BOWLING GREEN, KY- Things looked very bright for South Florida in the first half of the season opener and first game for head coach Alex Golesh as the Bulls held a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Western Kentucky scored 34 points while USF only scored a single second-half touchdown leading to a 41-24 loss in L.T. Smith Stadium.

“It was a really good test for us in week one to see where we are. It is hard to evaluate until you see the film. There was a lot of good in handling what an away game is against a good football team. It was a fight until the end. From an execution standpoint, the three turnovers, we have to score in the red zone and that is the difference in the game. The interception on the four-yard line that put the game out of reach,” Golesh said.

The game was extremely slow, lasting four hours and nine minutes. The Bulls also had several lulls during the game offensively with three straight punts on just 12 plays in the second quarter and later six straight drives that yielded no points including two trips to the red zone. The Bulls were just two-for-four in the red zone while the Hilltoppers went 3-3. That was the difference in the game.

“The lull was very much execution on our front and I felt comfortable with what we saw and what we were doing. There were a handful of touchdowns we left out there. We went three and out, three and out and three out there,” Golesh said.

Hilltoppers quarterback redshirt senior Austin Reed passed for 336 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers and a rushing touchdown to lead the way for Western Kentucky.

USF had a hard time countering the play of the veteran quarterback and redshirt freshman Byrum Brown was hit-and-miss for the Bulls showing off his running skills with 160 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 25 carries, but he was just 15/34 passing for 166 yards with two interceptions and a key fumble that JaQues Evans recovered and returned for a touchdown to ice the game.

The running back play was a highlight for USF in the game with Nay’Quan Wright rushing for 111 yards on 17 carries. Michel Dukes added 64 yards on eight carries, but he did not play much in the second half.

“It sucks, I won’t say I had a great one, I could’ve made better reads out there and done more to help the team get the victory,” Wright said.

Receiver Khafre Brown who has battled injuries since arriving at USF was one of the few bright spots in the passing game with an 84-yard touchdown on one of his three catches for 95 yards. Sean Atkins had five catches for 43 yards.

Byrum Brown said the offense just needs to clean some things up to get things going on that side of the ball.

“We got the run game going and the we set the tempo. We could’ve done some things here and there and some missed opportunities here or there, but we will get those corrected,” Byrum Brown said.

Golesh gave his quarterback some props after the game as he is still very young and won’t turn 19 until later this month.

“We didn’t protect him Byrum today. Byrum is a tough ass dude and I’ll ride with him as our quarterback,” Golesh said.

For his part, the redshirt freshman quarterback said the team held it together through adversity.

“We played as a team and we didn’t point fingers. I can’t wait to get it right with this group,” he said.

The Bulls didn’t help themselves with three turnovers on offense including one on the four-yard line.

“You’ve got to take what the defense gives you and we didn’t execute in the red zone and on third down. We can have as many yards as we can, in situational football we were 8/21 on third down and 4/5 on fourth downs and 12/26 that ain’t going to get it done,” Golesh said.

South Florida’s defense sacked Reed zero times and only had two hurries on 50-plus dropbacks. The Bulls ran out more than 22 players on the defensive side of the ball and 19 players registered defensive stats in the game. Daquan Evans, DJ Gordon IV and Jaelen Stokes each had give tackles and safety Logan Berryhill added two huge PBUs and four tackles as part of the deep defensive rotation.

Golesh said the rotation and the speed of the game played into the way the Bulls practiced.

“The one thing that helps practicing against our offense is you have to stay fresh. It was going to be a fast-paced offense throwing it 50 times. We played all the guys we trusted. I was happy with our ability to get off the field on third down,” he said.

The Bulls held the high-powered Western Kentucky offense to just 465 yards and 6/16 on third downs.

“I thought the defense got off the field and some critical times. Western was 6 for 16 on third down and one of two on fourth down.”

On the special teams front, punter Andrew Stokes was also a bright spot for the Bulls with six punts for 48.3 yard average and three nailed inside the 20.

John Cannon hit a 37-yard field goal on his lone attempt.

