USF cruised past Southern Mississippi 49-24 in a dominant Saturday night performance fueled by explosive plays on both sides of the ball.

Regardless of the strong showing, the game started out as a challenge for the Bulls.
Down 7-0 in the first quarter, the Bulls (2-1) went for a fourth-and-three and failed to convert, leading to the Golden Eagles’ (1-2) second touchdown of the game.

The Bulls failed to score on their first two possessions after attempting and missing a key fourth-down play.

Despite being held scoreless, head coach Alex Golesh said he had confidence in the team’s ability to find their tempo.

“You got to get into a rhythm, you got a better quarterback, o-line, backs, all these guys,” said Golesh. “I’m really proud of this offense for never flinching.”

And the Bulls did just that.

They successfully completed on a second fourth-and-short attempt, resulting in their first score of the game. Junior quarterback Byrum Brown connected with senior tight-end Payten Singletary for his first touchdown pass of the year. It was also the first catch of any USF tight end this season.

On the next drive, senior safety Caqavouis Berryhill scooped up a fumble and ran it back 16 yards. Just a few plays later, senior running back Kelly Joiner broke free for a 43-yard rushing touchdown.

Brown’s second-quarter touchdown came on a sideline toss to senior wide-receiver Joshua Hardeman, who juggled the ball before securing a contested catch for the score.

Sean Atkins set up USF’s next scoring drive with a 39-yard punt return to its redzone. 

With just less than four-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter, Brown rushed into the endzone for his third overall touchdown of the night.

The Golden Eagles drove down the field in just one minute. Sophomore quarterback Ethan Crawford scored a rushing touchdown, after Tate Rodemaker left the game with ankle issues.

The Bulls led the Eagles 28-21 at halftime, yet trailing in total yardage 283 to 244.

Related: USF v. Southern Mississippi: What to keep in mind for Saturday’s game

USF started the second half off with a bang, moving down the field and going for a fake field goal which resulted in a John Cannon 17-yard first-down run. This led to a three-yard rushing touchdown by Ta’Ron Keith. 

With 4 minutes and 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Bulls intercepted Crawford in the red zone.This marked their fourth rushing touchdown of the night, with senior back Nay’Quan Wright accounting for the latest score.

“I’m really impressed with that running back room,” said Golesh. “And that’s why we lean on them.”

The Bulls ended the game with 369 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

The Golden Eagles missed a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter, which prompted them to bring in their third quarterback of the night, John White.

On the Bulls’ final scoring drive, Joiner scored his second touchdown of the night with a 50-yard rush.

Joiner ended the game with 117 yards rushing on 10 carries paired with his two touchdowns. In the season so far, he is the leading running back with 20 carries and 220 yards.

“It was cool to see him going, great to see him breakout.” said Golesh. “He just kept fighting and fighting.”

USF will need to capitalize on this momentum in its upcoming match against No. 10 Miami. The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 159-26 this season.

USF returns home next week for a showdown against Miami, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.