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Once again the USF Bulls made it to a bowl game. Last year, they played in the Boca Raton Bowl in Florida. This year, they headed to the beautiful islands of Hawaii. The Bulls fans were happy for the second year under head coach Alex Golesh that they had a 6-6 record and were bowl-eligible. The opponent in the Hawaii Bowl was the San Jose State Spartans. The Spartans played in the same bowl game last year in 2023. They were looking for a chance to win the Hawaii Bowl. Last year they fell to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The Spartans came out of the Mountain West Conference and came into the game with a 7-5 record. The conference has a playoff team with the Boise State Broncos who are getting ready to play the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The Hawaii Bowl was a tale of two halves. The USF Bulls started this game just like they did in the previous year. In the Boca Raton Bowl, they jumped out early and crushed Syracuse. The first half was dominated by the Bulls. It was a slow first quarter as USF scored a touchdown near the end of the quarter. It was a rushing touchdown by Nay’ Quan Wright for an early 7-0 lead. The Spartans got the game’s first turnover by intercepting quarterback Bryce Archie. Unfortunately, San Jose State was unable to get any points off the turnover. It was a great defensive stop, and the offense took that stop and turned it into seven more points. A rushing touchdown from Kelley Joiner Jr. The next score came on a trick play.
The Bulls have not had a long kick return in quite a while. The last time it happened twice in the same game was when the Bulls defeated Georgia Tech and Terrence Horne returned and set an NCAA record with back-to-back 90-plus returns for touchdowns. This time it was Ta’Ron Keith returning a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown giving USF a 21-10 lead at halftime. We all know that teams adjust at half. The Spartans made those adjustments holding the Bulls to an opening drive punt. After that, they scored a field goal. After a second defensive stop, the game got interesting as San Jose State scored a touchdown and drew the score within one point at 21-20. The Bulls answered that score with a field goal to retake the lead 24-20. A mistake by the Bulls would put them in a blind.
Another interception from Archie resulted in a Spartans touchdown that gave them the lead 27-24 with under two minutes left in the game. After a Spartans punt, the Bulls were able to put in a short seven-play drive that resulted in a game-tying field goal that would force overtime. The game lasted five OTs with both teams scoring a touchdown and field goal. USF scored one more time going up 41-39 and winning the Hawaii Bowl. Just like last year, the Bulls broke an NCAA record. Last year in the Boca Raton Bowl they had the biggest shutout over a team. This year it is the longest bowl game in NCAA history. This was another successful season for the USF with back-to-back bowl wins.
What are your thoughts on the USF Bulls’ win in the Hawaii Bowl? Leave a comment below.
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