USF bashed by a weak Tulane team

by Gary Shelton on November 21, 2021

in general

Jeff Scott has three wins in two years./Tim Wirt

Sunday, 3 a.m.

Remember all of those small clues that suggested USF might be an improving team?

Well, forget those.

The Bulls were squashed Saturday in perhaps their most disappointing loss of the Jeff Scott era -- and there have been plenty -- in a 45-14 embarrassment against a weak Tulane team.









Content beyond this point is for members only.

Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!

Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.

"This is very disappointing because we simply didn't play well enough in any position to win this game," Scott said. "As coaches, it's up to us to put our guys in position to win, and that didn't happen. As the head coach, it's up to me to correct it, and I will."

The Green Wave entered the game with just one win -- over Morgan State -- and six straight losses in the American Conference. But Tulane scored 35 straight points in the first half to clobber the Bulls.

Tulane ran up 501 yards in beating USF, which has now won only three times in two seasons under Scott. Tulane was led by quarterback Michael Pratt, who threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Tyjae Spears had 111 yards rushing.

USF had improved as of late, scoring 31 against Tulsa, 34 against Temple,43 against Houston and 28 against Cincinnati. But quarterback Timmy McClain struggled, throwing for just 132 yards.

USF will play on Friday afternoon at Central Florida. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Missouri 24, Florida 23 (overtime): A season that got lost along the way grew even worse for the Florida Gators Saturday evening.

Florida lost to Missouri when the Tigers, behind seven points in overtime, scored and elected to go for two. Quarterback Connor Bazelak, falling backward, completed a pass to Daniel Parker, Jr., for the victory.

The loss leaves the Gators, ranked as high as 10th in the country at one point, at 5-6. They have to beat FSU Saturday to qualify for a bowl game.

The Gators led 13-9 at one point but were unable to close out the game. Emory Jones threw for 261 yards and caught a touchdown pass in overtime.

Yet another SEC loss is sure to add to the job speculation about coach Dan Mullen's job.

"The Florida football program is going to be here for a long time," Mullen said. "It's not about one game. Got to make the program better."

FSU 26, Boston College 23: A late interception by Akeem Dent allowed the Seminoles to hold off a fierce Boston College rally and keep a turnaround alive.

The Seminoles, 0-4 to start the season, won their fourth game in six tries Saturday, building a a 26-3 lead and holding on despite 120 yards worth of penalties.

"We had some challenging moments that we had to overcome," FSU coach Mike Norvell said "But our guys continued to believe."

Norvell wasn't happy with the penalties, however.

"Penalties make a huge impact in a game, and we need to continue to control the things that we can control," Norvell said. "At the end of the day, we can't control some of the judgments."

FSU plays Florida in Gainesville Saturday at noon. The Seminoles would be bowl-eligible if they win.

Miami 38, Virginia Tech 26: A driving rain couldn't slow down sensational freshman Tyler Van Dyke of the Hurricanes.

Van Dyke had his fifth straight 300-yard game Saturday, throwing for 357 years and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes won their sixth game of the year, which makes them bowl eligible.

Christian Rambo caught seven passes for 116 yards.

Miami jumped to a 21-3 lead before Tech came back to cut it to 31-26. A third Van Dyke touchdown sealed the game.

Miami plays at Duke on Saturday.

Previous post:

Next post: