Advertisement
football Edit

Bulls shutout by Wolfpack, 45-0

The University of South Florida Bulls were blown out by the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 45-0 on Thursday. NC State took control early in the game, forcing the Bulls to use two quarterbacks, Cade Fortin and Timmy McClain, just to try to move the chains. There were some scoring opportunities, but penalties and turnovers got in the way.

IT WAS OVER WHEN

Early in the second quarter, USF starting quarterback, Cade Fortin, was pulled and replaced by freshman quarterback, Timmy McClain. McClain’s entry into the game seemed to be a spark to the offense, gaining 17 yards on his first to plays, quarterback runs. Later in the drive, he ran for 15 more yards on two more run plays. That drive ended in a punt, but it seemed like the Bulls had finally found something that would work against the very stout NC State defense. On the next USF possession, instead of calling more quarterback runs, which had gained 32 yards on the prior drive, McClain throws three incomplete passes, quickly going three-and-out. On the final drive of the first half, McClain connects with Xavier Weaver for a 44 yard game, putting the Bulls on the Wolfpack 25. Two more incomplete passes and McClain throws an interception to Drake Thomas, who seemed to not have a USF player near him. This was the best opportunity the Bulls had to score in the first half and would have ended the shutout early. Instead, the turnover allowed NC State to take a 24-0 lead into halftime.

THE STAR OF THE GAME

It’s widely considered the least appreciated role on a football team, but one of the most important. USF punter Andrew Stokes punted for 361 yards, an average of 45.1 and a long of 66. While having a big punting game usually means everything else didn’t work well, Stokes foot played a key role in the field position game and helped put the Bulls’ defense in a position to make stops.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

525-271. The Wolfpack had 525 yards of total offense, compared to just 271 for the Bulls. USF allowed 293 yards rushing in the game.

WHAT A PLAY

The second half began with each team trading punts in a field position battle. On the second possession for NC State, Zonovan Knight took a handoff 46 yards for a touchdown that put the Wolfpack up 31-0.

THE BOTTOM LINE

USF looked like USF did last season. NC State is a good team, but the Bulls were completely outclassed and outcoached, notching one of the worst losses in the program’s 25 year history. As good as the Wolfpack is, the Bulls’ next opponent, the Florida Gators, might be even better. They have just over a week to figure something out to avoid being handed a very embarrassing loss at home to an important in-state peer.

Advertisement