Porter's Playbook | The Coaching Career of DJ Porter

[ShireNiner]

Miami a bunch of frauds

[djp73]

Miami a bunch of frauds

[djp73]

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USF AND UCF BATTLE, BULLS WIN THE WAR ON I-4

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USF overcomes run game struggles, UCF big plays to improve to 4-0

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Saturday September 16, 2028 | 12:00 PM | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida

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Tampa, Florida - The War on I-4 lived up to its billing Saturday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, and when it was over, South Florida had once again proven that style points matter less than substance. Battling through a sluggish run game and absorbing multiple UCF haymakers, the Bulls leaned on efficiency, volume, and late-game composure to pull away for a 38–28 rivalry win over the Knights.

From the opening kickoff, it was clear this would not be a clean game, but it would be a heavy one. UCF struck quickly with chunk plays, while USF countered with sustained drives and a passing attack that steadily wore the Knights down.

After a long gain on the ground by UCF on the game's first play USF answered with three straight sacks, making it look like it would be a long game for USF QB Will Wilson.

USF quarterback Locklan Hewlett set the tone early, capping the Bulls’ second drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Bridgewater to give the home side a 7–0 lead. UCF responded immediately behind Will Wilson, whose 29-yard quarterback run showcased the Knights’ explosiveness and evened the score late in the first quarter.

That push-and-pull defined the first half. Steven Snead powered in a 5-yard touchdown run to put USF back in front, only for UCF to answer with a 45-yard strike from Wilson to Slate Ashley. A Timmy Foster field goal gave the Knights a brief edge, but USF steadied itself in the final minutes of the half, with Hewlett completing all of his pass attempts and driving the Bulls down for a Dom Bragg 17-yard field goal at the horn to send the game to halftime tied, 17–17.

UCF briefly seized momentum coming out of the locker room. Foster’s 17-yard field goal midway through the third quarter put the Knights ahead 20–17, and the Bulls’ run game continued to stall. But Hewlett never panicked. Instead, USF leaned further into the passing game, controlling the ball and the clock.

The fourth quarter belonged entirely to the Bulls.

Hewlett found Jeremiah Stoneburner from nine yards out early in the period, then delivered his best throw of the day, a perfectly placed 28-yard touchdown to Bridgewater, to swing the game decisively. UCF tried to keep pace with another deep connection to Ashley and a successful two-point conversion, but USF slammed the door moments later when George Shembo powered in from three yards out with just 32 seconds remaining.

By the final whistle, the contrast in approaches told the story. UCF was dangerous, averaging 8.4 yards per play and hitting multiple explosive passes. USF was relentless, running 77 plays to UCF’s 40, converting half of its third downs, and finishing drives in the red zone.

Hewlett authored one of the most impressive performances of the rivalry’s recent history, completing 35 of 44 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns despite two interceptions. Bridgewater (11 catches, 148 yards, two touchdowns) and Stoneburner (13 catches, 117 yards) repeatedly found soft spots in the Knights’ coverage, turning short throws into chain-moving gains.

Defensively, the Bulls bent but did not break when it mattered most. Eric Rance and Danny Felton combined for four of the team's seven sacks, while the pressure up front forced UCF into settling for field goals and stalled drives. In contrast, USF finished four of five red-zone trips with touchdowns.

For UCF, Wilson was efficient through the air and dangerous on broken plays, while Ashley’s three catches went for 126 yards and two scores. But the Knights simply couldn’t stay on the field long enough to keep USF from dictating the game’s rhythm.

When it was over, the scoreboard reflected more than just a rivalry win. It marked USF’s ability to win in multiple ways, without a dominant run game, against explosive opponents, and under the weight of expectation. At 4–0, the Bulls walked out of Raymond James Stadium with bragging rights, momentum, and the unmistakable feeling that this season may be building toward something more.

