GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA (4-0) at FLA ATLANTIC (3-2)

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 3:51 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 3:20 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 3:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 2:26 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 2:20 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 2:10 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 1:43 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 1:30 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 28
FLA ATLANTIC 23 1:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF TD SOUTH FLORIDA
BENJAMIN WILLIAMS 9 YD RUN
(DELBERT ALVARADO KICK)

SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 35
FLA ATLANTIC 23 0:29 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 35
FLA ATLANTIC 23 0:22 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 35
FLA ATLANTIC 23 0:13 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 7 0 14 14 35
FLA ATLANTIC 0 7 10 6 23 FINAL

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: SOUTH FLORIDA - TD, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS 5 YD RUN
(DELBERT ALVARADO KICK),
14:47. SOUTH FLORIDA 7-0
2ND QUARTER: FLA ATLANTIC - TD, CORTEZ GENT 12 YD PASS FROM
RUSTY SMITH (WARLEY LEROY
KICK), 14:16. SOUTH FLORIDA
7-7
3RD QUARTER: SOUTH FLORIDA - TD, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS 9 YD RUN
(DELBERT ALVARADO KICK), 3:00.
SOUTH FLORIDA 14-7
FLA ATLANTIC - TD, JASON HARMON 5 YD PASS FROM
RUSTY SMITH (WARLEY LEROY
KICK), 5:19. SOUTH FLORIDA
14-14
SOUTH FLORIDA - TD, MATT GROTHE 32 YD RUN (DELBERT
ALVARADO KICK), 10:38. SOUTH
FLORIDA 21-14
FLA ATLANTIC - FG, WARLEY LEROY 22 YD, 14:10.
SOUTH FLORIDA 21-17
4TH QUARTER: SOUTH FLORIDA - TD, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS 54 YD RUN
(DELBERT ALVARADO KICK), 5:06.
SOUTH FLORIDA 28-17
FLA ATLANTIC - TD, DIIVORY EDGECOMB 47 YD PASS
FROM RUSTY SMITH 8:18. SOUTH
FLORIDA 28-23
SOUTH FLORIDA - TD, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS 9 YD RUN
(DELBERT ALVARADO KICK),
14:31. SOUTH FLORIDA 35-23</div>

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Ticker) -- Benjamin Williams andSouth Florida narrowly avoided a classic trap.


Williams scored four touchdowns and quarterback Matt Grothe ranfor another score as the sixth-ranked Bulls held off energizedFlorida Atlantic with a 35-23 victory at Lockhart Stadium onSaturday afternoon.


Upstart South Florida (5-0) rose to the top of the Big EastConference standings along with idle Connecticut (5-0). The twoteams both are surprises atop the conference.


With preseason favorites Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgersall picking up early losses, the door opened for the Bulls'meteoric rise in the polls and on the national scene.

South Florida was unranked as recently as three weeks ago beforeentering the media poll for the first time in program historyat No. 23 on September 16 - eight days after they upset Auburnon the road, 26-23.


The Bulls moved up to No. 18 following its 37-10 win over NorthCarolina two weeks ago, then surged 12 spots following lastFriday's 21-13 triumph over the then-No. 5 Mountaineers.

But in this one, the Owls would not go down easy, pulling within28-23 on Rusty Smith's 47-yard TD pass to DiIvory Edgecomb with6:42 remaining in the game. A two-point conversion attemptfailed, and Florida Atlantic would get no closer.


The defense held the rest of the way for South Florida, whichmay have been looking ahead to the tough part of its schedule.Next week, the Bulls start a four-game stretch against in-staterival Central Florida, the 21st-ranked Scarlet Knights, theHuskies and 20th-ranked Cincinnati.


Williams started the scoring with a five-yard TD run with 13seconds left in the first quarter. The junior running back alsoopened the third quarter with a nine-yard plunge to snap a 7-7tie.


A 5-7, 190-pound sparkplug, Williams added two more scores inthe final period - spinning, weaving and hurdling his way to a54-yard score to make it 28-17 with 9:54 left. He finished with185 yards on 25 carries.


Smith was 23-of-47 for 257 yards and three touchdowns with oneinterception for Florida Atlantic (3-3).

