Bulls ranked No. 14 in Coaches Poll and No. 17 in AP Top 25 Poll
Flowers closing on joining elite list of just six other FBS players
TAMPA, OCT 22, 2017 – USF (7-0; 4-0 American), which posted its fifth game on the season with 300-plus yards rushing and extended its nation-leading win streak to 12 games at Tulane on Saturday, appears in the top 15 of the polls for the third straight week.
USF checked in at No. 14 in the Amway Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the AP Top 25 Poll, extending its program record run to 13 straight poll appearances dating to last season. USF, off to the best start in program history, remains one of just eight unbeaten teams in FBS football, joining No. 1 Alabama (8-0), No. 2 Penn State (7-0), No. 3 Georgia (7-0), No. 4 TCU (7-0), No. 5 Wisconsin (7-0) No. 8 Miami (6-0) and No. 18 UCF (6-0).
The Bulls set a new NCAA AP Poll era record (since 1936) posting their 24th straight game scoring at least 30 points in a 34-28 victory at Tulane. USF led 34-7 with just over two minutes remaining in the third period before a late Green Wave surge. USF marks its 28th week in program history appearing in the top 20 in the polls and 39th in the Top 25. The entire AP and Coaches polls can be seen here: http://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings.
USF ran for 378 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, scoring at least two rushing touchdowns for the 24th straight game, and continues to rank in the top 10 in the nation in both rushing offense and defense. The Bulls rank ninth nationally allowing just 94.4 rushing yards per game and seventh running for 305.1 yards per game. USF ranks in the top 20 in total defense (18th, 308.1 ypg) and offense (14th, 493.9 ypg) on the year.
Senior Darius Tice (Miami) ran for a career high 141 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries (10.8 ypc) and Quinton Flowers (Miami) posted his 12th career 100-yard rushing game (138 and 1 TD) while accounting for 265 total yards and three touchdowns. Flowers improved his USF career record for touchdowns responsible for to 95 as he closes in on 100. On Saturday, Flowers passed Vince Young (Texas, 3,129 yards) among all-time quarterback rushers in FBS history. With 3,207 career rushing yards and 6,464 passing, Flowers is closing quickly on becoming just the seventh player in FBS history to run for 3,000-plus and pass for 7,000-plus yards.
The USF defense collected yet another turnover, the Bulls have at least one in every game this season, and improved their nation-leading interception total to 16 on Saturday as senior safety Devin Abraham (Tarpon Springs) collected his team leading fourth on the year, a mark that ranks fifth in the nation and leads The American. Senior linebacker Auggie Sanchez (St. Petersburg) led USF with nine tackles Saturday and now stands just 16 away from the school career record of 367. Tampa native Bruce Hector recorded his team-leading fourth sack and 10th tackle for loss on the year and now ranks 21st in the nation and second in The American with 1.4 TFL per game. USF stands fifth in the nation posting 8.3 TFL per contest.
USF, which has won 17 of its last 20 conference games, will look to win its 10th straight American Athletic Conference home game on Saturday when it takes on Houston in a 3:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPNU.