@jayRecher
Run Bulls Run.
Behind a rushing attack that ran for 313 yards on the ground, the USF Bulls went up north and defeated the UConn Huskies 48-22 on Saturday afternoon in East Hartford.
Jordan Cronkrite paced the offense with 148 yards on the ground, Trevon Sands added 64 yards and a touchdown, and QB Jordan McCloud even chipped in with 62 yards and a 26-yard TD run of his own.
That solid rushing attack set up the Bulls (2-3) first score in the air.
After some nice runs from Cronkrite and Sands, McCloud fired a 12-yard TD strike to Bryce Miller to give USF a 7-0 lead.
On the very next drive, the USF offense marched right down the field and found the end zone again.
Following back-to-back 30+ yard passes to Xavier Weaver and Jacob Mathis, Sands punched it in from five yards out to put the Bulls up 14-0. That was Sands' first career TD.
UConn (1-4) answered right back with a good drive of their own, which culminated with a 25-yard TD pass from Mike Beaudry to Elija Jeffreys to cut the Bulls lead to 7.
It didn't take long for USF to respond themselves. Bentlee Sanders put the Bulls in great field position with a 67-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, tip-toeing along the sideline to stay in-bounds.
A couple of plays later, McCloud hooked up with Randall St. Felix for a 13-yard touchdown to extend the USF lead, but only to 20-7 because Coby Weiss' PAT was blocked.
The teams continued to trade scores on the next two possessions as McCloud answered a Kevin Mensah 18-yard TD run with a 26-yard TD rush of his own, and the teams entered halftime with the Bulls leading 27-14.
After each team punted to start the 2nd half, the USF offense put together one of their best drives of the season. The Bulls went 80 yards on 11 plays, and on the last play of the drive, McCloud found Miller once again from 12 yards out to make it 34-14 USF.
The USF signal-caller was 11 for 21 on the afternoon for 157 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Beaudry was 18 of 29 for 209 yards and a touchdown. Mensah added another late TD and finished the day with 21 carries for 70 yards and two scores.
Captain Kirk : Backup quarterback Kirk Rygol got in the game late, and even threw a 33-yard TD pass to DeVontres Dukes. It was the first career TD for both Rygol and Dukes.
I'm Not Fake, You're Fake : Up 34-14 in the 4th the Bulls field goal unit lined up for a 39-yard attempt, however, they didn't attempt the kick. The holder Trent Schneider took the snap and tossed the ball over his head to Spencer Shrader and he took it to the house for the score. From all accounts, that is the first fake field goal for a touchdown in school history.
What's Next For USF : The USF Bulls are back home next week at Raymond James Stadium for their Homecoming game against BYU. Kickoff is slated for 3:30pm, with the first hour of the pregame exclusively on USF Bulls Unlimited, and the second hour and broadcast on 95.3WDAE-FM and AM620.