 

NCAAF: SOUTH FLORIDA at FLA ATLANTIC

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
SOUTH FLORIDA (6) 7 0 14 14 35
FLA ATLANTIC 0 7 10 6 23 FINAL

SOUTH FLORIDA-TD, B Williams 5 YD RUN (D Alvarado KICK) 14:47
1st Qtr
FLA ATLANTIC-TD, C Gent 12 YD PASS FROM R Smith (W Leroy KICK)
14:16 2nd Qtr
SOUTH FLORIDA-TD, B Williams 9 YD RUN (D Alvarado KICK) 3:00
3rd Qtr
FLA ATLANTIC-TD, J Harmon 5 YD PASS FROM R Smith (W Leroy
KICK) 5:19 3rd Qtr
SOUTH FLORIDA-TD, M Grothe 32 YD RUN (D Alvarado KICK) 10:38
3rd Qtr
FLA ATLANTIC-FG, W Leroy 22 YD 14:10 3rd Qtr
SOUTH FLORIDA-TD, B Williams 54 YD RUN (D Alvarado KICK) 5:06
4th Qtr
FLA ATLANTIC-TD, D Edgecomb 47 YD PASS FROM R Smith 8:18 4th
Qtr
SOUTH FLORIDA-TD, B Williams 9 YD RUN (D Alvarado KICK) 14:31
4th Qtr


SOUTH FLORIDA FLA ATLANTIC
First downs 18 22
Rushed-yards 44-302 35-152
Passing yards 122 259
Sacked-yards lost 0-0 1-10
Return yards -1 34
Passes 17-27-1 23-47-1
Punts 6-43.2 6-34.2
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-0
Penalties-yards 5-39 7-64
Time of possession 27:32 32:28


Individual Statistics

RUSHING: SOUTH FLORIDA-Benjamin Williams 25-186, Matt Grothe 14-120,
T.J. Johnson 2-0, Jamar Taylor 3-MINUS 4. FLA ATLANTIC-Willie Rose
10-59, Charles Pierre 12-57, DiIvory Edgecomb 4-27, B.J. Manley 5-17,
Rusty Smith 4-MINUS 8.

PASSING: SOUTH FLORIDA-Matt Grothe 17-27-122- 1. FLA ATLANTIC-Rusty
Smith 23-47-259- 1.

RECEIVING: SOUTH FLORIDA-Amarri Jackson 6-60, Cedric Hill 3-24, Jessie
Hester Jr. 2-16, Benjamin Williams 1-9, Carlton Mitchell 2-8, T.J.
Johnson 1-4, Jamar Taylor 2-1. FLA ATLANTIC-Jason Harmon 7-82, DiIvory
Edgecomb 3-74, Cortez Gent 7-61, Chris Bonner 2-30, Rob Housler 1-7,
Conshario Johnson 1-5, Jamari Grant 2-0.


Att: 21,106</div>

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Ticker) -- Benjamin Williams andSouth Florida narrowly avoided a classic trap.


Williams scored four touchdowns and quarterback Matt Grothe ranfor another score as the sixth-ranked Bulls held off energizedFlorida Atlantic with a 35-23 victory at Lockhart Stadium onSaturday afternoon.


Upstart South Florida (5-0) rose to the top of the Big EastConference standings along with idle Connecticut (5-0). The twoteams both are surprises atop the conference.


"I'm really proud of our team, I thought they did a great job ofhandling adversity in this environment," South Florida coachJim Leavitt said.


With preseason favorites Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgersall picking up early losses, the door opened for the Bulls'meteoric rise in the polls and on the national scene.

South Florida was unranked as recently as three weeks ago beforeentering the media poll for the first time in program historyat No. 23 on September 16 - eight days after they upset Auburnon the road, 26-23.


The Bulls moved up to No. 18 following its 37-10 win over NorthCarolina two weeks ago, then surged 12 spots following lastFriday's 21-13 triumph over the then-No. 5 Mountaineers.

But in this one, the Owls would not go down easy, pulling within28-23 on Rusty Smith's 47-yard TD pass to DiIvory Edgecomb with6:42 remaining in the game. A two-point conversion attemptfailed, and Florida Atlantic would get no closer.


"We fought a very good football team, (the Owls) fought theirtails off," Leavitt said.


The defense held the rest of the way for South Florida, whichmay have been looking ahead to the tough part of its schedule.Next week, the Bulls start a four-game stretch against in-staterival Central Florida, the 21st-ranked Scarlet Knights, theHuskies and 20th-ranked Cincinnati.


But Leavitt did not experience a letdown.


"I worried about this game the most from the beginning of theyear," he said. "I thought it would be the toughest challengein terms of emotion."


Williams started the scoring with a five-yard TD run with 13seconds left in the first quarter. The junior running back alsoopened the third quarter with a nine-yard plunge to snap a 7-7tie.


A 5-7, 190-pound sparkplug, Williams added two more scores inthe final period - spinning, weaving and hurdling his way to a54-yard score to make it 28-17 with 9:54 left. He finished with185 yards on 25 carries.


Smith was 23-of-47 for 257 yards and three touchdowns with oneinterception for Florida Atlantic (3-3).