Pictured above: UF’s Dameon Pierce scored the first touchdown of the game, putting the Gators up 7-0.
Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
By Sofía García Vargas
In a highly anticipated Florida college football clash, the USF Bulls lost 42-20 against the University of Florida (UF) Gators at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday.
This loss followed a disappointing season opener against North Carolina State, where the Bulls were unable to score a single touchdown, losing 45-0.
In a stadium filled with blue and orange, more than 65,000 people saw that USF still has a long way for improvement.
The Gators dominated from the start.
Almost four minutes into the first quarter, UF’s Dameon Pierce opened the scoreboard with a touchdown drive that put them ahead 7-0.
The Bulls had a hard time getting through the Gator’s defense the rest of the quarter, only scoring a 25-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader with 4:45 minutes left on the clock that cut UF’s lead to four points.
However, just 10 seconds later with a 75-yard pass, UF’s wide receiver Jacob Copeland reached the end zone and put them up on the board 14-3.
The second quarter was no better for USF. They were incapable of responding to the three touchdowns scored by Xzavier Henderson and Copeland, leaving the score 35-3 at the break.
At halftime, USF fans were unhappy with how the game was playing out, and the small wave of green shirts in the stadium slowly scattered.
After a pep talk from Jason Pierre-Paul, an All-Pro Tampa Bay Buccaneer and former Bull, USF attempted to change their mindset heading into the second half.
Following a couple of intersections that set them back in yards, USF’s Shrader scored another field goal and running back Jaren Mangham scored a touchdown, setting the score to 35-13 by the end of the third quarter.
The last quarter ended with touchdowns from UF’s Anthony Richardson and Copeland.
Ian Gibson, Clearwater resident and Gators fan, said he was not surprised about the game’s outcome.
“The final score was honestly what I and a lot of people expected. Watching the game showed the mismatch between these two teams,” Gibson said.
Janaye Hall, a junior education major at USF St. Petersburg, said even though USF lost, she was glad that the Bulls got some points up the board.
“My expectation for future games is that USF will win these games. Even if we don’t win these games and lose, that’s ok. I will still support our Bulls and will forever be yelling go USF, go Bulls,” Hall said.
In memorial of the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, a special act was performed during the half-time show.
The USF Herd of Thunder Marching Band and the Gator Marching Band came together to perform a medley inspired by New York. With songs like “On Broadway,” “Empire State of Mind,” and “New York, New York,” the bands showed camaraderie for the somber anniversary.
Despite the outcome, fans had a blast with the return of college football game attendance.
“The experience was an absolute blast. It just felt so good to see college football with somewhat normal conditions again,” Gibson said.
Regarding their performance, Bulls head coach Jeff Scott said he is optimistic about the improvement they can make in upcoming games.
“I think we are going to look back three, four, five weeks from now and say that the second half of this game is where we started to turn the corner,” Scott said.
The next USF game will be at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. against Florida A&M. Tickets can be purchased at gousfbulls.com.
