Bulls Fall at Tulane
Joiner runs for 95 yards
TAMPA, FLA., NOV. 20, 2021– The USF football team (2-9; 1-6 American) got off to a good start but saw that momentum quickly turn in a 45-24 loss at Tulane (2-9; 1-6 American) on Saturday in New Orleans.
USF took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in eight plays, capped by a nice pitch from quarterback Timmy McClain to Kelley Joiner Jr. who made one man miss on his way to a 24-yard touchdown run. McClain was 3-for-4 for 30 yards passing on the drive and the Bulls looked on their way.
Tulane answered immediately and kept answering. Tyjae Spears went 69 yards on the Green Wave’s second play from scrimmage for a game-tying touchdown that began a run of 35 straight points that would send the Green Wave to halftime with a 35-7 lead. Spears would run for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
McClain finished the game 15-of-27 for 132 yards and an interception. He was spelled in the fourth quarter by Cade Fortin who went 5-of-9 for 42 yards and led a late touchdown drive. Kelley Joiner Jr. nearly posted another 100-yard game, coming up just shy with 15 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Mekhi LaPointe led the Bulls defense with seven takcles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Christian Williams recorded an interception for the second straight game.
The Green Wave posted 501 yards of offense on the game, including 357 as they took command in the first half. The Bulls finished with 297 yards playing without leading receiver Xavier Weaver playing on offense due to injury. He did field punts in the game.
On USF’s second possession, the Bulls moved to midfield before McClain attempted a throw late across the middles and was picked off. The Green Wave returned it into USF territory and the ball was spotted at the USF 22 after a facemask penalty added 15 yards to the return. Tulane scored four plays later when quarterback Michael Pratt’s pass was deflected by Bulls’ safety Matt Hill and was caught in the endzone by Cameron Carroll. Pratt would go on to pass for a career-best 311 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulls punted after three plays on their next possession and Tulane took over on the USF 30 after the Bulls were hit with a catch interference penalty. On the Green Wave’s first play from scrimmage, Pratt hit James Tyrick for a 30-yard touchdown and a 21-7 Tulane lead.
USF once again drove to midfield and saw the drive stall. This time, Tulane took over on its own 20 after the Bulls’ punt and went 80 yards in eight plays to take a 28-7 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
Tulane made it 35-7 when Pratt hit Jaetavia Toles with a 48-yard touchdown pass.
The teams combined for 17 second half points with Tulane extending its run of answered points to 45 before the Bulls drove 66 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown on Fortin’s nine-yard run.
Key Stats
357 – Offensive yardage recorded by Tulane in the first half, with five plays over 30 yards.
28-7 – Tulane jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first quarter.
95 – Kelley Joiner Jr. ran for 95 yards on 15 carries.
Notables
• Christian Williams recorded an interception in his second straight game and is now tied for the team lead with two on the year.
• Rashawn Yates recorded his first sack of the season in the second quarter.
Up Next
USF will hit the road for its final game of the 2021 season as the 13th meeting of the War on I-4 will take place in Orlando. The Bulls and Knights will kick off at 3:30 p.m. before a national television audience on ESPN. The series is tied at 6-6.
Tickets for USF home games can be purchased by calling or texting 1-800-GoBulls or visiting USFBullstix.com or Ticketmaster.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and will celebrate its 25th season in 2021 (22nd at the FBS level). USF has posted 15 winning seasons and is the fastest program in the state of Florida to reach 150 all-time wins. Bulls have earned 14 All-America selections, 29 first-team all-conference selections, and 30 USF players have been selected in the NFL Draft. USF has made 10 bowl game appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program-record six-straight from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20-straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
