Week 5 Top Stories
1. Purdue notches a conference win against Oklahoma behind the arm of Bennett.
2. Hilinski's play leads Florida State to a 37-31 win over LSU.
3. The Crimson Tide barely edge out conference foe Florida in a 35-31 thriller.
4. Missouri downs Mississippi State 36-17 in their Contenders opener.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 5 Champions Division Results
USF 19 - tOSU 14 | MICH 38 - MIA 31 | TEX 45 - ND 23 | PUR 42 - OUT 24
TEN 31 - MSU 31 | ALA 35 - UF 31 | STAN 41 - USC 24
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 6 Champions Division Schedule
#15 Texas (2-2, 2-1) at #1 USF (4-0, 3-0)
#17 Notre Dame (2-2, 0-2) at Florida (2-3, 2-3)
Oklahoma (1-4, 1-4) at #25 USC (1-4, 1-4)
#11 Miami (2-2, 1-1) at #22 Ole Miss (1-3, 1-3)
#6 Alabama (3-2, 3-2) at Michigan State (2-2, 1-2)
#13 Michigan (2-2, 2-1) at #2 Stanford (4-0, 3-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 6 Notable Games
#21 Ohio State (2-2, 2-0) at Oklahoma State (3-1, 2-0)
#16 Washington (2-1, 0-0) at #10 Georgia (3-2, 3-2)
Georgia Tech (4-1, 2-0) at #24 Arkansas (3-2, 3-2)
Missouri (3-0, 1-0) at #12 LSU (4-1, 4-1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Brandon Lumpkin (Western Michigan): 22 of 30, 410 yards, 16 carries, 78 yards, 6 total touchdowns
S Cary Gates (Stanford): 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, 2 interceptions
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QB John Prater (Texas): 22 of 34, 312 yards, 5 touchdowns, 14 carries, 66 yards
S Cary Gates (Stanford): 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, 2 interceptions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#10 Brian Smith Jr. [T #1]: 6'8", 360lbs | Clearwater, FL | 5-star | University of Southern Mississippi
#11 Scott Allen [ATH #5]: 6'1", 204lbs | Deltona, FL [IMG] | 5-star | University of Alabama
#25 Nick Palmer [ATH #13]: 5'11", 172lbs | Altamonte Springs, FL | 5-star | University of Southern California
#34 Jake Thompson [ATH #17]: 6'1", 275lbs | Kettering, OH | 5-star | University of South Florida
#38 Kyle Jones [C #1]: 6'1", 284lbs | Raleigh, NC | 5-star | University of South Florida
#40 Adam Whaley [WR #8]: 6'0", 173lbs | Casa de Oro, CA | 5-star | University of Oklahoma
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#10 Brian Smith Jr. [T #1]: 6'8", 360lbs | Clearwater, FL | 5-star | University of Southern Mississippi
#11 Scott Allen [ATH #5]: 6'1", 204lbs | Deltona, FL [IMG] | 5-star | University of Alabama
#25 Nick Palmer [ATH #13]: 5'11", 172lbs | Altamonte Springs, FL | 5-star | University of Southern California
#142 Jeff Brooks [ATH #36]: 6'3", 216lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | University of Florida
#189 Scott Neal [HB #18]: 6'0", 193lbs | Clearwater, FL | 4-star | University of Southern Mississippi
Prater, Longhorns snap Bulls 23-game home winning streak in overtime comeback win
It was a familiar sight for USF fans as their Bulls were on their way to a 24th straight victory at home after jumping out to an early 21-0 lead and leading 31-10 entering the fourth quarter.
Josh Prater would lead three consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter while all Jet Millines and USF's offense could muster up was two turnovers and a field goal in the second half, eventually losing in overtime as Prater's 25-yard walk-off touchdown run handed Texas the 40-34 win and snapped USF's 23 game winning streak at home, the longest in the nation.
The comeback was ignited by Millines' fumble in the third quarter, up 31-10 and a chance to put a dagger in Texas' offense which had been shutout for most of the first half. Blessed with a short field, Prater was able to get into the end zone with a seventeen yard touchdown run for his second touchdown of the day. Prater would operate with another short field as Millines was intercepted on the ensuing drive, setting up Antwan Workman's one-yard touchdown with 5:47 remaining to make it a one score game.
Texas' defense continued to show up, forcing a three-and-out with a stop on third and inches.