On the opening drive of the game, Golesh showed up an impressive tempo on offense that helped him rise in the coaching ranks to the Bulls head coach. USF marched the length of the field before getting stopped at the WKU5 with a 4th and one. Golesh opted to go for it with an option play by Brown who scored untouched to give the Bulls a 7-0 lead. The opening drive was 13 plays for 75 yards.

The USF defense shut down WKU on the opening drive forcing a punt, but after a 22-yard run by Michel Dukes on first down the Bulls got off schedule and Brown threw a pick to Desmyn Baker. The Hilltoppers hit a chunk play on first down to set up 1st and 10 at the USF15. The Hilltoppers had to convert on a third and long but they were able to score eventually on a two-yard run by Markese Stepp to tie the game.

After three and outs by both teams, the Bulls pulled ahead again on an 84-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Khafre Brown.

The Bulls' defense held again and USF drove the field on a couple of key runs by Dukes to set up a 37-yard field goal by John Cannon to push the lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter.

WKU tried to copy Golesh’s aggressive play but Logan Berryhill ended another drive on with a PBU on fourth down as the Hilltoppers tried to go for it at the USF47. USF stalled on the next drive and WKU drove down the field, but the Bulls defense had two key stops to force a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-10 USF with 7:50 left.

USF went three and out again and WKU drove down and scored on a 16-yard run by Austin Reed to tie the game at 17.

Brown picked up a first down on the next drive, but senior Donovan Jennings was called for an illegal hands to the face to set up first and 255 at their own 22.

Out of the half, WKU drove 75 yards on just six plays scoring on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Reed to Dalvin Smith to make it 24-17 WKU giving the Hilltoppers the first lead of the game.

After a false start on first down, Brown picked up a first down on back to back runs and then hit Sean Atkins two plays later to push the ball across midfield on a 14-yard pass. Byrum Brown scored four players later on a fourth down conversion with a 28-yard touchdown on the option to tie the game at 24.

Moussa Berry converted on a 51-yard touchdown catch on 1st and 25 at the WKU49 after an offensive pass interference calls on the Hilltoppers and that put WKU up 31-24 with 8:03 left in the third quarter.

USF followed the WKU score by going three and out and punting. The USF defense held and forced a three-and-out on the next drive marking the first three-and-out since the first quarter and breaking 24 straight points scored on full drives by the Hilltoppers.

Brown misfired on first down but hit Gunnar Greenwald for seven yards on the next play. On third down he dropped the snap, picked up his fumble and scrambled for a first down. USF converted another first down across midfield on the ground. USF ran the ball on three of the next four plays and failed to pick up the first down on 4th and 5. Wright was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to move WKU across the 50 to the USF48.

The USF defense bailed out Wright with a three and out to force a punt. Starting at their own nine. Brown picked up 37 yards on third down and six to move to midfield. That ended the third quarter. Atkins hauled in a long third-down pass to set up fourth and short and Brown picked up the first down on a keeper. Powell ran for six yards on the next play, but Brown missed a wide-open Atkins in the end zone on the next play with an overthrow. Powell ran for 20 yards on the next play to the WKU14. Brown was hit late two plays later to set up first and goal at the four. Brown threw a pick to Aaron Key under duress and Key returned it 29 yards to the WKU29.

Braxton Clark had a TFL on first down after the quick change. Daquan Evans had a big TFL on the next play to set up 3rd and 17 at the WKU22. USF held on third down and forced another three and out. USF returned the favor with a three and out with Stokes punt fair caught at the WKU13.

Reed bailed out WKU with a 14-yard scramble on third and long and Blue Smith caught a rollout pass to cross midfield and eat more clock. Hutchinson hauled in a 19-yard pass to put WKU at the USF28 with under five minutes to play. The Bulls held after the first down to force a 42-yard field goal attempt that Carniero hit to make it 34-24 WKU with 3:19 left.

JaQues Evans strip sacked Byrum Brown after a USF first down and returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown to ice the game for the Hilltoppers 41-24.