USF wins their third national championship in four years with 45-23 win over Ohio State
The blueprint to beat USF was clear and Ohio State, armed with the same triple option offense that Georgia Tech used to beat the Bulls earlier in the season, were in prime position to do with their top ranked rushing offense.
Through the bulk of the first quarter, everything was going according to plan with Ohio State scoring twice on long runs and USF's offense having yet to pick up a first down.
Kellen Wright then returned a kickoff for 104 yards and the Bulls were off to the races, limiting the Buckeyes to just field goals for the rest of the game as they secure their third national championship in four years and seventh in program history with their 45-23 win over Ohio State on Monday.
A couple of south Florida natives in Wright (Tampa), Joseph Moses (Tampa), William Sapp (Palm Beach) and Jet Millines (Fort Lauderdale) helped turn the game around for the Bulls on offense with Moses' 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter with 1:33 remaining gave USF the 21-17 lead.
They had a chance to extend that lead before the end of the half but Millines would be intercepted in the endzone when targeting Moses in the final seconds of the half. Millines made up for it with a strike to William Sapp on the first drive of the second half and the speedy USF legacy took it 52 yards for the score.
Ohio State cut into the lead with back to back scoring drives but was twice held to just a field goal to make it an five point game. Moses then extended the lead with an acrobatic catch and reach for the pylon for his second score of the night to make it a two possession game with his tenth touchdown of the season.
Jimmy Smith would be intercepted by USF's Noah Wester on the next drive.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[tOSU] D. Ewing, 20 Yd run (5:06)
[tOSU] D. Ewing, 77 Yd run (2:10)
[USF] K. Wright, returned kickoff 104 Yds (2:00)
Quarter 2
[tOSU] J. Knox, 42 Yd FG (7:35)
[USF] E. Valentine, 2 Yd run (4:57)
[USF] J. Moses, 35 Yd pass from J. Millines (1:33)
Quarter 3
[USF] W. Sapp, 52 Yd pass from J. Millines (7:20)
[tOSU] J. Knox, 52 Yd FG (3:44)
[tOSU] J. Knox, 43 Yd FG (0:24)
Quarter 4
[USF] J. Moses, 16 Yd pass from J. Millines (6:05)
[USF] C. Sanders, 22 Yd FG (3:43)
[USF] J. Millines, 11 Yd run (0:19)
---------------------------------------------------------------- #3 South Florida Bulls
QB Jet Millines: 23 of 34, 230 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception, sacked twice, 9 carries, 57 yards, touchdown
HB Jacob Wheeler: 12 carries, 69 yards, fumble (out of bounds), 4 receptions, 18 yards
HB Eric Valentine: 7 carries, 26 yards, touchdown
HB Kellen Wright: 5 carries, 11 yards, fumble (recovered), 5 receptions, 3 yards
WR Joseph Moses: 4 receptions, 75 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR William Sapp: 2 receptions, 85 yards, touchdown
S Michael Robinson: 9 tackles, tackle for loss
LB E.J. Young: 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack
LB Noah Wester: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, sack, interception
#5 Ohio State Buckeyes
QB Jimmy Smith: 7 of 15, 52 yards, interception, sacked 5 times. 13 carries, 42 yards
FB Michael Clark: 16 carries, 132 yards
HB Damon Ewing: 8 carries, 128 yards, 2 touchdowns
HB Jacob Oliver: 7 carries, 18 yards, 1 of 1, 27 yards, 4 receptions, 23 yards
WR Patrick Brink: 2 receptions, 43 yards
S De'Andre Crawford: 12 tackles
CB Tyrone Brunner: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
CB William Fields: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, interception
LB Mike Richardson: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack
DE Ben Matthews: 3 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
Last edited by Soapy on 13 Apr 2023, 10:42, edited 1 time in total.
