Junior quarterback Gerry Bohanon had to exit USF’s Homecoming game in the second quarter after a falling on his shoulder. The Bulls’ lead quickly slipped from their fingers, turning into a 45-31 loss to Tulane.

Despite their strong start and a sturdy defensive effort, injuries and mishaps from the offense led to the Bulls’ (1-6, 0-3) downfall against the Green Wave (6-1, 3-0). For coach Jeff Scott, the injuries are more than just frustrating.

“We can’t stop playing because we have a bunch of injuries. It’s very unfortunate, I’ve never been around anything like that,” Scott said. “But at the same time, we got to be able to move on. That’s why you rep two, three groups every day during the week for those guys to get ready and get opportunities.”

The Bulls took a 7-3 lead with the help of Bohanon and sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.’s 8-yard pass into the end zone.

Along with his arm, Bohanon ran the ball well giving USF some extra momentum with a 33-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bulls up 14-10 in the the second quarter. In the first half, Bohanon ran 59 yards and had 109 passing yards along with seven completions in eight attempts.

Shortly after the scoring run, things took a turn for the quarterback. After an odd fall, Bohanon was removed from the game and replaced by sophomore quarterback Katravis Marsh. Scott later informed Bohanon’s status in the post game conference.

“X-ray was negative, which is a positive, but he couldn’t, he didn’t have much strength in it. We want to do some more testing on that,” Scott said. “First thing they look for whenever you land on your shoulder is a broken collarbone, and that was negative, but he couldn’t get back in the game.”

By the end of the first half, Tulane took advantage of the quarterback change and regained control of the game with a 17-14 lead.

Tulane carried its momentum into the third quarter with back-to-back rushing touchdowns within a minute left, leaving the Bulls to scramble. As Marsh began to gain minutes, he was able to find a groove. A touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Xavier Weaver brought the Bulls within seven points, 31-24.

South Florida’s defense attempted to protect the end zone every chance it got with 79 tackles and four sacks in comparison to Tulane’s 41 tackles and one sack.

In the end, the Bulls’ attempt to play catch up with the Green Wave was not enough.

As the losses begin to rack up for the Bulls, the coaches aren’t the only ones frustrated. After the game, senior offensive lineman Brad Cecil described how he and his teammates felt.

“I’m tired of losing. I’m tired of what we’ve been going through. I’m tired of feeling the way I feel after the game,” Cecil said. “For the guys that are in pain that can’t come back, use this week as time off. We’ve [non-injured players] got to turn it up in practice because ultimately, that’s where it starts.”

The Bulls will head to Houston on Oct. 29 to face the Cougars following their bye week. The game will be broadcast on Bulls Unlimited.