There was a moment in the first quarter where the Bulls looked like they may have turned a corner. They led 10-7 but the same old song of the 2013 season started again. Three games into the season and USF is searching for more answers than they were at the beginning of the season.
The Bulls started Saturday night with Bobby Eveld under center for the second straight week. Like last week against Michigan State, Eveld struggled. The Bulls only gained two yards and Eveld only completed one pass.
Steven Bench finished the game. At times he provided more energy and looked more effective than Eveld but at the end of the game the same problems persisted for the Bulls.
“When they call your number you got to go in,” Bench said after the game.
After the game head coach Willie Taggart wouldn’t commit to Bench as the quarterback. Taggart said Bench still didn’t have a full grasp of the offense.
Bench’s arrival sparked something in the team as they put up 10 points in two straight drives. The inconsistencies on offense thought would keep the Bulls from maintaining the momentum.
The Bulls looked to go up 17-10 after Shaw picked up 41 yards on an option pitch from Bench. The Bulls offense were in the red zone for the first time on the night but couldn’t punch it in.
USF would not get the ball inside the FAU 20 yard line again the rest of the night.
FAU stopped the Bulls on four straight plays to force the ball over on downs. They dropped Shaw for a six yard loss on a broken sweep play on fourth down.
“It would have been huge for us to establish some sort of identity,” Taggart said.
Outside the pair of drives in the first quarter the offense couldn’t complete passes, rush the ball consistently or hold onto the ball.
“Guys need to take care of the football,” said Willie Taggart. “I’ve never been a part of something like this. It’s frustrating to see it three weeks in a row. It doesn’t matter who is back there.”
On USF’s second drive Eveld fumbled the ball after a failed handoff with the running back. Florida Atlantic’s Cory Henry picked up the loose ball running it in for the 10-yard touchdown.
Bench was stripped of the ball in the third quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, a pass from Bench was intercepted at the FAU 25 yard line by D’Joun Smith and returned 74 yards for a touchdown. The score put the Owls up 28-10 and send the crowd towards the exits.
With Bench’s interception all three USF quarterbacks that were competing for the starting job entering the season had all thrown picks for touchdowns.
At the start of their third drive the Bulls made the switch to Bench. His first play of the game was a hand off to Shaw who rushed the ball 44 yards into FAU territory for the first time in the game.
The Bulls couldn’t pick up another first down on the drive and were forced to kick a field goal. The 50-yard kick by Marvin Kloss was the longest of his career.
Bench connected with Eppes on his first career completion and touchdown two plays later to put the Bulls up 10-7, their first lead of the season.
DeDe Lattimore intercepted a Jaquez Johnson pass on the first play of Florida Atlantic’s possession following the Kloss kick to set up Eppes touchdown.
After the Bulls took the lead the Owls responded with 21 unanswered points. Two of the scored were rushing touchdowns with the third being the interception return in the fourth quarter.
FAU’s passing attack has been split between Jaquez Johnson and Greg Hankerson. Johnson started FAU’s first two games but Hankerson had the only touchdown between the two of them.
On Saturday, Johnson played the whole game passing for 98 yards and rushing for 55 more yards. Johnson also added a touchdown at the end of the first half that put the Owls up for good.
The Owls took a two score lead in the third quarter with one-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Wallace. The rush by Wallace capped off the 93-yard drive that took over six minutes.
Entering Saturday night the Bulls had never lost to the Owls. The average margin of victory was 27 points. The closest game was a 35-23 win in Boca Raton back in 2007.
Featured image courtesy of USF Athletics.
