USF’s 35 straight points in first half lead to 45-20 victory.
Bulls rush for season-high 347 yards in fifth straight win over ECU.
GREENVILLE, N.C., OCT. 26, 2019 – USF scored 35 straight points in the first half and kept its foot on the gas pedal after the break in a 45-20 rout of East Carolina on Saturday that extended the Bulls’ winning streak against the Pirates to five games.
USF (4-4, 2-2) has won all five road games is the series with ECU (3-5, 0-4) and remained unbeaten in Greenville after posting new season highs with 347 rushing yards and 525 total yards.
Senior Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) registered his third 100-yard rushing game in the past four outings with 129 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries (10.8 ypc). The senior, who ran for over 1,000 yards last season, now has 511 yards (127 ypg) in the last four games. Freshman Jah’Quez Evans (Atlanta) took advantage of USF’s creative play calling on offense, rushing for a career-high 99 yards in the second quarter on six direct snaps in the wildcat.
Quarterback Jordan McCloud went 9-for-12 for 102 yards in a first half that saw the redshirt freshman throw touchdown passes to Jacob Mathis (Tampa) and Randall St. Felix (Miami), the latter of which set season highs with five catches for 79 yards. McCloud (Tampa) also rushed for 49 yards on four carries (12.3 ypc) in his sixth straight start before sitting out the second half with a minor right ankle sprain.
Sophomore Kirk Rygol (Fort Mill, S.C.) was solid in McCloud’s stead, completing 6 of 12 passes for 74 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown strike to Terrence Horne (Miramar, Fla.). Rygol added 31 rushing yards on four carries in USF’s second 300-yard rushing game of the season.
The Bulls headed into the week ranking second nationally in takeaways and now have 20 on the season after getting a fumble recovery by Devin Studstill (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and an interception by Greg Reaves (Bradenton, Fla.) in the first half.
USF seized the momentum with 35 unanswered points that led to a 35-10 lead at the half. The Bulls gained 248 of their 358 total first-half yards on the ground, scored 14 points off two takeaways and totaled seven of their nine total tackles for loss in the game.
Tyler Snead’s 100-yard kickoff return gave ECU the lead right out of the gates before USF answered right back on its opening drive. Cronkrite’s 5-yard touchdown capped off a 10-play, 75-yard sequence that saw the Bulls convert twice on third down. Cronkite set up the score with a 21-yard run on third-and-3, one play after 17-yard scramble by McCloud, who went 3-for-4 for 35 yards on the drive.
McCloud’s 21-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Jacob Mathis (Tampa) gave the Bulls the lead in the final minute of the opening quarter. Six plays before the go-ahead score, senior safety Studstill recovered a fumble after senior linebacker Patrick Macon (Memphis, Tenn.) ripped the ball out at the Bulls’ 11-yard line.
USF used an 18-yard touchdown reception by St. Felix to take a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. The Bulls needed just 35 yards to reach the end zone after Tampa native KJ Sails’ 24-yard return on ECU’s third of four punts in the half.
Three plays after a 48-yard interception return by senior end Reaves, USF pumped up its lead to 28-7 thanks to Evan’s first career touchdown run from 34 yards. Evans used six direct snaps to rack up 99 rushing yards in the second quarter.
ECU’s last-second field goal before the break halted the Bulls’ scoring streak, which reached 35 points after Cronkrite’s 10-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds left in the half. Cronkrite rushed for 91 yards on eight attempts (11.4 ypc) in the first two quarters.
USF’s defense came up with a fourth-down stop from its own goal line midway through the third quarter and capitalized on the stand with a 24-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader (Lithia, Fla.). Rygol accounted for 56 of USF’s 88 yards on its 15-play drive that took 7:11 off the clock.
Rygol threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Horne on USF’s next drive, a six-play, 66-yard sequence, that gave the Bulls a 45-10 advantage with 11:57 to play.
The Bulls’ defense didn’t give up a touchdown until only 45 seconds remained in the game. Sophomore defensive backs Bentlee Sanders (Tampa), Nick Roberts (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Studstill all tied for the game high with nine tackles apiece.
Key Stats
347 & 525 – USF set season highs with 347 rushing yards and 525 total yards.
35 – USF scored 35 unanswered points and took a 35-10 lead into the half. It marked the Bulls’ first opening half with at least 35 points since scoring 42 points against Navy on Oct. 28, 2016.
18-1 – USF is 18-1 under head coach Charlie Strong when rushing for 200 yards in a game. The Bulls had 248 rushing yards in the first half.
2 – USF totaled two takeaways and now has 20 on the season after heading into the week ranking second nationally in the category. USF has posted multiple takeaways in five of eight games this season.
Notables
- USF has won five straight games against ECU and has a 9-1 lead in its all-time series with the Pirates. USF has won all five of its road games at ECU.
- Freshman Jah’Quez Evans rushed for a career high 99 yards on six carries (16.5 ypc) all in the second quarter.
- Junior Trent Schneider averaged 50.0 yards on four punts covering 200 total yards. It marked his third game averaging 50 yards or better on punts.
- USF headed into the week ranking third nationally in fumbles recovered and now has 11.
Quotable
Head coach Charlie Strong’s thoughts on the win:
“To come on the road and get another conference win, it was really good… We ran the ball really well, rushed for over 300 yards and the offense did a great job. We ended up playing three quarterbacks, but it was just good to see them play so hard. Defensively, we were able to get the stops at the right time.”
Strong on Jah’Quez Evans’ explosive performance:
“He’s very dynamic and very athletic, a guy that can make a lot of plays with his feet. He can throw the ball well, too. We just knew that we had to give him a chance and get him on the field because when that ball in his hands, you just saw what he can do.”
Strong on the importance of the Bulls getting a win before the bye week:
“It’s good because you got the bye week where you can now go to work. There’s a lot of things that we need to work on and we gotta get straight. This gives us some time where our kids can recover some and get ready for the stretch.”
Up Next
The Bulls are on a bye next week and return to Raymond James Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 7 to host Temple at 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN).
USF’s three-game homestand continues Saturday, Nov. 16 against Cincinnati before the program’s Senior Day game against Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff times for both games have yet to be announced. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program’s 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
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