It is important for any team to win its homecoming game and that is exactly what the USF football team did in a 45-24 Saturday afternoon thriller against the Syracuse Orange.
Homecoming is an emotional time for both players and fans. A win sets the stage for the rest of the season, especially for this team, which was already 1-3. Now at 2-3, there is a much better chance to play for a bowl game.
All three phases of the game– the offense, defense and special teams performed well to put together a complete game. First, it was the defense, keeping Syracuse scoreless in the first quarter to allow the offense to eventually find its feet. Defense and special teams forced three turnovers in the game. One was a fumble on a punt, giving the offense the ball on the Syracuse 16-yard line, which lead to a field goal at the close of the first half.
At halftime the score was a 10-3 lead for the Bulls, the field goal was a big momentum shift going into the locker room.
The offense was just getting started. Coach Willie Taggert clearly took lessons from previous games and did not rest on the lead. Instead, he opened up the playbook and the offense executed. The offense was highlighted by a reverse flea, which worked perfectly and resulted in a touchdown.
In this game, the offense came out with a more balanced running and passing game. This loosened up the defense, which could not stack the box and allowed both passing and running to excel. This style of play makes the game very entertaining to attend and a lot more fun.
In the third quarter, the Bulls led by 21 points, but the Orange came roaring back to score two quick touchdowns in a four-minute span to cut the lead to seven points.
In previous years, the Bulls might have folded and gone on to lose. It was clear that the crowd feared a late loss of momentum, reminiscent of the Bulls of years past.
But the team showed incredible resilience and perseverance and took back control of the game and rebuilt the lead.
This ability, to play through adversity, will be important in the season going forward. This is one of the biggest wins for the program in many years.
Syracuse is a power conference school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Going into the homecoming game with a losing record made the victory a massive confidence booster for the entire USF football program.
Next up, the Bulls look to continue the momentum in their away game against the Connecticut Huskies at noon on Saturday, Oct. 17. The next opportunity to see the Bulls at home is Saturday, Oct. 24, against Southern Methodist University.
David Stoner is a junior majoring in journalism and media studies. He can be reached at stonerd1@mail.usf.edu.