The Bulls had bottled up running back Anthony Humphrey for much of the day, holding him to 39 yards rushing despite Humphrey having a 47-yard run earlier in the game. With two receivers in the backfield, it was Texas' offense turn to confuse the Bulls defense, ripping off a 61-yard run with receiver Robert Williamson. Prater would punch it on the next play, tying the game up.
Both teams swapped punts before Prater's Hail Mary attempt landed in the hands of USF defensive back Joey Bailey, forcing overtime.
In the first overtime, Texas and USF had to settle for field goals to extend the game. On the first play of the second overtime, Millines completed a dump off pass to true freshman Kellen Wright who fumbled the ball which was recovered by Texas' defense. Needing just a score to win the game, Prater would do so in dramatic fashion, scoring on the first play with a scramble out of the pocket, weaving in between would be tacklers for the game winner.
The loss is USF's first at home and in the regular season since 2035, losing to the Miami Hurricanes 19-14. Prior to that, USF had won 27 straight games at home and were on the verge of matching that record, the second longest in program history. Back in the 2020s, the Bulls won 57 straight games at home before losing to Tennessee 25-22.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] J. Moses, 13 Yd pass from J. Millines (1:56)
Quarter 2
[USF] E. Valentine, 4 Yd run (6:29)
[USF] K. Wright, 11 Yd run (5:07)
[TEX] J. Prater, 4 Yd run (3:28)
[USF] B. Coe, 25 Yd pass from J. Millines (0:33)
Quarter 3
[TEX] K. Thomas, 19 Yd FG (4:53)
[USF] C. Sandes, 26 Yd FG (2:03)
Quarter 4
[TEX] J. Prater, 17 Yd run (7:18)
[TEX] A. Workman, 1 Yd run (5:47)
[TEX] J. Prater, 3 Yd run (3:14)
Overtime
[TEX] K. Thomas, 36 Yd FG
[USF] C. Sanders, 27 Yd FG
[TEX] J. Prater, 25 Yd run
---------------------------------------------------------------- #1 South Florida Bulls
QB Jet Millines: 28 of 37, 236 yards, 2 touchdowns, interception, sacked twice, 6 carries, 35 yards, 2 fumbles (1 lost)
HB William Sapp: 14 carries, 42 yards
HB Eric Valentine: 7 carries, 38 yards, touchdown
HB Kellen Wright: 5 carries, 34 yards, touchdown, fumble (lost)
WR Joseph Moses: 7 receptions, 93 yards, touchdown
WR Brooks Coe: 3 receptions, 64 yards
LB Nicholas Holt: 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack
S Joey Bailey: 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, interception
S Michael Robinson: 7 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
CB Bryan Carter: 4 tackles, interception
#15 Texas Longhorns
QB John Prater: 21 of 26, 212 yards, 2 interceptions, sacked 3 times, 23 carries, 136 yards, 4 touchdowns, fumble (recovered)
HB Anthony Humphrey: 13 carries, 39 yards
WR Robert Williamson: 3 carries, 60 yards
WR Derek Gross: 6 receptions, 111 yards
WR Jai Avissey: 4 receptions, 38 yards
LB Guy Bailey: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, forced fumble
CB Trey Tisdale: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, interception, forced fumble
LB Mike Allen: 5 tackles, fumble recovery
CB Willie Corbett: 4 tackles, fumble recovery
Bulls continue to build towards legendary class with Matthews commitment, potentially more on the way
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
Even with a loss on the field, USF's weekend wasn't all bad as they hosted several top recruits including five-star receiver Billy Matthews who announced his commitment to the Bulls.
The Crystal Balls started rolling in for USF when it was reported by CanesSports.com that Matthews had cancelled his scheduled visit to Miami in two weeks while on campus at USF. Matthews played last summer on The Super Gremlin 7-on-7 team based out of Tampa that is ran by none other than J.J. Francois, former USF tight end and Francois Sr's son. With those familiar ties, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Canes to beat out the Bulls. On Monday night, Matthews made the announcement official.
"It was just a natural fit," said Matthews of his relationship with head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. who served as his primary recruiter along with offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett.
While there are some debates about Matthews potentially being ranked too high, he is a talented receiver at six-foot and 183 pounds that plays bigger than his size when the ball is in his hands. Matthews has worked to do, like most high school receivers, when it comes to becoming a complete receiver as far as his route running and having more reliable hands and the concerns over his lack of top end speed is a legitimate one as well as some slight stiffness.
