USF Athletics
TAMPA, SEPT. 12, 2020 – All three phases of the game helped make Jeff Scott a big winner in his collegiate head coaching debut, as the Bulls opened the 2020 season with a 27-6 victory over The Citadel on Saturday night in Raymond James Stadium.
Minus three starters on the offensive line, USF’s rushing attack motored along with 302 yards (7.7 ypc) and two touchdowns. Sophomore Kelly Joiner Jr. (Clermont, Fla.) led the way with eight carries for 87 yards (10.9 ypc) and a touchdown. SophomoreJohnny Ford (Miami) added 71 yards on nine attempts (7.9 ypc). Despite facing difficult conditions on a rainy night in the Bay, USF didn’t turn the ball over once while running 64 plays on offense.
Grad transfer quarterback Noah Johnson (Tampa) had an impressive USF debut, rushing seven times for 49 yards (7.0 ypc) and a touchdown, completing three of four passes for 24 yards and leading two scoring drives. Sophomore starter Jordan McCloud(Tampa) completed 11 of 16 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown in a game that saw USF play three quarterbacks.
New coordinator Glenn Spencer’s defense performed well against The Citadel’s triple option, shutting the Bulldogs out in the second half and totaling two of USF’s three takeaways. Graduate cornerback Mike Hampton (Tampa) recovered a fumble on the game’s opening drive and junior defensive back Mekhi LaPointe (Seffner, Fla.) intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter.
Junior linebacker Antonio Grier Jr. (Atlanta) came to play right away with 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, all in the first half. Grad transfer defensive tackle Thad Mangum (Piedmont, S.C.) set a career high with nine tackles (six solo) in his first game as a Bull.
Meanwhile on special teams, freshman Omarion Dollison (Columbia, S.C.) tied the record for the shortest punt return touchdown in NCAA history by hauling in a muffed punt in The Citadel’s end zone that helped the Bulls take a 20-6 lead into halftime. USF’s special teams kept producing big plays with a fumble recovery by senior Brock Nichols (Naples, Fla.) after the break.
USF set the tone in every phase of the game during a wildly entertaining first half.
Hampton’s recovery of a forced fumble by junior Rashawn Yates (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) stalled The Citadel’s game-opening drive at the USF 39 before the Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead with 4:07 to go in the opening quarter.
USF responded right away with an eight-play, 62-yard drive that was capped off by Tampa native DeVontres Odoms-Dukes’ 10-yard touchdown reception with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter. McCloud completed all four of his passes for 38 yards on the drive. Bryce Miller (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and grad transfer tight end Mitchell Brinkman (Council Bluffs, Iowa) each moved the chains with 12-yard receptions. Brinkman’s first catch as a Bull on third down moved USF close to the red zone.
Heads-up special teams play helped USF take a 13-6 lead in a crazy way with 6:52 to go before halftime. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Bulldogs punter Matt Campbell scooped up his dropped snap in the end zone and his desperate kick attempt fluttered into the sure hands of Dollison who tiptoed inside the pylon for an instant touchdown.
After forcing another three-and-out, USF zoomed right back into the end zone with a 9-yard touchdown run by Johnson on the grad transfer’s first drive as a Bull. The dynamic QB rushed four times for 25 yards at the end of the five-play, 60-yard sequence after running all the way downfield to block on Ford’s 43-yard run deep into Bulldogs territory.
USF’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half and the Bulls’ offense put the finishing touches on Scott’s impressive debut with a seven-play scoring sequence in the fourth quarter. Joiner’s 3-yard touchdown completed an 86-yard drive that featured all runs and put the Bulls ahead, 27-6, with 6:55 remaining.
