Bulls rally for homecoming win vs. Cougars

TAMPA — During brief pauses in action Saturday, USF announced that a pair of donors had pledged another $2.5 million to its proposed football center.

When it resumed, something arguably more priceless unfolded: a Bulls comeback that could alter the trajectory of this oncewayward season.

Behind their resurgent ground game, the Bulls (3-3) rallied from a 13-point hole for a 27-23 homecoming triumph against BYU before an announced Raymond James Stadium crowd of 35,375.

Senior Jordan Cronkrite, virtually nonexistent through the season’s first four games, notched his second consecutive 100-yard effort (26 carries, 158 yards, two touchdowns), scoring the go-ahead TD on a 3-yard run with 7:37 to play.

BYU had two more chances inside the red zone, but USF’s defense, in a bend-butdon’t break mode all afternoon, came through both times.

On the game’s next-to-last play, third-and-10 from the USF 12, sophomore linebacker Antonio Grier sacked Cougars backup quarterback Baylor Romney, whose final throw was batted away by safety Devon Studstill.

The victory was USF’s first against a Division I-A foe not named Connecticut in a calendar year and elevated the Bulls’ bowl hopes from laughable to conceivable.

FAMU ROLLS: Ryan Stanley threw for a career-high 427 yards and had three touchdowns, including a scoring strike to Kamari Young with just over a minute remaining, to secure the win as Florida A&M beat South Carolina State 42-38 on Saturday afternoon.

It was the first time the Rattlers (5-1, 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) have beaten SC State since the 2001 season.

FAMU trailed 38-35 late when Stanley capped a 50-yard drive with a 19-yard throw to Young with 1:08 left to move the Rattlers into a 42-38 lead. After the kickoff, the defense forced SC State to turn the ball over on downs, sealing the win.

The Rattlers led by 35-24 with just under five minutes remaining before a touchdown throw from Corey Fields to Shaquan Davis followed by a blocked-punt recovery in the end zone by Deondre Daniels gave SC State a 38-35 lead with 2:18 left.

Xavier Smith caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns for the Rattlers. David Manigo caught 11 passes for 136 yards.

Fields threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1).

Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times contributed to this report.