BOCA RATON, Fla. – The South Florida Bulls fell very short against East Carolina at Howard Schnellenberger stadium in Boca Raton, losing 48-28. It was a first-half nightmare, with the Bulls trailing by 34 points at the end of the second quarter.
The ECU offense was too much for the Bulls as they racked up 575 total yards – 465 of them being through the air.
South Florida falls to 1-4 (0-1 AAC) and last place in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls travel to Cincinnati next week to take on the 3-1 Bearcats in their second conference matchup.
The Good – Gerry Bohanon and USF Passing Attack
Bulls quarterback Gerry Bohanon finally found success in the passing game, throwing for a season-high 253 yards. A 91-yard catch and run touchdown early in the second quarter by receiver Jimmy Horn Jr also makes Bohanon no longer the only starting quarterback yet to have found the endzone through the air.
Bohanon also had a day rushing for 74 yards on 13 attempts and a touchdown. His longest run of the day (22 yards) came on a third and nine. This conversion set Bohanon up for a four-yard touchdown pass.
Horn Jr. led the receiving core. He racked up 180 yards on eight receptions. Horn’s 91-yard touchdown puts him in the USF record book directly behind Carlton Mitchell (95 yards) for the longest touchdown reception in school history. He is also credited with Bohanon's second touchdown on a 27-yard throw early in the third quarter.
Junior receiver Xavier Weaver was the second man during this game. Weaver caught five passes for 55 yards.
The Bad – The Bulls' Defense
The South Florida defense really fell apart throughout this game. They were torn up in the secondary, allowing six passing touchdowns and a completion percentage of 76%.
Senior defensive back Mekhi LaPointe seemed to be the only player in the secondary. He acquired ten tackles, eight of them being solo.
The Bulls' defense did not break up any passes in the game, and the only turnover came from a fumble caused by Senior linebacker Dwayne Boyles.
Pirate quarterback Holton Ashlar’s six passing touchdowns tied his previous six touchdown game in 2019 for the most in school history. His favorite target was the junior receiver, CJ Johnson. Johnson had a field day against the Bulls' defense; on seven receptions, he gained 197 yards and four touchdowns.
The Ugly – The First Half
All the distractions this week must have really put a number on the Bulls. They came into the game looking like none of them were ready to play. The game was over by halftime, with the Pirates leading 41-7.
Johnson had three of his scoring catches of 60, 74 and 14 yards, all in the first half.
At the end of the second quarter, the Pirates credited 397 total yards.
The Bulls went 0-2 on third downs in the first half. Neither the offense nor defense could find a way to slow down such a powerful team.
Overall, the entire game was ugly, but when you are losing by such a deficit going into halftime, no wonder the Bulls had no desire to win. The rest of the season looks gloomy for the Bulls as they sit at last place in the conference.
