Safety led a strong Bulls defense vs. No. 10 Alabama with 8 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks;
Claims first conference defensive player of the week honor for USF in six seasons.
TAMPA, SEPT. 18, 2023 – Graduate safety Daquan Evans (Orlando) posted one of the best games by a USF defender in recent memory Saturday in the Bulls’ 17-3 loss to No. 10 Alabama in Raymond James Stadium. On Monday he was honored as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week as his performance vaulted Evans into the national lead in tackles for loss on the season with eight and to No. 12 in sacks with three.
It marked USF’s first player honored as a Conference Player of the Week since 2018 and the first Bull to be named a Conference Defensive Player of the Week since USF all-time leading tackler Auggie Sanchez was named on Nov. 20, 2017. Sanchez was one of two Bulls defenders honored that season, joining eventual NFL defensive back Deatrick Nichols, as USF went 10-2. Kicker Coby Weiss was the last Bull to earn an AAC Player of the Week honor as he was named Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 15, 2018, after helping the No. 23-ranked Bulls improve to 6-0 with a win at Tulsa.
Evans tormented Alabama quarterbacks all day in the Bulls’ battle vs. a top 10-ranked foe that saw USF lead for most of the first half and go into the final minute in a one-score game. The 5-11, 190-pound veteran defensive back posted career-bests with eight tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks and added a pass break-up and quarterback hurry on the day. Evans’ outstanding effort was seen by a raucous crowd of 65,138 in Raymond James Stadium, the fifth-largest home crowd in program history, and more than five million viewers in a national television audience on ABC.
The Bulls return to Ray Jay this Saturday to open their 11th season of American Athletic Conference play with a 4:00 p.m. kick vs. Rice. The Owls are one of six new AAC members in 2023 and bring a 2-1 record into the contest after a 59-7 thrashing of Texas Southern on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPNU and can be heard on 102.5 FM and Bulls Unlimited on TuneIn radio.
Tickets for the 2023 USF football season at Raymond James Stadium are on sale now. Secure your seats for the 2023 season by calling or texting 1-800-GoBulls or by visiting USFBULLSTIX.com. All tickets are once again dynamically priced for each game based on demand and are subject to change. Tickets can be purchased online at USFBullsTix.com, by calling/texting 1-800-GoBulls or using the direct links below.
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 26th season in 2022 while completing construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including 2021 consensus All-American kick returner Brian Battie, and had 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and has made 10 bowl game appearances (going 6-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and most recently making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls 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.
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