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Scoring Summary
First Quarter
USF – Jordyn Bridgewater 9-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 3:33
UCF – Will Wilson 29-yard run (Timmy Foster kick), 1:36
Second Quarter
USF – Steven Snead 5-yard run (Dom Bragg kick), 5:34
UCF – Slate Ashley 45-yard pass from Will Wilson (Timmy Foster kick), 4:41
UCF – Timmy Foster 47-yard FG, 1:33
USF – Dom Bragg 17-yard FG, 0:01
Third Quarter
UCF – Timmy Foster 17-yard FG, 5:35
Fourth Quarter
USF – Jeremiah Stoneburner 9-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 8:56
USF – Jordyn Bridgewater 28-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 4:19
UCF – Slate Ashley 23-yard pass from Will Wilson (2-point conversion), 3:02
USF – George Shembo 3-yard run (Dom Bragg kick), 0:32

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USF Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Hewlett – 35/44, 326 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT, 79.5%
Rushing
C. Suggs – 17 Car, 60 Yds, 3.5 Avg
S. Snead – 8 Car, 36 Yds, 4.5 Avg, 1 TD
T. McLaughlin – 4 Car, 18 Yds, 4.5 Avg
G. Shembo – 2 Car, -2 Yds, 1 TD
L. Hewlett – 2 Car, 0 Yds
Receiving
J. Bridgewater – 11 Rec, 148 Yds, 13.4 Avg, 2 TD, Long 28 (89 RAC)
J. Stoneburner – 13 Rec, 117 Yds, 9.0 Avg, 1 TD, Long 18 (60 RAC)
G. Camarda – 6 Rec, 36 Yds, 6.0 Avg
S. Snead – 3 Rec, 10 Yds, 3.3 Avg
D. Smith – 1 Rec, 8 Yds
C. Suggs – 1 Rec, 7 Yds
Defense
E. Rance – 8 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2.0 Sacks
D. Felton – 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2.0 Sacks
K. Wynn – 2 Tkl, 1 TFL, 1.0 Sack
I. Singleton – 1 Tkl, 1.0 Sack
J. Grant – 1 Tkl, 1.0 Sack
G. Jenkins – 4 Tkl, 1 INT
Special Teams
D. Bragg – 1/1 FG, Long 18; 5/5 XP
D. McSurdy – 1 Punt, 47 Yds (47.0 Avg)
E. York – 2 KR, 37 Yds (18.5 Avg), Long 19; 3 PR, 22 Yds (7.3 Avg), Long 13

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UCF Stat Leaders
Passing
W. Wilson – 13/20, 242 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 65.0%
Rushing
J. Minter – 5 Car, 43 Yds, 8.6 Avg
M. Cheek – 4 Car, 42 Yds, 10.5 Avg
W. Wilson – 11 Car, 9 Yds, 0.8 Avg, 1 TD
Receiving
S. Ashley – 3 Rec, 126 Yds, 42.0 Avg, 2 TD, Long 58 (29 RAC)
K. Lee – 4 Rec, 54 Yds, 13.5 Avg, Long 30
C. Piening – 2 Rec, 31 Yds, 15.5 Avg, Long 22
J. Minter – 1 Rec, 15 Yds, 15.0 Avg
D. Vinson – 2 Rec, 14 Yds, 7.0 Avg
M. Drag – 1 Rec, 2 Yds
Defense
J. Ofor – 14 Tkl
T. Pounds – 14 Tkl, 2 TFL, 1 INT
A. Threatt – 12 Tkl, 1 TFL
K. Jones – 8 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1.0 Sack
J. Incognito – 4 Tkl, 1 INT
Special Teams
T. Foster – 2/2 FG, Long 47; 2/2 XP
J. Dykes – 3 Punts, 136 Yds (45.3 Avg)
P. Mitrione – 2 KR, 58 Yds (29.0 Avg), Long 34