USF could be adding some more members to the class soon as defensive end Marcellus Smith announced that he'll be picking between USF, Nebraska and Ohio State on Thursday while four-star cornerback Akeem Smith will be announcing on CBS Sports Live on Friday afternoon. It is of note that both players, not related, were on campus this past weekend and have yet to take an official visit anywhere else while Akeem Smith did unofficially visit Miami and Florida State multiple times and Marcellus took unofficial visits to Nebraska and Ohio State, along with USC and Michigan, this past summer.
A relative of Marcellus is triplet Brandon Smith, the three-star nose tackle that was on campus this weekend for an official visit along with his brother. Brandon was scheduled to take an official visit to Miami in two weekends along with Matthews and five-star running back Jacob Wheeler, who Brandon is close friends with. Even with Matthews off the board for the Canes, it does appear that both Wheeler and Brandon will be taking that official visit still unless the Bulls can sweep in and close the deal beforehand in a similar fashion with Matthews.
Week 6 Top Stories
1. Alabama invades Spartan Stadium and barely wins a tough battle.
2. Upset minded NIU pull out stunning victory over Miami University.
3. The Stanford campus is buzzing after a victory over #13 Michigan.
4. The Golden Eagles win their conference opener against Texas Tech.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 6 Champions Division Results
TEX 40 - USF 34 OT | UF 45 - ND 17 | USC 42 - OU 24
MIA 38 - MISS 17 | ALA 30 - MSU 23 | STAN 31 - MICH 26
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 7 Champions Division Schedule
#5 Alabama (4-2, 4-2) at Tennessee (3-2, 3-2)
Ole Miss (1-4, 1-4) at Michigan State (2-3, 1-3)
#1 Stanford (5-0, 4-0) at #15 Oregon (4-1, 2-1)
#25 USC (2-4, 2-4) at Notre Dame (2-3, 0-3)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 7 Notable Games
#6 USF (4-1, 3-1) at #7 Florida State (4-2, 3-2)
#20 Washington (2-2, 0-1) at #18 Ohio State (3-2, 3-0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Josh Stephens (Florida): 12 of 18, 153 yards, 27 carries, 201 yards, 5 total touchdowns
CB Alexander Davis (Alabama): 4 tackles, 3 interceptions
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QB Josh Stephens (Florida): 12 of 18, 153 yards, 27 carries, 201 yards, 5 total touchdowns
CB Alexander Davis (Alabama): 4 tackles, 3 interceptions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#8 Dallas Hagen [ATH #4]: 6'5", 257lbs | Madison, NJ | 5-star | Virginia Tech University
#9 Drew Reid [HB #3]: 6'1", 211lbs | Griffith, IN [IMG] | 5-star | University of Michigan
#10 Brian Smith Jr. [T #1]: 6'8", 360lbs | Clearwater, FL | 5-star | University of Southern Mississippi
#11 Scott Allen [ATH #5]: 6'1", 204lbs | Deltona, FL [IMG] | 5-star | University of Alabama
#22 Billy Matthews [WR #5]: 6'0", 183lbs | Sarasota Springs, FL | 5-star | University of South Florida
#25 Nick Palmer [ATH #13]: 5'11", 172lbs | Altamonte Springs, FL | 5-star | University of Southern California
#34 Jake Thompson [ATH #17]: 6'1", 275lbs | Kettering, OH | 5-star | University of South Florida
#38 Kyle Jones [C #1]: 6'1", 284lbs | Raleigh, NC | 5-star | University of South Florida
#40 Adam Whaley [WR #8]: 6'0", 173lbs | Casa de Oro, CA | 5-star | University of Oklahoma
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#10 Brian Smith Jr. [T #1]: 6'8", 360lbs | Clearwater, FL | 5-star | University of Southern Mississippi
#11 Scott Allen [ATH #5]: 6'1", 204lbs | Deltona, FL [IMG] | 5-star | University of Alabama
#22 Billy Matthews [WR #5]: 6'0", 183lbs | Sarasota Springs, FL | 5-star | University of South Florida
#25 Nick Palmer [ATH #13]: 5'11", 172lbs | Altamonte Springs, FL | 5-star | University of Southern California
#142 Jeff Brooks [ATH #36]: 6'3", 216lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | University of Florida
#189 Scott Neal [HB #18]: 6'0", 193lbs | Clearwater, FL | 4-star | University of Southern Mississippi
#253 Willie Houston [HB #26]: 5'10", 216lbs | Palmetto Estates, FL | 4-star | Georgia Tech University
Bulls land legacy recruit in Marcellus Smith, will brother Brandon Smith be next?
