Photo by Vanessa Wenzl | The Crow’s Nest
By Vanessa Wenzl
The University of South Florida football team fell short to the win against the No. 10 University of Alabama Crimson Tide.
With over 65,000 people and five million views nationally, the Bulls hosted the Crimson Tide at Raymond James Stadium this past Saturday falling short of a win 17 to 3.
“We [defense] played well enough to win.” Golesh said.
After lighting struck the bay, the game was affected by an almost hour delay.
The 3-3 score finally hit in the third quarter, but later the Crimson Tide broke the tie coming in with a touchdown by running back Roydell Williams.
While the offense came short on scoring again, Alabama sealed their win in the last 36 seconds of the game with a snap pushing quarterback Ty Simpson in the endzone on a one-yard rush.
“Offensively, at times we were able to keep drives alive, those situations didn’t turn into points,” Golesh said.
Quarterback Byrum Brown finished his game Saturday with 92 yards and 23 carries, making it his third time nearly rushing 100 rushing yards in a game.
“The offense wasn’t clicking as whole,” Brown said.
The defense fell short in the Alabama’s end zone and still recorded one the best games in years for the Bulls with five sacks.
“They have as exotic a pressure package as anybody we’ll play, and they do a really good job of executing it,” the University of Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban, said in their post-game press conference.
Daquan “Dae Dae” Evans, recording eight tackles and three sacks, making it his career best. “It’s not about who you play, it’s about your heart,” Evans said.
Even without the win, the Bulls show that their capable of finding a victory. “We played winning football on defense,” Golesh said, “We played well enough to win that football game.”
The student section was full of fans and louder than ever to show their support from start to finish. Even after the loss, they still celebrated their beloved team with encouraging words.
“What you see on Saturdays is a direct reflection of how we work,” Golesh said.
The Bulls will be back at the Raymond James Stadium this Saturday playing Rice University with a 4 p.m. kickoff time
