The last time that your USF Bulls were in a bowl game was 2018. It’s been a long time Bulls fans, way too long…
Sitting up in the press box at FAU Stadium, there was a brief moment where I just chuckled to myself as I reminisced about the Gasparilla Bowl in 2018 and what my thoughts were on the future of the program at that point. Surely USF would recover from a loss to Marshall in Tampa and rebound in 2019 right?
Fast forward and the exact opposite happened. USF failed to become bowl eligible in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the program was searching for answers. In steps head coach Alex Golesh and the rest is history. Safe to say that USF looks like a program that is working its way back into college football relevancy with a bright future ahead. Funny how things change huh?
USF vs. Syracuse was one heck of a game for the Bulls on both sides of the ball. The offense you saw in the regular season looked the part against the Orange and maintained its “need for speed” offense. Defensively, the Bulls were aggressive and did an admirable job stuffing the run which was clearly Syracuse’s first choice on offense.
The cliff notes version of the game? BIG PLAYS, BIG PLAYS EVERYWHERE!
It started with the 1738 connection with Byrum Brown to Sean Atkins for six in the 1st quarter. The two found each other early and often throughout the game with Atkins going for six catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns on the game. Atkins moved up the all-time receptions list for USF sitting in the fifth spot along with being the first player in program history with 1,000 receiving yards on the season. 1738 made another appearance in the third quarter with a 35-yard touchdown reception where the nearest defender to Atkins could be found 1.8 miles from the stadium at the beach.
Not so fast, Khafre Brown would like to have a word… Brown to Brown for a 31-yard passing TD in the second quarter was an absolute drop in the bucket by Byrum to a speedy Khafre who split the corner and safety to haul in the touchdown.
Two defensive touchdowns in one game? Just what the doctor ordered! It started with Aamaris Brown’s 64-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 1st quarter after a bad snap on a field goal attempt by Syracuse was taken to the CRIB for six.
I’m calling it the play of the game here even though there were a number of plays that could easily qualify for the title. Daquan Evans absolutely CRUSHED Syracuse QB Braden Davis on a blitz, forcing the ball out for a scoop and score TD by Tramel Logan. It was a perfectly designed blitz that looked like a carbon copy of the designed blitzes that were run against Alabama early in the season. Daquan Evans had a phenomenal day against the Orange with 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.
This is Michael Cusimano signing off from Boca Raton. I’ll leave you with this… Bulls Nation, enjoy this moment and support this program through and through. The future is and has been bright, it was ALWAYS just a matter of time…
Go Bulls!
by Mike Cusimano
Journalist & Recruiting Analyst, SoFloBulls.com | Twitter: @micCusi