Bulls thrash Owls, set school records
TAMPA — As grudge matches go, this one was a doozy that turned snoozy.
Still feeling the sting from last season’s disappointing loss to Temple that would eventually cost USF a shot at a possible conference title, the No. 21 Bulls took out that frustration Thursday night during a 43-7 win over the Owls. It was a schoolrecord ninth consecutive win for USF and the eighth consecutive home win over a conference opponent.
USF (4-0, 1-0 American) manhandled Temple (2-2, 0-1) throughout most of the night, forcing six turnovers as the defense harassed Owls quarterbacks. The Bulls defense recorded five sacks and held Temple to a season-low 85 yards of total offense. Owls coach Geoff Collins’ team never got any closer than the USF 44-yard line.
Last season, the Bulls appeared to be in the driver’s seat for their first division crown before suffering an embarrassing 46-30 loss to Temple in Philadelphia. Both teams would finish tied in the East, but the Owls earned the right to play in the conference championship game, defeating Navy 34-10 on their way to the AAC title.
USF remained silent, at least publicly, much of this week when it came to any discussion of bad feelings that might remain from last year’s beat down. But Thursday night, the Bulls said a lot through their actions.
Senior corner Deatrick Nichols was a ball hawk for the Bulls, registering two of the team’s four interceptions. It was the ninth and 10th career interceptions for the twotime All-AAC selection, who already holds the school record.
Another senior who stepped up in a big way Thursday night was linebacker Auggie Sanchez, who delivered seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
Everything appeared to go USF’s way especially early on.
It was a record-setting night for USF. Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowersset a new school mark for career rushing touchdowns with 33. He set the record with a 22-yard run capped by the senior lowering his shoulder into the body of a defender as he barreled into the end zone. Flowers added another score in the fourth quarter before finishing the game with 155 total yards of offense.
Flowers also provided the only highlight for Temple when he fumbled after being sacked by Jacob Martin, who scooped up the football and rumbled 44 yards for the touchdown.
The USF ground game featured bruising runs, including Darius Tice’s 47-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter that kicked open the door for the Bulls and extended their lead to 10-0. Tice’s downfield speed was on display later when he would add another score in the third quarter: a three-yard scamper that pushed the lead to 27-7. He closed the game with 117 rushing yards.
USF has now tallied at least 30-plus points during 21 consecutive games, with the Bulls an impressive 18-3 during that stretch.
USF remain the highest ranked Group of Five team in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 21, one spot ahead of undefeated San Diego State from the Mountain West Conference. While the AP ranking has no impact on the College Football Playoff standings that determine elite bowl bids, it can be a good barometer of what playoff selection committee members may be thinking when it comes to the New Year’s Six participants.