Hurt.
It was the word used by everyone, from head coach Skip Holtz to quarterback B.J. Daniels, to describe how the USF football program is feeling at the moment.
After a last-minute loss that should have never been to the Syracuse Orange by the score of 37-36, there is little else the coaches, the players and the fans could possibly be feeling. This team is past the point of frustration.
The Bulls started the game strong, going 75 yards in 12 plays to score their first opening drive touchdown of the season. It was apparent from the onset that USF intended to rely heavily on its run game.
Senior running back Demetris Murray set the tone early with six carries that would lead to him scoring the first six points of the game. Redshirt senior running back Lindsey Lamar took it to the house with an 80-yard run to help keep the Bulls on top 20-3.
In addition to the huge runs provided by the Murray-Lamar tandem, the resilient USF defense held the Orange to just 3 points through the course of six drives. Thirty minutes in, the Bulls looked like they were well on their way to a win.
The Jekyll and Hyde that is the USF football program began to make its appearance at the start of the third quarter. The smooth, well put together drives of the first half were gone, replaced with a team that gave up three touchdowns in less than 7 minutes.
A Syracuse team that struggled to gain 200 yards of offense through the first two quarters suddenly accumulated over 175 yards in the third.
USF’s cushy 20-point lead suddenly turned into a one-point deficit. Though the Bulls would fight back and end the game with an impressive 369 rushing yards and 18 points from kicker Maikon Bonani, the lack of consistency ultimately lead to its demise by the slimmest of margins with 3 seconds left on the clock.
Holtz acknowledged the pain but expressed some optimism for the rest of the season.
“It’s hurting right now,” he said. “I don’t know what the message is, but we have got to find a way to get a win. It’s heartbreaking to watch us compete, take the lead, get the stops, go up…but they’re not quitting, they’re not giving up, they’re not waving the white flag.”
Though the team is continuing to play hard, Holtz is aware that there are many aspects that need to be looked at and changed. Whether those changes will be drastic or not remains to be seen, and whether these changes will occur before the Nov. 3 game against UConn is also not clear. USF will have to win each and every one of its four remaining games to avoid missing bowl eligibility for the second straight year.
Samantha Ouimette is the sports editor of The Crow’s Nest. She can be reached at sports@crowsneststpete.com.
