Down 16-0 to San Jose State after the first 15 minutes of the game, social media started to crank up questioning the USF offense which was so potent in 2016. Heisman hopeful Quinton Flowers and the USF offense managed to gain just one first down and 22 yards from 19 plays. Ugly start is putting it lightly. Bulls looked out of sync and could not establish any sort or rhythm on offense.
Punter Jon Hernandez was the MVP of the first quarter punting the ball 4 times for 144 yards providing the Bulls defense some breathing room. The second quarter was a much different story. USF’s defense forced two takeaways and the Bulls seized the lead with 28 unanswered points before halftime. USF racked up 271 yards during the game-changing period and headed into the break with 174 rushing yards.
Fittingly, Flowers got the scoring flurry started with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Salomon.
USF’s offense got the ball right back thanks to an interception by Sawtelle at the Bulls’ 31-yard line. Twelve plays and four minutes later, Johnson followed his blockers into the end zone for a touchdown with USF facing a fourth-and-goal at the 2. It marked the 10th rushing TD in Johnson’s career and his 21st score overall as a Bull.
The offensive explosion of the second quarter was what Bulls fans were hoping to see from the very start of the game. However, the kinks are still being worked out and we may see another early season slow offense start again.
USF takes control with 42 unanswered points, 315 yards rushing, 548 total yards; defense also forces three turnovers
It will be nothing to worry about. Contrary to popular belief, the coaching staff and players are still learning each other and figuring out which schemes, plays and tempo will benefit the most.
Head coach Charlie Strong on his team responding to the early deficit: “Once we got going, then we were able to put it all together. You can see it, we can explode on offense. We’ve got some guys that can really play and guys that can move the ball and get first downs for us. Then defensively, we were able to get the turnovers and on third down, we were able to get off the field and make plays.”
Key Stats
3 – USF’s defense stepped up with interceptions by Nico Sawtelle, Devin Abraham and Mazzi Wilkins.
28 – USF matched a program record with 28 points in the second quarter.
39 – USF’s defense shut San Jose State out for 39 minutes after the Spartans took a 16-0 lead.
548 – USF ended up totaling 548 yards of total offense after finishing the first quarter with 22 yards.
315 – USF ran away from the competition with 315 rushing yards. D’Ernest Johnson and Darius Tice both nearly reached the 100-yard mark.
Up Next
USF opens its home slate with a test against Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. The first 5,000 fans through the gates at Raymond James Stadium will receive free USF rain ponchos.