Photo by Vanessa Wenzl | The Crow’s Nest.
By Brandi Bottger
The Bulls’ have secured their second win with their performance at Saturday’s game against the Rice University Owls, already doubling their wins from last season. But what has made this win special is how the Bulls are setting records in the fourth game of the season.
Before Saturday, the Bulls had a record of 1-2, winning against Florida A&M University and having two losses from Western Kentucky and the University of Alabama. Now, the team is looking at a 2-2 record and some notable records being broken offensively.
Naiem Simmons, a transfer from Wagner College, has set the record in the state of Florida for the most receiving yards ever by a wide receiver at a Florida university, totaling to 272 yards on eight catches. The previous record was set back in 1968 by Florida State’s Ron Sellers, with 260 yards on 14 catches.
Simmons was setting goals for the game earlier in the week, telling head coach, Alex Golesh, that he wants to keep improving and practicing his skills. Simmons saw the work ethic pay off.
“[Golesh] told me yesterday that he thought I would get (150 yards). So, me coming out here and doubling it and giving back to the team and making sure we came out of here with a win, it was great,” said Simmons in his post-game interview following the game.
For his performance at the game against Rice, Simmons was named to the American Athletic Conference’s Weekly Honor Roll.
“I told him this week, ‘just keep pouring into your process. When your process meets your opportunity, you’ll respond and you’re going to be rewarded for it,’” Golesh said in his post-game interview on Saturday.
The Bulls record is now 2-2 and 1-0 within the AAC conference. USF begins a two-game road trip, starting off with AAC opponent Navy this weekend, with their next game back at Raymond James on Oct. 14 against Florida Atlantic University.
