The South Florida Bulls travelled to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. As the Bulls headed into Irish territory for the first time since 2011, they tried to recreate what happened in their last matchup with Notre Dame— upset the Fighting Irish.
The Bulls’ 2020 matchup with the Fighting Irish did not end anywhere near the same result as 2011. The Bulls were trounced by No. 7 Notre Dame by a score of 52-0—the worst loss in South Florida program history. Within the first 10 minutes of the game, the Bulls were already down 14-0, and knew today’s outing would be tough to handle.
Prior to the game, the Bulls announced that two Offensive Line starters, Center Brad Cecil and Left Guard Demetris Harris, would be unavailable for USF. Being down two key linemen against a team with one of America’s top defenses is never a good sign. Despite the lack of depth on the Offensive Line, the Bulls managed to rack up 106 rushing yards and complete 12-29 passes for 125 yards through the air.
On the Bulls’ second offensive possession, Running Back Johnny Ford navigated his way through Notre Dame defenders for 42 yards before being tripped up close to the Fighting Irish’s 38-yard line. Though the drive did not result in any points, Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s offense had briefly gained momentum against a relentless defense.
At halftime, USF trailed 35-0.
On the Bulls’ first drive of the second half, they moved the ball 54 yards on a total of 13 plays. The drive included a Jordan McCloud completion to Wide Receiver DeVontres Odoms-Dukes for 14 yards as well as a 12-yard completion to Tight End Mitchell Brinkman.
Entering the Fourth Quarter, Graduate Transfer Quarterback, Noah Johnson, completed a 17-yard pass to freshman Omarion Dollison and a 36-yard pass to junior Latrell Williams. Johnny Ford also had a 22-yard run down to the Fighting Irish’s 19-yard line.
Latrell Williams…. doggggg!
— 𝗦𝗼𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘀 (@SoFloBulls_) September 19, 2020
Linebacker Dwayne Boyles, the Bulls’ 2019 leading tackler and tackle for loss leader, was not active for the game. Boyles’ absence was highly visible on the defensive end as the Bulls struggled to wrap up the Irish’s ball-carriers.
Individually, Jordan McCloud completed 8-14 passes for 64 yards and Noah Johnson completed 4-12 passes for 61 yards. Running Back Johnny Ford totaled 70 rushing yards on 6 carries and averaged 11.7 yards/carry. Receiver Latrell Williams led the Bulls with 48 receiving yards on 2 catches. Freshman gunslinger Katravis Marsh appeared in his second collegiate game. Jordan Smith, also a freshman Quarterback, made his NCAA debut, too.
Defensively, Safety Nick Roberts led the Bulls with nine tackles. Cornerback K.J. Sails also had a career-high seven tackles as well.
KJ Sails with a GREAT TACKLE
— 𝗦𝗼𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘀 (@SoFloBulls_) September 19, 2020
Next up for the South Florida Bulls is Florida Atlantic University (FAU) on Sept. 26. The Bulls will face off against the Owls and former USF Head Coach, Willie Taggart.