USF Football Battles Alabama Close Through Three Quarters in 42-16 loss

Bulls trailed 14-13 at start of fourth quarter
 
TUSCALOOSA, ALA., SEPT. 7, 2024– The South Florida football team gave No. 4-ranked Alabama all it wanted Saturday in Tuscaloosa, battling in a one-point game through three quarters before the Crimson Tide strung together points late in a 42-16 victory that was much closer than the final score.
 
Before a crowd of 100,077 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the largest ever to witness a USF football game, on the night the field was dedicated to legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, USF led Alabama in total yards, 210-209, and trailed by one, 14-13, with under 11 minutes to play in the game. But the Tide strung together 21 points in the final six minutes using big plays of 43, 56 and 29 yards to put the game away.
 
The Bulls were playing their fifth ever game against a top-five ranked opponent and their highest-ranked opponent in a road game since falling at No. 2 Oklahoma in 2002. USF fell 17-3 last year to No. 10-ranked Alabama in Raymond James Stadium in a game that was a one score contest into the final minutes. The teams will complete this series with a return trip for the Bulls to Tuscaloosa in 2026.
 
USF held Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to two yards rushing and 199 passing with two touchdowns while sacking the Heisman Trophy candidate three times. USF collected three turnovers (all fumbles), forced seven punts and caused the Tide to go 5-of-13 on third down. Alabama had just 189 yards through three quarters before finishing with 393. Cornerback DeShawn Rucker led the team with a career-best 10 stops while Mac Harris added seven, a sack and forced a fumble.
 
Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown posted his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, leading USF with 23 carries for 108 yards. But, USF struggled through the air logging 103 passing yards and no touchdowns while settling for field goals on three of four trips in the redzone.
 
USF trailed 14-6 at the half after leading Alabama in offensive yards (158-137) and holding the Tide to 34 yards rushing and forcing four punts.
 
USF kicked off to start the second half and the Tide’s Kendrick Law broke across midfield before Ben Knox forced a fumble that USF kicker Nico Gramatica corralled the on the USF 48. USF moved to the Alabama 35-yard before settling for a 53-yard field goal attempt that missed.
 
After an exchange of punts, the Bulls forced another fumble, this time with Mac Harris punching it out and Tavin Ward recovering on the Tide 33. USF scored five plays later when Ta’Ron Keith plunged in from two yards out, cutting the Alabama lead to 14-13 with 9:35 to play in the third quarter.
 
USF Forced another punt, but the Bulls couldn’t move on offense and punted the ball back. The defense rose again, pressuring Milroe in the pocket and forcing a three-and-out and yet another punt.
 
The Bulls were pinned deep and had a 44-yard Kelley Joiner run called back on a hold, forcing a punt. On first and 12 from the USF 45, Doug Blue-Eli was called for roughing the passer moving the Tide to the USF 30. Alabama drove to the USF4 before Millroe fumbled the snap and Bernard Gooden pounced on it for the Bulls third fumble recovery of the night.
 
USF couldn’t move off their goal line and Jaylen Mbakwe returned the punt 28 yards to the USF34. Alabama extended its lead to 21-13 when Milroe hit Kobe Prentice for a 16-yard touchdown with 10:04 to play.
 
Brown hit Michael Brown-Stephens for a 14-yard gain and Nay’Quan Wright burst for 19 yards and USF was moving in Alabama territory. A targeting penalty moved the ball deeper into Alabama territory, but the Bulls stalled at the 7 and Cannon hit a 22-yard field goal to make it 21-16 with 6:45 to play.
 
Then the flood gates opened. Alabama scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Milroe, a 56-yard run from Jamarion Miller and a 29-yard run from Justice Haynes in the space of just over five minutes of game time.
 
USF took the game’s opening kickoff and marched confidently to the Alabama 11 before stalling. Penalties forced a 34-yard field goal from Cannon. Just like the 2023 game, the Bulls held an early 3-0 lead on the Tide.
 
The Bulls defense came out equally sharp forcing a three-and-out, the first of six on the night for the Tide, on Alabama’s opening drive. The Bulls could do nothing with their second possession and gave the ball back to Alabama following a 49-yard Andrew Stokes punt.
 
Alabama got the ball moving this time and went 65 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 10-yard Jalen Milroe scamper into the corner of the endzone to lead 7-3.
 
Early in the second quarter, Jason Vaughn broke through and sacked Milroe deep in Alabama territory. The Bulls took over on their 43 following a Tide punt and moved to the Alabama 7 behind 47 yards rushing from Brown on the drive. USF stalled inside the 10 and Cannon knocked through a 25-yard field goal to make it 7-6 Alabama midway through the second quarter.
 
Alabama responded by driving 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown, the drive helped by a couple pass interference calls against the Bulls. A five-yard run from Milroe made it 14-6 with 3:28 to play in the half. Three more punts and an Alabama kneel down sent the teams to the half with the Tide leading by eight.
 
KEY STATS
• USF led Alabama in offensive yardage, 158-137, at the half as the USF defense forced four punts and allowed just 34 yards rushing in the half.
• Alabama posted four touchdowns and 198 yards on its final four drives of the game after logging two touchdowns, 195 yards, seven punts and two fumbles on its first 12 drives of the game.
• The teams combined for 24 penalties – 11 for USF and 13 for Alabama.
 
NOTABLES
• The crowd of 100,077 at Bryant-Denny Stadium was the largest ever to witness a USF football game surpassing a crowd of 99,235 that saw USF play at Penn State in 2005.
• QB Byrum Brown led the Bulls running 23 times for 104 yards, his fifth career 100-yard rushing game.
• CB DeShawn Rucker led USF with a career-high 10 tackles.
• K John Cannon hit a pair of first half field goals (35 & 25) and a 22 yarder in the fourth quarter. He missed from 53 yards and is now 5-of-6 on the year.
 
UP NEXT
The Bulls will play a second straight road game at Southern Mississippi next Saturday. That game is set for a 7 p.m. kick on ESPN+.
 
Single Game Tickets
2024 Season Tickets: www.USFBullsTix.com
Group tickets (10+): Call 1-800-GoBulls
Future schedules can be viewed HERE
 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 27th season in 2023 with a program-best six-game turnaround and Boca Raton Bowl victory under first-year head coach Alex Golesh. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 16 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 32 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 11 bowl game appearances (going 7-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
 
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