2040 USF All-Americans First Team
LB Kyle Locher
LB Adrian Bolden
S Michael Robinson
S Cody Fuller
Second Team
TE Jeff Rutledge
DT Jesse Berrong
LB E.J. Young
Freshman
HB Jacob Wheeler
WR Carl Graham
C Kyle Jones
CB Travis Jones
2040 USF All-Champions First Team
G Woody Humphrey
DE Cory Smith
DT Jesse Berrong
LB Kyle Locher
LB E.J. Young
LB Adrian Bolden
CB Bryan Carter
S Michael Robinson
S Cody Fuller
Second Team
TE Jeff Rutledge
T Kyle Everett
P Gerald Wallace
USF quarterback Jet Millines among first juniors to declare for the draft
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
USF starting quarterback and junior Jet Millines has announced on social media that he intends to enter the NFL Draft, foregoing his last season of college eligibility.
Joining Millines with the early entry into the 2041 NFL Draft will be junior receivers Alston Marks and Joseph Moses, junior safety Michael Robinson, junior offensive lineman Woody Humphrey and junior corner Bryan Carter.
Millines competed with true freshman quarterback Mark Cunningham all season for the starting role, splitting time with the true freshman for most of the regular season. After being benched as a sophomore, Millines was never officially named starter this season but took every significant postseason snap, including playing all of the semi-finals and final game. The six-foot-three quarterback will be an intriguing prospect with elite production as a junior but his 2039 season will require scouts to take a second look.
Marks and Moses could be among the first receivers taken off the board while Robinson is widely viewed as a top ten pick, earning All-American honors in each season at USF. Humphrey and Carter are considered potential day two draft picks.
More players could be joining them in declaring early, including All-American defensive tackle Jesse Berrong, junior cornerback K.J. Waters, junior offensive tackle Wally Bayless and junior All-American linebacker Kyle Locher all having draftable grades as underclassmen.
2041 Players Leaving » Career Stats
#11 Jet Millines (QB, Junior): Declared Early » 540 of 767, 7035 yards, 61 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, sacked 35 times, 186 carries, 1154 yards, 10 touchdowns, 7 fumbles
#15 Alston Marks (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 155 receptions, 1995 yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 dropped passes
#5 Michael Robinson (S, Junior): Declared Early » 252 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, touchdown, 14 pass breakups, fumble recovery
#1 Joseph Moses (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 200 receptions, 2699 yards, 20 touchdowns, 9 dropped passes
#67 Woody Humphrey (G, Junior): Declared Early » 22 pancakes, 7 sacks allowed
#21 Bryan Carter (CB, Junior): Declared Early » 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 10 interceptions, touchdown, 8 pass breakups, fumble recovery
Malcolm Francois Sr. to return to USF despite interest from Alabama
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
University of South Florida head football coach Malcolm Francois Sr. will not be interviewing for the Alabama head coaching position and will return to USF on his current contract that runs through the 2044 season.
Francois Sr. signed an extension last season amid rumors of Kevin Sherer's retirement as head coach of the Crimson Tide and with Sherer following through on his retirement this time around, the Crimson Tide were the top candidate to perhaps finally pry Francois Sr. away from his alma mater. Alabama even formally requested permission to interview both Francois Sr. and offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett but Francois Sr. declined the opportunity and informed school officials on Thursday.
Francois is entering his 29th season with the Bulls and broke the NCAA record for most national championships as a head coach with his seventh last season, surpassing Alabama's Bear Bryant. The Bulls also claim an eight national championship which was won during the 2037 season, the inaugural ANAC season where there was no postseason champions. The Bulls went undefeated that year.
The Bulls three post-season wins this year also helped propel Francois Sr. to breaking Bobby Bowden's record for most bowl wins with Francois' 25 bowl wins. The previous record was 22.
Those close to Francois Sr. say the future Hall of Famer intends on retiring as USF's coach and has no plans of stepping away from the game of football any time soon.
The War on I-4 heats up as Knights hire USF offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett to be next head coach
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
The University of Central Florida has hired USF offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett to be their next head coach following the departure of Roger McCoy to be the next head coach at Georgia Tech.
