Sophomore quarterback Jordan McCloud turned in the type of passing identity USF has been looking for, but the Bulls after fighting hard the whole game, couldn’t put things together in a 58-46 loss to UCF (War on I-4) on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
Solidifying his status as the starting quarterback, McCloud set career highs with 32 completions for 404 yards on the night for USF (1-8, 0-7 in AAC). Mccloud completed 69 percent of his 46 attempts and made DeVontres Dukes productive target, who scored two touchdowns in his final game for USF.
Running back Kelley Joiner added to the story, even though he lead the team in rushing yards (116). Joiner was responsible for the two fumbles of the game that both result in UCF possessions, then ultimately scoring plays on the following drives.
Fancy footwork by Bryce Miller helped cut UCF’s lead to 28-14. Miller catches a 5-yard Pass from McCloud over the middle after running a slant and clearing traffic with 2:29 remaining in the second quarter. Junior Randall St. Felix opened up the way for the eleven play 75-yard pass from McCloud for 30 yd to the UCF 15 for a 1ST down.
Dillon Gabriel pass intercepted Dwayne Boyles return for no gain to the UCF 48. That resulted in a three play 48-yard scoring drive from Brian Battie on a 1-yard run to cut the deficit to 45-38.
USF showed incredible fight with a four play 60-yard drive in the final minutes of the game. That came down to a 19 yd pass from Jordan McCloud to Bryce Miller who scored a touchdown and McCloud runs for Two-Point Conversion to make it 58-46 as a final score.
Photo Courtesy Of Getty Images