.
ย
Game Over (Sept. 8, 2007) โ After Auburn settled for a field goal to start overtime, South Florida got a game-ending 14-yard touchdown pass from Matt Grothe to Jessie Hester Jr. The Bulls had their first victory against an SEC opponent, a 26-23 OT decision at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium.
ย
Majestic Touchdown (Sept. 28, 2007) โ It was a second-quarter 55-yard touchdown pass from Matt Grothe to Carlton Mitchell that set in motion South Florida's monumental 21-13 home upset of the No. 5-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. The play, which put the Bulls up 14-0, was majestic. On third-and-8, Grothe appeared to be knocked down by a blitzing safety, but he put down his left hand to regain balance, then found Mitchell, who tip-toed down the sideline.
ย
Grothe's Gallop (Nov. 24, 2007) โ The Bulls were down 14-10 at halftime at Pittsburgh, but Matt Grothe's 80-yard touchdown run on the second half's first play began a run of 24 unanswered points and assured USF's bid to the Sun Bowl, along with a 48-37 victory against the Panthers. It's still the longest run by a South Florida quarterback.
ย
Bomb From B.J. (Sept. 26, 2009) โ The Bulls, up 7-0 in Tallahassee, got possession after Kion Wilson recovered a fumble by Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder at the South Florida 27-yard line. On the first play, with 2:32 until halftime, freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels hit Sterling Griffin for a 73-yard touchdown. The upset suddenly went from possible to likely. The Bulls won 17-7 in a watershed moment for the program.
ย
Driving Through Gainesville (Sept. 12, 2010) โ On a brutally hot afternoon, it was a simple 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback B.J. Daniels to tight end Andrew Ketchel that put the Bulls up on the Florida Gators. But it was a memorable end to one of the most impressive opening drives in South Florida history โ 17 plays, 96 yards โ although the Gators won the game, 38-14.
ย
Comeback Kids (Oct. 18, 2014) โ The visiting Bulls, who trailed by 20 points at halftime, completed the biggest comeback victory in program history by defeating Tulsa 38-30. South Florida went ahead for good on an 85-yard pass from Mike White to Andre Davis with 6:13 remaining. White faked a screen left, then hit Davis in stride at midfield. Davis, who had six receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns, ran in untouched.
ย
Hello, World! (Sept. 5, 2015) โ Sophomore quarterback Quinton Flowers, in just his second career start, formally introduced himself during a 51-3 home victory against Florida A&M. On third-and-goal from the South Florida 22-yard line about seven minutes into the game, Flowers seemed trapped as the pocket collapsed. He eluded one tackler with a 360-degree turn in the backfield. He slipped, regained his footing, then scrambled right. While dodging another defender, just before the line of scrimmage, he threw across his body to D'Ernest Johnson in the back of the end zone.
ย
Flea Flicker (Oct. 10, 2015) โ The game โ and maybe the play โ that started a new level of South Florida offensive success. Quinton Flowers handed to Marlon Mack โฆ who handed to Rodney Adams โฆ who lateraled to Flowers โฆ who tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Ryeshene Bronson. The home-standing Bulls led visiting Syracuse 24-3 and possibilities of a wide-open offense were alive and well. The Bulls won 45-24.
ย
Mack Attack (Nov. 14, 2015) โ When Marlon Mack burst up the middle for a 57-yard score against No. 21-ranked Temple, the home-standing Bulls surged ahead 21-10. It also began a furious run of four possessions โ in just under nine minutes โ with four South Florida touchdowns that put the Owls into the spin cycle. The Bulls prevailed 44-23.
ย
First-Play Fireworks (Nov. 20, 2015) โ South Florida's uproarious 65-27 home victory against Cincinnati had an appropriate beginning. On the game's first play, Quinton Flowers found Rodney Adams wide-open beyond the Bearcat secondary. It was a 67-yard touchdown pass. And it was just the start of South Florida's first-half offensive ridiculousness โ 388 total yards and a 51-3 halftime lead.
ย
Quintessential Quinton (Oct. 15, 2016) โ If you want to relish just one play from Quinton Flowers' storied South Florida career, you might start with this 54-yard first-quarter touchdown run in a 42-27 home victory against UConn. Here we go: Flowers dropped to pass, tucked it, eluded a lineman in the backfield, faked left and darted right (leaving four UConn defenders in his wake at the line of scrimmage). He headed upfield to his left, got nice sideline blocks from tight end Mitchell Wilcox and wide receiver Rodney Adams, then scored standing up. About eight UConn defenders were within arm's length of Flowers during the play. Flowers was basically untouched.
