East Carolina knocks of USF Behind Big First Half Effort 48-28

Boca Raton, FL- FAU Stadium played host Saturday night to a home contest for the University of South Florida, hosting visiting East Carolina due to the impact of Hurricane Ian along the Southwestern border of Florida this past week. 

Paced by 41 first half points, East Carolina dominated South Florida to win 48-28 behind a career game for quarterback Holton Ahlers. The senior quarterback went 31 for 41 with 465 yards and 6 TDs on the night.  Junior wide out C. J. Johnson, inspired by the recent passing of his grandmother had a banner day for East Carolina.  He finished the game with 7 receptions for 197 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Johnson’s effort on the night nearly matched his season total through four games coming into today’s game. He’s now the team’s leading receiver. 

The Pirates of East Carolina scored six first half touchdowns, absolutely gutting the South Florida defense that gave up a game total of 575 yards defensively.

USF THIRD QUARTER SURGE

A late game surge of offense beginning in the third quarter and fueled by sophomore Bulls wide out Jimmy Horne, Jr. got the Bulls to within 20 points, but a 4th and goal play from the 1-yard line was stuffed with just over six minutes left in the game and Eastern Carolina ran the clock out to get their third win of the season.

“Obviously gave up way too many yards in the passing game,” said Bulls head coach Jeff Scott after the game. “Second half, we were finally able to go out and execute.  First three drives we scored. Forth drive we got it down to the one and have got to be able to finish.”

BULLS FAIL TO EXECUTE

The inability to finish is an issue with this 2022 version of the University of South Florida Bulls team.  A close call on the road at Florida is the biggest piece of evidence.  So, while there’s talent on the roster, the team struggles, admittedly so, from issues with execution.

Asked what the difference was in the first half when the Bulls only managed to score just seven points and the surge of offensive production in the third quarter, senior offensive lineman Demetrius Harris said plainly “just execution, that’s it.”

The team had a lot to think about during the week of preparation where they had to relocate to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday because of the threat of Hurricane Ian which destroyed Fort Myers Beach and dropped inches of rain in the metro Tampa area.  

“The hurricane didn’t play a factor in today. I’m not going to let that be an excuse,” said veteran linebacker Dwayne Boyles, Jr.

When asked if he knew why his team played so lackluster, Coach Scott said if he knew, he would have made changes to ensure that it didn’t happen.

EAST CAROLINA WAS DOMINANT

For their part, East Carolina was absolutely dominant.  They made big, explosive plays in the passing game and were steady on defense, especially in the first half.  While only forcing one turnover, the Pirates made the Bulls punt five times in the first half.  Save a banner night for the returning sophomore wide out Horn and a steady day for Baylor transfer QB Gerry Bohanon (who had some ball control issues) there weren’t many bright spots for USF. Especially defensively.

East Carolina was paced by their veteran safety Gerard Stringer and junior cornerback Malik Fleming, a Football Hotbed showcase platform participant during his middle school years.