TAMPA, NOV. 16, 2019 – USF fell to No. 17 Cincinnati 20-17 in gut wrenching fashion at Raymond James Stadium. The Bearcats watched the game winning 37 yard field goal sail through the uprights as time expired to give Cincinnati a share of the AAC East Division title. The Bulls defense once again was dominant, pitching a first-half shutout and limiting the Bearcats offensive attack to just 278 total yards.
“It was a great defensive effort,” Head Coach Charlie Strong said. “Lately we have been playing very well on defense. The guys have been playing with so much energy. But the thing about the guys on defense, it’s about making plays and tackling and getting the ball back. The first half was just a total domination on defense.”
The Bulls completely bottled up the Bearcats passing attack, allowing a mere 78 yards through the air in the contest. Though, Cincinnati did finish with 200 rushing yards and 169 of the yards came in the second half. The Bearcats converted two third and longs (11,10) en route to driving 60 yards to set up Sam Crosa’s coffin sealing 37 yard field goal as time expired… but we’re going to chalk that up to being on the field literally the entire game once again.
“This one hurts,” Coach Strong said, “and it hurts because we saw a great team effort. Just the way our guys came out with the energy they had and just the way they played from start to finish. We had our opportunities and it was tough just because of the opportunities we had and there’s no blame for anyone. It’s just one of those losses that’s a team loss for everybody. We have two games left and we’ve got to get to a bowl game. Memphis is coming here next week, and we’ve got to be ready to go… then get ready for Central Florida.”
~ Charlie Strong
USF eyed an opportunity to upset its first ranked opponent since 2016, but fell short due to Bulls K Spencer Shrader missing four field goals from 50, 53, 43 and 33 yards out…. the killer though was the 33 yarder with just 2 minutes left on the clock.
“Every loss hurts, no matter the score. This one hurts really bad because we thought we had them,” McCloud said. “Cincinnati being ranked as high as they are, we feel like we can play with everybody,” the freshman quarterback added. “We know when we play our best that we can compete vs. any team, especially in our conference.”
We sincerely hope you enjoy flipping through the handpicked photos by David Gold. This week the Bulls on the road for the annual #WarOnI4 clash against UCF on Black Friday, November 29th at 8 p.m. on ESPN. We’re hoping the Bulls end the season right with a big time W at the erector set against Oviedo State CC!! #BeatUCF
Bearcats vs. Bulls 2019 Key Stats
4 – Four missed field goals by the Bulls made the difference in the game, including a 33-yard, go-ahead try with 2:07 remaining.
267 – QB Jordan McCloud completed 18 of 27 passes for a career-high 267 yards, including 151 yards in the second half.
438 – USF outgained Cincinnati by a 438-278 margin in yards, marking the Bulls’ fourth game with at least 400 yards this season and third holding an opponent below 300.
All photos are courtesy of our photographer David Gold, Stephanie Manuri and Matthew Manuri so please respectfully enjoy our hard work, but kindly tag us on Instagram (@soflobulls), Facebook (@SoFloBulls), and Twitter (@SoFloBulls).
All media requests must be made directly to Matthew Manuri (soflobulls@gmail.com).
⫻ Preview: 2019 USF Football Cincinnati Photo Album ⫻
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