ย
Something From Nothing (Nov. 12, 2016) โ A wild road game here. South Florida 49, Memphis 42. The tie-breaking play started poorly. Quinton Flowers collided with running back Marlon Mack in the backfield. But Flowers used that broken play to break Memphis' spirit. He scrambled right, did a jerky-jerky step, turned upfield, broke the ankles of a Memphis defender at the 10-yard line and raced in for a 22-yard touchdown run with 1:46 remaining.
ย
That's A Winner (Dec. 29, 2016) โ South Florida's 46-39 victory against South Carolina at the Birmingham Bowl was a hard-earned and monumental victory. On the first play of overtime, Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers rolled right and flung a 25-yard touchdown to tight end Kano Dillon. When South Florida's Mike Love recovered a fumble on South Carolina's possession, the Bulls had a program-best 11-win season.
ย
Jersey Boy (Nov. 24, 2017) โ One of the most exciting games in South Florida history was a defeat โ Central Florida 49, USF 42 โ but the Black Friday matchup in Orlando was a classic from the start. On the game's third play from scrimmage, Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers found 235-pound slot receiver Tyre McCants open down the right sideline. UCF 230-pound linebacker Chequan Burkett grabbed the back of McCants' jersey at about the 12-yard line. But McCants wouldn't be denied. He dragged Burkett, still clinging to the jersey, into the end zone to complete a 47-yard touchdown play. It was the opening salvo in a 1,186-yard, 13-touchdown thriller that left everyone limp with exhaustion.
ย
The Drama Continues (Nov. 24, 2017) โ Let's offer one more play from the Black Friday classic. Down by eight points, Bulls wide receiver Darnell Salomon got behind the UCF defense and Quinton Flowers found him, launching a throw 50-plus yards in the air. Or as ABC-TV announcer Adam Amin said with fervor, "Flowers โฆ has a man โฆ it is CAUUUGHTโฆ'' Salomon did the rest and completed an 83-yard play with 1:41 remaining. Flowers then tied it 42-all on a 2-point conversion throw to D'Ernest Johnson.
ย
My Kind Of Town (Sept. 15, 2018) โ At Chicago's Soldier Field, South Florida quarterback Blake Barnett found Darnell Salomon on a 50-yard touchdown pass with 2:24 remaining to punctuate an 18-play fourth quarter and give the Bulls a riveting 25-19 comeback victory against the Big Ten Conference's Illinois Fighting Illini. Barnett passed for 411 yards and Salomon had a pair of TD catches.
ย
Truck Stop (Sept. 16, 2023) โ In what became a closer-than-expected 17-3 home defeat against the No. 10-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, South Florida running back Nay'Quan Wright provided a play that should live forever on YouTube. It was a 6-yard run on second-and-3 in the first quarter. What's so big about that? This play had impact โ literally and figuratively โ for the 65,138 fans at Raymond James Stadium and the millions watching on ABC-TV. Wright went up the middle, then lowered his shoulder and violently trucked Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs, who was resoundingly propelled onto his backside. "Listen to this one!'' said ABC color analyst Robert Griffin III, the former Heisman Trophy winner, as he heard the pads popping on the broadcast's video replay. "It's fair to say that Nay'Quan Wright just baptized that man.''
ย
Going Deep (Sept. 30, 2023) โ The Bulls quickly fell behind by two touchdowns at Navy and Sean Atkins' fumbled punt return at the South Florida 18-yard line set up the first Midshipmen score. In the second half, Atkins found redemption, hauling in an 88-yard scoring pass from Byrum Brown. The Bulls never trailed after that and prevailed 44-30 to break the program's 19-game road losing streak.
ย
Lowering The Boom (Aug. 28, 2025) โ Trailing 7-3 against No. 25-ranked Boise State, South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown broke from the pocket and raced through the secondary on a go-ahead 23-yard touchdown run. For good measure, Brown lowered his shoulder and blasted Broncos defensive back Ty Benefield at the goal line. The Bulls prevailed 34-7.
ย
Swamping The Gators (Sept. 6, 2025) โ On the game's final drive, running back Alvon Isaac had a 29-yard catch-and-run play that positioned the Bulls for Nico Gramatica's final-play 20-yard field goal, giving USF a monumental 18-16 victory against the Florida Gators at the Swamp's fabled setting.
ย
Razzle Dazzle (Oct. 10, 2025) โ In a 63-36 victory at North Texas, the Bulls put on an offensive showcase (580 yards) and got the go-ahead score on a 29-yard touchdown pass from freshman wide receiver Christian Neptune to fellow wide receiver Keshaun Singleton. "Since I was young, I've always been able to throw the rock,'' Neptune said.
ย
โ#30thAnniversaryโ
ย
ย
ย
ย
ย
ยJoey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
