USF’s defense suffocates UAB in 30-10 victory
Behind a potent defensive performance that created enough points to win alone, the South Florida Bulls (6-2, 2-2 AC) thumped the UAB Blazers (4-4, 2-2 AC) 30-10 on Saturday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
For a tilt played on Halloween, the Bulls defense was a fright for the UAB offense all day long. The Blazers jumped out to 10 quick points and 110 yards on their first two possessions of the game. But from there, the game was dominated by the Bulls defense.
The Bulls went on to score 30 unanswered points, including two defensive touchdowns, while the Blazers went scoreless on their final 11 offensive possessions. UAB mustered only 67 total yards on those 11 drives. Overall, the Blazers averaged 2.9 yards per play.
“They did a great job all game today. Just one drive doesn’t define you,” USF head coach Brian Hartline said after the game. “I’m very proud of where they’re at, they’ve got good juice. I’m looking forward to carrying that into next week.”
Both of USF’s defensive touchdowns were scoop-and-scores. Both times, senior linebacker C.J. Hicks forced UAB junior quarterback Ryder Burton to put the ball on the ground.
The first defensive score came late in the first half. One play after junior running back Jason Collins Jr. plunged into the end zone to tie the score at 10, Hicks blasted Burton on first down, jarring the ball loose. Senior defensive lineman Asani Redwood picked up the loose football and returned it five yards for his first career touchdown.
Then in the fourth quarter, Hicks delivered the knockout blow by forcing a fumble that was returned by junior linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard for a 12-yard touchdown, his first career score as well.
Howard had a career-high eight tackles and two sacks to go along with the touchdown Saturday afternoon.
“We made a pact as a defense on what we’re going to accept in the second half, and I think we did a good job of sticking with that pact and that we played for our brothers,” Howard said after the game.
Hicks had a career day for the Bulls on Saturday with five tackles, four sacks and a pass breakup, along with the forced fumbles. His four sacks are tied for the most in a single game in program history, matching George Selvie against Elon in 2007 and Shurron Pierson against Southern Miss in 2002.
“All the things coach Aldridge and myself have been harping on, it’s been showing up. A lot of credit to them and how it’s progressing,” Hartline said about the defense after the game. “We’re not the team we want to be if they’re not playing at that level. They’ve established themselves as one of the best groups in the conference, but we’ve got to put our best foot forward week in and week out.”
The Bulls defense set season highs with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. In their last two games, the Bulls defense has produced 23 points but allowed just 10 points.
On offense the Bulls were led by junior quarterback Luke Kromenhoek, who was inserted into the game after starting quarterback junior Michael Van Buren Jr. was injured in the first quarter.
Kromenhoek engineered all four of the Bulls’ scoring drives Saturday. He was USF’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 15 times for 92 yards. The Bulls ran for 191 yards on 4.4 yards per carry in the game.
“The reason why today went so well for him was because his approach was so great,” Hartline said about Kromenhoek after the game. “We’ll see how the whole thing unveils on a short week, but I’m really happy for Luke.”
The play that Hicks said “sparked” the entire team came via the legs of Kromenhoek. In the second quarter, Kromenhoek scrambled for a bruising 42-yard gain in which he shed multiple would-be tacklers.
“Coach AT (Antonio Turner, head strength and conditioning coach) always talks about competitive excellence, which is when your number is called, going and making the play, so that’s been my mindset,” Kromenhoek said after the game. “When they call my number, I’m going to [complete quote needed] for the love of my brothers and the love of this team.”
Hartline did not provide an update on Van Buren Jr.’s health after the game.
The passing attack was less successful for USF against the Blazers. The Bulls had only 46 yards through the air Saturday, two more than the program’s lowest single-game passing total set against Memphis in 2019. All eight completed passes by Bulls quarterbacks were caught at or behind the line of scrimmage.
For the Blazers, Burton completed 13 of 27 passing attempts for 149 yards. Senior wide receiver C.J. Smith led UAB with 53 receiving yards. No Blazer had more than 22 yards on the ground in the game.
The win secures bowl eligibility for USF for the fourth season in a row. It’s the third time in program history the Bulls have become bowl eligible in four consecutive seasons.
Up next for USF, the Bulls will head on the road to face East Carolina on Friday night in Greenville, NC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the broadcast will be on ESPN2.