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Team Stats Comparison

Category	USF	UCF
Score	38	28
First Downs	31	12
Total Offense	438	336
Total Plays	77	40
Yards Per Play	5.7	8.4
Rush | Yards | TD	33 | 112 | 2	20 | 94 | 1
Yards Per Rush	3.4	4.7
Comp | Att | TD	35 | 44 | 3	13 | 20 | 2
Yards Per Pass	7.4	12.1
Passing Yards	326	242
3rd Down Conv.	6 | 12 (50%)	3 | 9 (33%)
4th Down Conv.	3 | 3 (100%)	1 | 1 (100%)
2 Pt Conv.	0 | 0 (0%)	1 | 1 (100%)
Red Zone TD | FG | %	4 | 1 | 83%	0 | 1 | 20%
Turnovers	2 (-1)	1 (+1)
Fumbles Lost	0	0
Interceptions	2	1
PR Yards	22	0
KR Yards	37	64
Total Yards	497	400
Punts (Avg)	47.0	45.3
Penalties	1 | 15	0 | 0

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[ShireNiner]

8.4 yards per play but still lost. That is an ugly win for sure. The team is finding ways to get it done against good teams. Is this the year of the playoffs?

[djp73]

8.4 yards per play but still lost. That is an ugly win for sure. The team is finding ways to get it done against good teams. Is this the year of the playoffs?

We definitely let up some splash plays to them and really struggled to run the ball. Probably some personnel changes coming. Had a couple injuries that hurt us on both of those fronts as well. I hope we’re a playoff team this season. A couple of tests in American Conference games but we’re hoping to run the table.

[djp73]

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USF POSTGAME REPORT

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USF 38 – UCF 28

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Offense
–USF outlasted UCF in a high-volume, high-stress edition of the War on I-4, overcoming early run-game struggles and multiple UCF explosive plays to secure a 38–28 rivalry victory at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls leaned heavily on tempo, efficiency, and sustained drives to wear the Knights down over four quarters.
–Quarterback Locklan Hewlett delivered one of the most prolific passing performances of his career, completing 35 of 44 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Despite throwing two interceptions, Hewlett consistently responded with poise, converting key third and fourth downs and controlling the game late.
–With the rushing attack limited, USF shifted decisively to the air. Jordyn Bridgewater was the focal point, hauling in 11 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns, repeatedly punishing UCF’s secondary after the catch.
–Jeremiah Stoneburner was equally impactful, recording 13 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, serving as Hewlett’s safety valve on extended drives and keeping the chains moving throughout the afternoon.
–USF finished with 31 first downs and ran 77 offensive plays, dominating time of possession and capitalizing in the red zone with four touchdowns on five trips.
-”They managed to make us one-dimensional for a good chunk of the game.” Head Coach DJ Porter said after the game. “But Locklan stepped up and made some big throws for us, Jordyn and Jeremiah made some big plays and eventually the run game came back to us.”

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Defense
–USF’s defense bent but held firm in key spots, absorbing UCF’s big-play ability while making timely stops that prevented the Knights from sustaining momentum.
–The Bulls generated consistent pressure, recording seven sacks as a unit and disrupting Will Wilson throughout the second half. Eric Rance led the way with two sacks and three tackles for loss, while Danny Felton added two sacks of his own.
–Despite UCF averaging over eight yards per play, USF limited the Knights to just 12 first downs and forced them into quick possessions that kept their defense on the field.
–Gavin Jenkins delivered a critical interception in the endzone late, halting a UCF drive and helping swing momentum back toward the Bulls.
–USF held UCF to just one red-zone scoring opportunity, a major factor in keeping separation late.

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Special Teams
–Kicker Dom Bragg was perfect, converting all five extra points and adding a short field goal to close the first half.
–Punter Dorian McSurdy was only called upon once, delivering a 47-yard punt that flipped field position.
–Elton York provided steady production in the return game, totaling 59 combined return yards without a turnover.

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Quotables
“That’s a rivalry game. You don’t win it clean—you win it by staying aggressive and finishing drives.” – DJ Porter
“We knew they’d hit some big plays. Our job was to respond and keep attacking.” – Locklan Hewlett
“We stayed on the field, stayed patient, and eventually broke them.” – Jordyn Bridgewater
“That fourth quarter was about trust, trust in the calls and trust in each other.” – Jeremiah Stoneburner

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News
-WR Jordyn Bridgewater was named the American Conference player of the week.
–USF improves to 4–0 on the season and earns its first War on I-4 victory since 2016. Despite the win USF maintains their 17th ranking.
–The Bulls now hold wins over Miami and UCF in consecutive weeks, marking one of the strongest non-conference stretches in program history.

