HATTIESBURG, MISS., SEPT. 14, 2024– The South Florida football team returned to Hattiesburg, Miss. for the first time in 21 years and found itself trailing 14-0 just eight minutes in before reeling off 28 unanswered points and rolling to a 49-24 victory over Southern Miss at M. M. Roberts Stadium.
The Bulls first-ever win in Hattiesburg came in the first meeting between the programs in 20 years. The Bulls outscored the Golden Eagles 49-10 over the final 52 minutes of play, racking up 562 yards of offense and 369 on the ground while collecting three turnovers.
USF now turns its attention to No. 10-ranked Miami and a highly anticipated ESPN primetime clash at Raymond James Stadium this Saturday.
Byrum Brown completed 19 of 29 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 72 yards and a touchdown. Kelley Joiner Jr. ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Nay’Quan Wright added 105 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Sean Atkins caught five passes for 87 yards to move into third on the USF career receptions chart with 134.
The Bulls took a 28-21 lead to the locker room and received the second half kickoff. Brown hit Atkins for a 35-yard gain into USM territory. John Cannon set up for a 37-yard field goal, but holder Ryan Bolduc lateralled the ball to Cannon who raced 17 yards to the USM3. Ta’Ron Keith punched it in for a 35-21 lead and the Bulls were rolling in the second half, outscoring USM 21-3.
USM quarterback Ethan Crawford drove the Golden Eagles into USF territory. USM converted a 4th-and-1 at the USF31 with Crawford hitting Reed Jesiolowski for a 26-yard gain to the USF5. Two plays later, Mac Harris it Crawford on his release and Doug Blue-Eli made a diving catch of the fluttering ball to collect USF’s second turnover of the game.
The Bulls took over on the USM7 and went 93 yards for a touchdown, capping the drive with a 33-yard touchdown run from Nay’Quan Wright for a 42-21 lead.
The Bulls were driving into USM territory again when the Golden Eagles forced a fumble after an Atkins reception. USM quickly moved to the USF6, but the Bulls defense stiffened, including a sack from Kajuan Banks, and forced a 42-yard field goal attempt that missed wide left.
Joiner iced the game with a 50-yard burst up the middle for a 49-21 lead with 9:25 to play.
USM scored first on the night, taking the opening kickoff and then driving 87 yards for a touchdown. A big throwback pass to the quarterback Tate Rodemaker moved the ball 42 yards to the USF45. Five plays later, Rodemaker hit Kyirin Heath for a 19-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
On the Bulls opening possession, Brown produced a 28-yard run to the USM40, but the Bulls faced a fourth-and-four at the 34 and were stopped as Eagles flooded the backfield.
USM promptly drove 65 yards in seven plays and led 14-0 after Rodemaker’s 37-yard screen pass to Kenyon Clay for the Golden Eagles second score.
Brown brought the USF offense back out at the USF35 and moved quickly into USM territory. After a 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Brown-Stephens was called back due to offsetting penalties, the Bulls found themselves in a fourth-and-five at the 21. Brown hit Atkins for the first down and the Bulls got on the board when Brown hit Payten Singletary with a short touchdown pass.
Southern Miss moved into USF territory again before DeShawn Rucker forced a fumble and Caqavouis Berryhill returned it to the USM37, shifting the momentum. After a missed trick play and a five-yard penalty, Kelley Joiner bolted through the line for a 42-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14.
The Bulls defense forced the first USM punt of the game and Brown led the Bulls 72 yards for a touchdown, hitting Josh Hardeman on a 3-yard fade in the corner of the endzone. The tough catch gave the Bulls a 21-14 lead.
A 39-yard punt return from Atkins gave the Bulls the ball on the USM17. Brown went up the gut for a 16-yard run and two plays later plunged in from a yard out to give the Bulls a 28-14 lead.
USM switched quarterbacks to Crawford, who quickly hit Tiaquelin Mims for a 56-yard gain. Three plays later he ran in from eight yards out to end the USF scoring surge and make it 28-21.
KEY STATS
• USF logged 369 rushing yards, its most since posting 374 at Western Kentucky in the opening game of the 2023 season. The Bulls 562 yards of offense were the most since posting 503 vs. Charlotte in the final regular season game of 2023.
• After trailing 14-0, USF reeled off 28 straight points and outscored Southern Miss 49-10 the rest of the way.
• The Bulls defense forced three turnovers, getting at least two for the fifth straight game, dating to last season and has now created 17 turnovers in that span. Meanwhile the Bulls committed their first turnover of the season in the fourth quarter, ending a string of 11 quarters this year without a turnover.
NOTABLES
• QB Byrum Brown started 9-of-9 passing before finishing 19-of-29 for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
• K John Cannon raced 17 yards on a fake field goal to set up the Bulls first second half touchdown and a 35-21 lead. It was the Bulls first fake field goal conversion since 2019.
• RB Kelley Joiner posted his fifth career 100-yard rushing game carrying the ball 10 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns, an average of 11.7 yards per carry.
• RB Nay’Quan Wright logged his fourth career 100-yard rushing game, carrying the ball 15 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.
UP NEXT
The Bulls return to Tampa for the first time in three weeks when they take on No. 10-ranked Miami in a primetime clash at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN. It will mark the Bulls second clash with a top-10 ranked foe in three weeks and wrap up USF’s 202 non-conference slate.
2024 Season Tickets: www.USFBullsTix.com
Group tickets (10+): Call 1-800-GoBulls
Future schedules can be viewed HERE
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 27th season in 2023 with a program-best six-game turnaround and Boca Raton Bowl victory under first-year head coach Alex Golesh. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 16 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 32 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 11 bowl game appearances (going 7-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
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– #GoBulls –
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