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By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The University of South Florida Bulls defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles this past Saturday, 49-24.
Quarterback, Tate Rodemaker, led Southern Miss on an 87-yard drive ending in a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyirin Heath. Andrew Stein’s field goal gave Southern Miss a 7-0 lead early in the game.
USF responded, but Southern Miss extended its advantage to 14-0 on another Rodemaker touchdown, this time a 37-yard connection to running back Kenyon Clay.
The Bulls began to shift the momentum late in the first quarter.
Byrum Brown found tight end Payten Singletary for a four-yard touchdown after leading a quick series down the field. Just under three minutes remained in the third quarter when USF closed the gap to 14-7.
Speaking on the team’s ability to bounce back, head coach Alex Golesh praised their resilience.
“We got in a rhythm, and we got going, and it was really good. They started to wear down as our first and second down efficiency got better,” he said.
USF’s defense made a significant effort in the second quarter, forcing a Southern Miss fumble. Brown capitalized by running 43 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 14.
From there, USF took charge.
Brown threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Hardeman to complete a 13-play, 72-yard drive, giving the Bulls their first lead of the game. Southern Miss struggled to counter the aggressive USF defense and an offense in full flow.
Both running backs, Nay’Quan Wright and Kelley Joiner Jr., helped lead the team to multiple touchdowns. Wright added 105 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Joiner Jr. ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Another accomplishment was achieved during the game by wide receiver, Sean Atkins, moving up to third place on USF’s all-time receiving list with 134 career receptions.
Photo by usffootball on Instagram
Despite Southern Miss cutting the lead to 28-21 at halftime, USF took still dominated in the second half. A one-yard touchdown run by Brown extended USF’s lead to 35-21 in the third quarter.
Coach Golesh highlighted the importance of getting Brown in rhythm.
“I thought we did a better job getting him in a rhythm. He loves to run, and he did a really good job taking what was there and not forcing anything,” he said.
Southern Miss couldn’t overcome USF’s offensive strength in the fourth quarter, and the Bulls secured the 49-24 win.
Golesh credited the entire offense, particularly the running backs and offensive line.
“We’ve got three guys that we trust in the backfield, and with Byrum back there, we’re really multi-dimensional. That’s hard to defend,” said coach Golesh.
The Bulls’ next game will be at home for Parents Weekend against the University of Miami on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m.
