Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
In a tough matchup at the Raymond James Stadium, the Bulls held strong in the first half, but ultimately succumbed to the University of Miami Hurricanes.
Miami presented an uphill struggle for USF on Sept. 21 as they faced off in a crowded stadium.
The Bulls managed to hang on for the first half, but eventually allowed in, losing 50-15.
Head coach Alex Golesh praised the energy from the fans, saying, “Super grateful to our fans, man, the students, the fans… That’s a college football environment, that’s what you want to play in front of. “With a few solid defensive stops and several encouraging offensive drives, USF was able to hold its own in the first half.
Miami opened the scoring in the first quarter with running back Damien Martinez running for a 2-yard touchdown at 11:30, a 75-yard drive to make it 7-0. USF quickly responded as kicker Nico Gramatica nailed a 58-yard field goal at 8:28, bringing the score to 7-3.
The Bulls soon followed up with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Byrum Brown to wide receiver Sean Atkins at 6:52, taking the lead 9-7, though the extra point was missed.
Miami regained the lead at 1:47 in the first quarter when wide receiver Isaiah Horton caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cameron Ward after an 8-play, 90-yard drive, pushing the score to 14-9.
In the second quarter, USF’s kicker Nico Gramatica continued his strong performance with a 51-yard field goal, closing the gap to 14-12. Later, with 2:36 left in the half, kicker John Cannon added a 45-yard field goal, after a 19-play, 66-yard drive, giving USF a brief 15-14 lead.
However, Miami struck back quickly with a 76-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cameron Ward to wide receiver Samuel Brown at 1:56, combined with a successful two-point conversion, leaving Miami ahead 22-15 by halftime.
Golesh acknowledged that the Bulls had trouble finishing in the red zone, though.
“We didn’t do a good enough job down there,” Golesh stated. “It’s a line of scrimmage game at the end of the day, and we couldn’t hang in the second half.”
It became apparent in the third quarter that Miami was continually pressing both sides of the ball as the game went on.
Byrum Brown, the quarterback for the Bulls, had trouble being shielded by the offensive line until he suffered an injury.
Despite the setback, Golesh made it clear that the expectations within the team had shifted. He said the team’s standards have been raised, and that they expected to be more competitive against Miami.
One of the few bright spots for the Bulls came on a trick play executed by wide receiver Sean Atkins. Late in the first half, Atkins, a former quarterback, threw a 44-yard pass to Brown on a reverse pass, sparking a brief wave of momentum for USF.
Atkins, who had missed a similar opportunity the previous week, was thrilled with the result.
“Just seeing Byrum get open, throwing the ball, you know, executing a good play… kind of got me back in the groove,” said Atkins.
With the program’s ups and downs, Atkins echoed Golesh’s sentiments concerning consistency.
“I think we just got to go out and compete for four quarters… The standard needs to be higher,” he said. “I’ve got full faith that we’re going to turn it around.”
The Bulls’ defense had its moments, particularly in the first half, but had trouble stopping Miami’s quarterback, Cam Ward, who scored three touchdowns.
Golesh acknowledged Ward’s performance.
Looking ahead, Golesh believes the team’s depth and ability to maintain intensity will be key to future success.
USF now looks to regroup with several winnable games on the horizon.
“We’ve got a lot of games left,” as Atkins put it. “It just starts next week.”