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
After Brian Smith Jr's surprise commitment to the University of Southern Miss as the nation's top ranked offensive tackle, all bets were off on if the Bulls would be able to land even just one of the Smith triplets, the sons of former USF great Brian Smith Sr.
USF did just that, getting the commitment of four-star defensive end Marcellus Smith with his brothers Brian and Brandon in attendance for the ceremony at his high school.
"It made too much sense," Smith told 247 Sports of his decision to stay home, "I got a chance to check out different schools this past summer with family and the potential to go out there and forge my own path was definitely appealing and something I definitely considered but ultimately, this is my home and I want to continue the Smith legacy at USF."
A top 50 player, Smith is the second ranked defensive end in the nation although that has more to do with potential than purely on field performance. A two-way player for Clearwater, Smith started to put it together at defensive end towards the end of his junior season but with eleven career sacks, the numbers aren't eye popping and the film can leave an evaluator underwhelmed when expecting a four-star level player.
What is undeniable about Smith are his athletic traits around six-foot-five in the 235 pound range with a verified sub 4.75 time in the forty yard dash. With two bigger brothers, Smith is a weight room freak and when you see him in person, it shows and the hope is that it'll eventually translate to the football field but so far it hasn't from a production standpoint.
The last Smith brother left uncommitted is Brandon Smith, the three-star defensive tackle that hasn't played football in nearly twelve months after suffering a second knee injury in four seasons while in high school. Even with the injuries and weight concerns, Brandon is still a highly sought after prospect for the Bulls as they are competing with Miami and UCF. Brandon will visit Miami in two weeks and will visit the Knights when they host the Bulls at the end of the season.
In non-Smith family news, a new name to watch on the trails is Dominique Shelton, the number two ranked running back behind USF target Jacob Wheeler. Georgia appears to be trending for Wheeler's commitment so the Bulls have turned up the recruitment on Shelton, who was at one point committed to the Missouri Tigers prior to the firing of head coach Brandon Pierre.
Week 7 Preview: at #7 Florida State Seminoles
Season Record: 4-2, 3-2 Contenders Division
Head Coach: Jeremy Pruitt (39-31 at Florida State, 6th year, 89-93)
Offensive Coordinator: Eric Morris (Multiple)
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Ruffin (4-3 D)
Team Leaders
Passing: Marcus Murphy (1752 yards, 19 TD, 2 INT, 213.2 rating)
Rushing: Cooper Hilinski (340 yards, 5.9 ypc, 4 TD)
Receiving: Josh Hobbs (30 receptions, 712 yards, 7 TD)
Defense: Steven Robinson (20 tackles, 2 INT, 2 PBU)
Team Rankings
Points Per Game: 6th
Total Offense: 8th
Rushing Offense: 72nd
Passing Offense: 4th
Total Defense: 116th
Rushing Defense: 125th
Passing Defense: 46th
Turnover Differential: 11th
Team Schedule
at #8 Georgia: W 49-35
at #4 BYU: L 52-28
vs. Mississippi State: W 45-21
vs. #23 Arkansas: L 45-38 OT
at #10 LSU: W 37-31
vs. Maryland: W 45-17
Team Injuries
FSU LG #79 George Lewis, Freshman | 75 ovr, 77 pbk, 84 rbk, 83 str
FSU S #45 Jeff Rushing, Rs Junior | 80 ovr, 86 spd, 93 acc, 59 awr, 83 tkl, 73 mcv, 77 zcv
USF bests Florida State on the recruiting trail ahead of their highly anticipated matchup with Smith commitment
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
Florida State will host USF this Saturday in a battle between top ten teams but less than twenty-four hours before kickoff, the highest ranked recruit in Florida State's backyard as committed to the Bulls with cornerback Akeem Smith joining USF's top ranked recruiting class.
Smith picked the Bulls over Florida State, Miami, Wisconsin and Texas after taking an official visit this past weekend. The fifth ranked corner in the class, Smith is the seventh member of USF's class with all of the high school commitments being ranked inside the top 50 with Smith being the lowest ranked high school recruit at 202.
With a similar build as many past USF corners at five-foot-nine and 183 pounds, Smith isn't the most nimble of corners when it comes to change of direction but in terms of top end speed, he's among the best in the country. He'll need to increase his physicality in the run game and in press coverage but with plenty of depth on the roster at the position, Smith will be given the time to continue to develop as a true freshman before cracking the rotation down the line.
