Freshman back Kelley Joiner Jr. posts first 100-yard rushing game with 115 yards (8.8 ypc) in injury-riddled USF’s 49-10 loss to No. 18 Memphis.
Prior to kickoff, the program honored 17 seniors who have been a part of the winningest four-year stretch in USF history (36-15 from 2015-18).
TAMPA, NOV. 23, 2019 – Freshman Kelley Joiner Jr. registered his first career 100-yard rushing game as injury-riddled USF dropped a 49-10 decision to No. 18 Memphis in the Bulls’ 2019 home finale at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday.
Joiner shined in his first career start in place of injured senior Jordan Cronkrite (Miami), rushing for 115 yards on 13 carries (8.8 ypc) against the red-hot Tigers (10-1, 6-1). Joiner, a true freshman from Clermont, Fla., had 101 yards on eight attempts by halftime after the program honored 17 seniors who have been a part of four straight bowl game appearances and the winningest four-year stretch in USF history (36-15, 70.5%, from 2015-18).
USF (4-7, 2-5) took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter despite being without numerous key players due to injuries, including Cronkrite, fellow senior back Trevon Sands (Miami), senior linebacker Patrick Macon (Memphis, Tenn.) and junior defensive tackle Kelvin Pinkney (Sarasota, Fla.). Starting sophomore left tackle Donovan Jennings (Tampa) returned from an injury but was in and out of action.
USF headed into the week tied for third nationally in takeaways and now has 24 on the season after tallying two more Saturday. Junior KJ Sails (Tampa) and freshman Daquan Evans (Orlando) both hauled in picks during the first half on passes from Brady White, who came into the game with only five interceptions on the season.
Joiner exploded out of the gates with his 101-yard first half, but a 21-point second quarter helped Memphis take a 28-10 lead into the break.
After forcing a Memphis three-and-out, USF seized the initial lead on its six-play, 75-yard opening drive that was capped with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Dave Small (Lauderhill, Fla.). Joiner rushed four times for 66 yards on the drive and his 47-yard sprint downfield set the Bulls up at the Memphis 7-yard line.
Memphis tied things up with 5:01 to play in the opening quarter before Sails set up another go-ahead score for USF with a 40-yard interception return down to the Tigers’ 23. Four plays later, a 37-yard field goal by junior Coby Weiss (Gainesville, Fla.) gave the Bulls a 10-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.
Memphis got all the way down to the USF 20 on its next drive that ended with another takeaway by the Bulls. Evans returned his first career interception 52 yards into Memphis territory, securing USF’s sixth game of the season with at least two takeaways.
White bounced back with two touchdown passes during Memphis’ 21-point second quarter that started with Patrick Taylor’s second of three scoring runs in the game.
In addition to notable contributions from Joiner and Evans, USF got solid production from other young Bulls. Sophomore linebacker Andrew Mims (St. Johns, Fla.) set a career high with a game-high 13 tackles (11 solo) and recorded his first sack. Sophomore linebacker Dwayne Boyles (Miami) matched his career high with 10 tackles.
Junior Trent Schneider (Sydney, Australia) averaged 51.6 yards on nine punts, his third top three program mark on the year, and set USF’s single-game punting yardage record (464).
Key Stats
560 – Memphis totaled 560 yards, including 325 on the ground. The Tigers headed into the game ranking 13th nationally in total offense (481 ypg) and eighth in scoring offense (41.5 ppg).
115 – Freshman Kelley Joiner Jr. posted 115 rushing yards in his first career 100-yard game.
6 – USF completed just 6 of 19 throws on a tough passing night that saw three different quarterbacks take snaps.
Notables
- Freshman Kelley Joiner Jr. put together USF’s fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, totaling a career-high 115 yards on 13 carries. Injured senior back Jordan Cronkrite has three 100-yard games this year.
- USF posted multiple takeaways for the sixth time this season after getting interceptions from junior KJ Sails and freshman Daquan Evans. USF now has 24 takeaways this season after heading into the week tied for third nationally in turnovers gained.
· Junior Trent Schneider set a USF single-game record with 464 punting yards on nine attempts (51.6 ypp). Schneider set a season high with a 65-yard punt on his first attempt.
Quotable
Head coach Charlie Strong on the loss:
“You gotta give their team their credit. We didn’t play well. When you go out there and we play a good team like Memphis, we knew that all three phases had to play together, just knowing who they are, what they’ve done and how they’ve played the whole season. You get out there and we take the ball the opening drive and we go score to go up 7-0. Then we were able to get two turnovers there on defense and made it a short field and only got three points out of it, and missed another field goal. Then, we just could never get any rhythm at all going on offense. Then, it just beats down your defense.”
Strong on freshman Kelley Joiner Jr.’s first 100-yard rushing game in his first-ever start:
“The thing about him, he’s so small and quick, but he’s fast enough where he can run away from people. I’m just very pleased to see his performance. You look at tonight, he’s a freshman and played well. (Daquan Evans) got the interception, he’s a freshman. You have so much young talent out there on that field. It was just great to (Joiner) go out and play as well as he played, being his first start.”
Up Next
USF wraps up its 2019 season with a War on I-4 matchup at rival UCF in Orlando on Friday, Nov. 29. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN).
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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