USF Football Downs Navy, 44-30, To Move To 2-0 In AAC Action
Annapolis, MD- The USF Football team (3-2; 2-0 AAC) headed to Navy (1-3; 0-2 AAC) carrying a 19-game road losing streak and an 0-2 mark all-time in Annapolis, on Saturday under cloudy skies that changed, as much has under first-year head coach Alex Golesh, with a 44-30 victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
USF improved to 2-0 in AAC play for the first time since starting 3-0 in 2018. The Bulls showed resilience and confidence, as early miscues saw Navy jump to a 14-0 lead, but the USF used 21-straight points to take a 23-20 lead to halftime and a 44-9 scoring run overall to put the game away.
The Bulls out-gained Navy 435-330 on the day and forced the Midshipmen to go a combined 4-of-16 on third and fourth downs. The Midshipmen capitalized on turnovers, but the Bulls defense held them to just three drive over 40 yards, with one of those coming on Navy’s final drive with the game well in hand.
Quarterback Byrum Brown passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, while Sean Atkins recorded his second career 100-yard game, getting there in the second quarter, posting four catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, one of those an 88-yarder. Jaelen Stoke and Andrew Mata’Afa paced the Bulls defense with 10 tackles each, while defensive end Tramel Logan posted a touchdown on a scoop-and-score.
Navy tied the game at 23 with a 44-yard field goal on its opening possession of the second half. The Bulls responded with an eight-play, 67-yard drive highlighted by a 35-yard Brown screen pass to Jaden Alexis and his beautiful 15-yard touchdown strike to Michael Brown-Stephens that gave the Bulls a 30-23 lead.
The defense forced another Navy punt and the Bulls looked to close the door, but Weston Wolff fumbled after a Brown completion and Navy was back in business. The Middies drove to the USF17 before the Bulls defense rose up with three straight tackles for loss and forced a 44-yard field goal attempt that went wide right.
On Navy’s ensuing possession they drove to the USF28 and had a 3rd-and-1, but the snap was fumbled and Tramel Logan scooped it up and ran 70 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bulls a 37-23 lead with 14:50 to play.
USF increased its lead to three touchdowns by using its fast-paced offense to go 74 yards in nine plays and taking a 44-23 lead on Michel Dukes 11-yard run.
On the game’s opening possession, the Bulls defense forced a three-and-out, but wind affected the Navy punt and Atkins was unable to corral it. Navy recovered near its own sideline at the USF18 and four plays later had a quick 7-0 lead.
On the Bulls first offensive possession, they went for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 30 and Brown came up short. Again, four run plays later Navy punched in a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead just over six minutes into the game.
Unfazed by the early adversity, Brown drove the Bulls 70 yards in eight plays, hitting Khafre Brown for a big gain of 29 yards over the middle that got the Bulls to the Navy2. Brown completed the drive hitting Atkins with a short 1-yard touchdown pass and the Bulls were on the board.
Brown-Stephens made a 19-yard catch and Atkins a 22-yard grab as Brown navigated a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard Nay’Quan Wright touchdown run to tie the game at 14.
The Bulls seized the lead with 21-straight points when Brown found Atkins alone up the right sideline, the defender slipped and Atkins raced 88 yards for a 21-14 lead. The catch put Atkins over 100 yards receiving for the second time on his career and marked the fourth longest pass play in program history and longest since 2017.
The USF defense stopped Navy on a 4th-and-4 and the Bulls looked ready to expand the lead further when Navy striker Xavier McDonald got past the tackle and recorded a strip-sack on Brown. Luke Nav Pirris pounced on it for Navy and five plays later the Midshipmen were in the endzone after a short two-yard plunge. Looking to tie the game, the snap on the extra point went high and right and the Navy holder was unable to handle it. Bulls’ linebacker Jhalyn Shuler scooped up the loose ball and raced 80 yards for two points that maintained a USF lead, 23-20, going into halftime.
KEY STATS
• USF committed just one penalty in the game, while Navy had eight, a complete reverse of the team’s national rankings in the category entering the game.
• USF passed for 338 yards while Navy had 90 and the Bulls outgained Navy 435 to 330 on the day.
• USF committed three turnovers in the game that resulted in 14 Navy points and kept the game closer than it may otherwise have been.
• USF held Navy to 3-of-14 on third down.
NOTABLES
• S Jaelen Stokes and LB Andrew Mata’Afa led the Bulls with career highs of 10 tackles each.
• WR Sean Atkins had a career-best 116 yards receiving and two touchdowns on the day.
• LB Jhalyn Shuler posted seven tackles and scooped up a bad snap on an extra point and returned it 80 yards for two-points.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will continue a two-game road swing when they head to conference newcomer UAB (1-4; 0-1 AAC) for a clash in Birmingham. That game will kick off at either 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. on ESPNU or ESPN2.