Bulls fall out of Big East chase with loss
CINCINNATI, OHIO — With highlight reel catches and two goal-to-go stands, the Cincinnati Bearcats handed the No. 23 South Florida football team its third loss of the year, winning 24-10.
The Bulls netted 182 rushing yards, but failed to turn those into points when it was most crucial — near the goal line.
“When you get the ball inside the 10 (yard line) two times and not to convert two times, there’s no excuse for that,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said. “We just didn’t look very good the first, or second, time we were down there.”
USF trailed by 14 late in the fourth, and twice drove the ball inside the 10-yard line of the Bearcats.
Twice, the Bulls walked away with nothing.
USF drove the ball to the Bearcats’ 2-yard line, but a false start penalty pushed USF back to the seven. After two rushing plays netted two yards, Grothe threw two incomplete passes.
Junior quarterback Matt Grothe said Cincinnati just had USF’s number.
“We couldn’t do anything,” he said. “They did a good job of stopping us, and we did a good job of stopping ourselves.”
Senior running back Ben Williams, who led the team with 79 rushing yards, said USF hurt itself.
“We’ve got to cut away the penalties,” Williams said. “We had a great opportunity, with the ball in the red zone, and it took away a good opportunity to score.”
The loss puts the Bulls out of the Big East title picture, Leavitt said.
More Stories
USF finance committee approves $340 million plan for on-campus stadium
USF’s Board of Trustees (BOT) finance committee unanimously approved to incur a $200 million debt for the on-campus stadium in a meeting on Tuesday morning. The project’s total cost, which includes construction, design, contingency and furnishings and equipment, is estimated to be $340 million according to the BOT’s finance agenda. Financing for the stadium […]
Men’s basketball rounds out coaching staff with four new hires
After hiring his assistant coaches and chief of staff earlier this week, coach Amir Abdur-Rahim added four new support staff members on Thursday. Like many hires on Abdur-Rahim’s staff, some held positions at the rookie coach’s previous stops. In contrast, others are notable members with thorough experience in collegiate sports. Griffin McHone Continuing the Kennesaw […]
Catching up with men’s soccer’s new transfers
With a handful of departures from the 2022-23 season, the men’s soccer team has filled in the gaps with nine new transfers announced for this season. So far, the Bulls have reported four new offensive players, three defensive players and two new goalkeepers. Here’s a sneak peek of what the new players could bring to […]
Highly-ranked guard prospect commits to USF
Four-star point guard Jayden Reid announced his decision to commit to USF Wednesday in a May 17 post on his Twitter account. Committed💚!!! Thank You God🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/hTADaaoOaj — jaydenreid0 (@jaydenreid0) May 17, 2023 Reid is one of the top prospects in the 2023 class. He was the No. 124 ranked overall prospect in the Rivals150 […]
Men’s basketball adds three coaches, chief of staff to roster
Three new assistant coaches have been hired to join first year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, two of whom served on his previous coaching staff at Kennesaw State. USF Athletics announced last week that former Kennesaw State coaches Ben Fletcher and William Small and East Tennessee coach Desmond Oliver will join the Bulls’ coaching staff. Former Bulls […]
Championship week: Softball, track and field, women’s golf
South Florida fell 2-0 to UCF in the AAC tournament semifinals at USF Softball Stadium on Thursday-Saturday. The Bulls’ performance starkly contrasted with the opening round on Thursday where they shut out the Pirates 7-0. Against the Knights, South Florida went hitless through three innings. The Bulls recorded their first hit of the match when […]