Bennett was a popular candidate this cycle, interviewing for the same position at Alabama, Georgia Tech, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska and SMU. With McCoy accepting the job at Georgia Tech, the Knights emerged as the favorite to land Bennett who is from the Tampa area.
The decision is one that will be hotly discussed as Bennett is the first assistant in Malcolm Francois Sr's tenure at USF to accept a position at the rival school. At this time, it's unclear if Bennett had Francois Sr's 'blessing' to accept the position.
The early favorite to replace Bennett is former USF offensive coordinator and most recently Baylor head coach Rhett Lashlee. Lashlee joined USF's staff in an advisory role during the postseason.
Washington State's Will McPherson, TCU's Bo Gore among latest candidates to be interviewed
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist
The University of South Florida interviewed Washington State offensive coordinator Will McPherson on Wednesday, the second offensive coordinator this week to be interviewed as the Bulls continue to look for DeMarcus Bennett's replacement.
The Tampa Bay Chronicles reported last Friday that TCU offensive coordinator Bo Gore was scheduled to be interviewed on Monday. Under Gore, TCU's offense finished in the top five among Big XII teams in total offense and averaged 236.8 rushing yards per game for the nine win Horned Frogs.
McPherson's Cougars also featured a potent rushing offense, leading the Pac-12 in rushing yards, averaging nearly 290 yards per game on the ground. With the loss of quarterback Jet Millines and the team's top three receivers, the interview process is perhaps an indication of USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr's vision for the Bulls offense in 2041 which will feature two dynamic running backs in Jacob Wheeler and Kellen Wright.
USF is expected to interview former Baylor head coach Rhett Lashlee who might be the betting favorite among fans and pundits alike to be the next coordinator for Francois' offense. Lashlee held the position with USF back in 2027 during his one-year stint with quarterback Jed White before being hired at Arkansas. Lashlee has bounced around some as a head coach but is an offensive mind that Francois Sr. respects.
Following his dismissal at Baylor, USF hired the veteran coach to serve as a consultant during the team's postseason run where he aided the defense in preparation for opposing offenses. Lashlee has yet to interview for any other positions, perhaps a sign that the writing might be on the wall for him to be USF's next coordinator.
Baylor's offense struggled in 2040, scoring just 24.2 points per game but did finish second in the Big XII in passing offense behind only SMU while their running attack finished dead last.
USF All-American defensive tackle Jesse Berrong latest junior to declare for the NFL Draft
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
USF All-American defensive tackle Jesse Berrong has declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his final year of eligibility.
A former four-star prospect from the state of Ohio, Berrong capped off his USF career with his best season yet, becoming a finalist for the Lombardi Award as he recorded twelve tackles for loss and seven sacks, both career highs.
Berrong emerged as a rotational player during his freshman season and continued to be a key piece of USF's defense along the interior of the unit, recording at least five tackles for loss and two sacks in his first two seasons. He blossomed as a gap shooting three-technique this season and was aided by the addition of nose tackle Brandon Smith who ate up the double teams.
2041 Players Leaving » Career Stats
#11 Jet Millines (QB, Junior): Declared Early » 540 of 767, 7035 yards, 61 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, sacked 35 times, 186 carries, 1154 yards, 10 touchdowns, 7 fumbles
#15 Alston Marks (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 155 receptions, 1995 yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 dropped passes
#5 Michael Robinson (S, Junior): Declared Early » 252 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, touchdown, 14 pass breakups, fumble recovery
#1 Joseph Moses (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 200 receptions, 2699 yards, 20 touchdowns, 9 dropped passes
#67 Woody Humphrey (G, Junior): Declared Early » 22 pancakes, 7 sacks allowed
#21 Bryan Carter (CB, Junior): Declared Early » 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 10 interceptions, touchdown, 8 pass breakups, fumble recovery
#96 Jesse Berrong (DT, Junior): Declared Early » 51 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery
Bulls hire former offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee for the same position
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
The University of South Florida has announced the hiring of Rhett Lashlee to be the team's next offensive coordinator, replacing DeMarcus Bennett who spent two seasons in Tampa before being hired at UCF to be their head coach.
