Top 10 moments of the fall semester
One of USF's shining moments of the fall was the Bulls' dominant victory over UCF in the "War on I-4." ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ
In a span of four short months, USF Athletics has been thrust onto the national stage thanks in part to the historic season from the football program among other accomplishments.
Now The Oracle looks back at the fall semester and the moments that shaped the semester for USF Athletics.
10. USF volleyball sweeps UConn on senior night
USF’s class of 2016, led by seniors Dakota Hampton and Elyse Panick, knocked of AAC rival UConn in straight sets to finish the season 17-12 and 8-9 in the American Athletic Conference.
The Bulls held the Huskies to a .000 hitting percentage on the last set.
9. Coach Schilte-Brown wins 100th game at USF
In a 2-1 come-from-behind win against East Carolina on Oct. 20, coach Denise Schilte-Brown notched her 100th career victory at the helm of USF women’s soccer.
Schilite-Brown, who joined the Bulls in 2006, now has a career record of 195-135-50 as a colligate head coach,
8. Bulls set single-game yardage record in win over No. 22 Navy
In a shootout win over AAC foe Navy, USF outlasted Navy for a 52-45 win over the Midshipmen.
The Bulls, led by 395 total yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Quinton Flowers, would amass a program-record 629 total yards in the victory.
7. Viens’ hat trick leads women's soccer to 6-0 win over Jacksonville
Freshman Evelyne Viens nets three goals in 47-minute span to propel the Bulls to a 6-0 win over in-state rival Jacksonville.
Viens, a freshman from L’ancienne-Lorette, France, finished the season tied for ninth in the country with 16 goals.
6. USF Athletics sets record with 86 percent graduation rate
USF Athletics not only had a record setting year on the field of play, but in the classroom as well.
Bulls student athletes combined for a program record 86 percent Graduation Success Rate, breaking that mark for the third straight year. Four teams finished with a GSR of 100 percent including softball, women’s tennis, women’s golf, and volleyball.
5. Marlon Mack becomes all-time leading rusher in USF history in win over Cincinnati
In a 45-20 road win over Cincinnati, junior running back Marlon Mack became the Bulls’ all-time leading rusher, breaking Andre Davis’ mark of 2,731 yards in 2004-05.
If he elects to return to USF for his senior season, Mack would have an opportunity to become the all-time leading rusher in Florida college football history. Mack finished the season with 3,559 career rushing yards, less than 1,000 yards short of the record held by Florida State’s Dalvin Cook (4,319).
4. Sailing coach Allison Jolly inducted into Florida Sports Hall of Fame
USF sailing coach Allison Jolly joins elite company, elected to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in late October.
Jolly, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1988 for the United States, represents the Bulls alongside former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, hockey hall of famer Phil Esposito, and former University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley.
3. Men’s soccer knocks off SMU to win AAC regular-season crown
With a 1-0 victory over SMU, the Bulls completed a dream season by winning the AAC regular season conference championship.
The win would lead USF to host an NCAA first round game for the second straight year, however the Bulls would fall to FGCU in penalty kicks.
2. USF defeats UCF in “War on I-4” to win program-record 10th game
The inaugural winner of the “War on I-4” trophy, USF knocked of rival Central Florida 48-31 on senior day, capping of the program’s first double digit win season.
A feather in the cap for this group of seniors, coach Willie Taggart’s first recruiting class goes out with 10 wins after losing 10 games in their first year as Bulls.
1. USF Football ends the year ranked nationally for the first time since 2011.
Finishing the year with the most victories in the American Athletic Conference, the Bulls finished the season ranked in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls for the first time in nine years.
Ranking 23rd and 24th respectively, USF is still in limbo as to where they will go bowling. In 2007, the Bulls lost to the Oregon Ducks 56-21 in the El Paso Sun Bowl.
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