During the press conference, USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. praised Lashlee as one of the best innovative minds and a proven developer at the quarterback position. Lashlee will coach the quarterbacks and call the plays, the same role he held in 2027 when he last was part of USF's on-field staff.
Lashlee briefly returned to USF earlier this year to serve as a consultant during their postseason run, providing intel to the defense as he had previously faced SMU's offense as Baylor's head coach.
USF defensive coordinator Trai Martinez was also promoted to Associated Head Coach, a role that was vacated last season following the retirement of long-time offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. Martinez, whose coordinator some elite units at USF, did not interview for any head coaching jobs this winter.
2041 USF Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Malcolm Francois (28th year)
Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach: Trai Martinez (3rd year)
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach: Rhett Lashlee (1st year)
Offensive Line Coach/Running Game Coordinator: Ryan Williams (2nd year)
Running Backs Coach: Anthony Montgomery (2nd year in role, 8th with program)
Wide Receivers Coach: Marco Mason (2nd year in role, 5th with program)
Tight Ends Coach: Buck Burns (3rd year in role, 7th with program)
Defensive Line Coach: Taylor Fletcher (4th year in role, 10th with program)
Defensive Backs Coach: Ray Hill (2nd year in role, 10th with program)
Special Teams Coordinator: Robert Holland (2nd year)
Notable Head Coaching Changes
Alabama :: Jonathan Henry replaces Kevin Sherrer (retired)
Georgia Tech :: Roger McCoy replaces Brian Cook (retired)
LSU :: Jesse Galloway replaces Charleston Warren (fired)
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Mississippi State :: Andy Goddard replaces Jim Stewart (left for new job)
UCF :: DeMarcus Bennett replaces Roger McCoy (left for new job)
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Arkansas :: Ryan Day replaces P Daniels (fired)
Florida State :: Phil Ward replaces Jeremy Pruitt (retired)
Nebraska :: Jim Stewart replaces Anthony Clark (fired)
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Baylor :: Jermaine Justice replaces Rhett Lashlee (fired)
SMU :: Mike Brittain replaces Jonathan Henry (left for new job)
2040 recruiting classmates Nick Brown, Brandon Riley find landing spots elsewhere after quick stint in the transfer portal
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
Two of USF's signees from last year's recruiting class have already left with four-star defensive tackle Nick Brown transferring to Houston and junior college transfer Brandon Riley heading to UCF, following offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett in his exodus to Orlando.
Brown was a prized recruit in last year's class but failed to get onto the field as a true freshman behind defensive tackle Jesse Berrong, an All-American, and true freshman Brandon Smith among others. The Texas native is heading back to his home state in an effort for playing time.
For Riley, it's an expected move for him with two years of eligibility left after getting beat out in camp by true freshman Mark Cunningham for the backup role. He'll serve as Charlie Cooke's backup in 2041 before competing for the starting spot more likely in 2042.
2041 Players Leaving » Career Stats
#11 Jet Millines (QB, Junior): Declared Early » 540 of 767, 7035 yards, 61 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, sacked 35 times, 186 carries, 1154 yards, 10 touchdowns, 7 fumbles
#15 Alston Marks (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 155 receptions, 1995 yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 dropped passes
#5 Michael Robinson (S, Junior): Declared Early » 252 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, touchdown, 14 pass breakups, fumble recovery
#1 Joseph Moses (WR, Junior): Declared Early » 200 receptions, 2699 yards, 20 touchdowns, 9 dropped passes
#67 Woody Humphrey (G, Junior): Declared Early » 22 pancakes, 7 sacks allowed
#21 Bryan Carter (CB, Junior): Declared Early » 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 10 interceptions, touchdown, 8 pass breakups, fumble recovery
#96 Jesse Berrong (DT, Junior): Declared Early » 51 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery
#10 Nick Brown (DT, Freshman): Transfer (Houston) » No stats
#19 Brandon Riley (QB, Junior): Transfer (UCF) » No stats