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Injury Notes
–USF suffered a number of injuries throughout the course of the game. Safety Tracy Bennett missed a chunk of the game with an undisclosed injury but returned late. The offensive line saw a number of players miss time as well. As of today all of those players have been cleared and are expected to be available for next week's game.
-Coach Porter talked about the struggles in the run game over the past few games on his radio appearance this morning and mentioned that him and the rest of the coaching staff had been looking at making some personnel changes going into this week of practice to try to get more pop on the ground.

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Next Up
–USF will turn its attention to conference play next week as the Bulls host Tulane in a rematch of last year's conference championship game.

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[djp73]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRAP-UP

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AMERICAN CONFERENCE REPORT

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American Conference Standings

Team	W-L	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	MOV	HOME	AWAY	STK
Temple	2-2	.500	1-0	97	118	-21	-5.3	0-1	2-1	L1
Florida Atlantic	3-1	.750	1-0	144	69	+75	+18.8	3-0	0-1	W3
#17 USF	4-0	1.000	0-0	127	71	+56	+14.0	3-0	1-0	W4
UAB	1-1	.500	0-0	55	58	-3	-1.5	0-1	1-0	L1
Tulane	1-1	.500	0-0	43	38	+5	+2.5	1-0	0-1	W1
UTSA	2-1	.667	0-0	92	52	+40	+13.3	1-0	1-1	L1
North Texas	2-1	.667	0-0	93	91	+2	+0.7	1-1	1-0	L1
Tulsa	0-2	.000	0-0	42	73	-31	-15.5	0-1	0-1	L2
Rice	2-1	.667	0-0	76	59	+17	+5.7	1-0	1-1	W2
Charlotte	2-1	.667	0-1	106	68	+38	+12.7	1-1	1-0	W1
Memphis	0-3	.000	0-1	55	132	-77	-25.7	0-1	0-2	L3
East Carolina	1-2	.333	0-0	90	91	-1	-0.3	1-2	0-0	W1

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American Conference Week 3 Scores
Florida Atlantic 38, Florida International 7
East Carolina 38, FCS Southeast 10
#17 USF 38, UCF 28
#20 Texas 25, UTSA 20
Charlotte 35, Appalachian State 32
Georgia State 34, UAB 28
Tulane 21, FCS East 7
Duke 24, Temple 9
Mississippi State 42, Memphis 28
Oklahoma State 31, Tulsa 21
Rice 38, Air Force 15

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American Conference Players of the Week (Week 3)
Defensive: Kyle Boylston – FS – Florida Atlantic | W 38–7 vs FIU | 4 TKL, 2 INT, 1 PBU
Offensive: Jordyn Bridgewater – WR – USF | W 38–28 vs UCF | 11 REC, 148 REC YDS, 13.5 AVG, 2 REC TD

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American Conference Week 4 Schedule
Arkansas State at Memphis – Sat, Sep 23 – 12:00 PM
East Carolina at Wake Forest – Sat, Sep 23 – 12:00 PM
Charlotte at UAB – Sat, Sep 23 – 2:00 PM
UTSA at Temple – Sat, Sep 23 – 3:30 PM
Tulsa at Rice – Sat, Sep 23 – 6:45 PM
Tulane at #17 USF – Sat, Sep 23 – 7:00 PM
FCS East at North Texas – Sat, Sep 23 – 8:00 PM

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[djp73]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRAP-UP

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NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

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Media Top 25 Rankings

RANK	LW	NAME / VOTES	W-L	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK
1	1	LSU (43)	3-0	W 62–3 vs New Mexico State	—
2	2	Clemson (23)	3-0	W 70–7 vs FCS Southeast	at Stanford
3	3	Alabama	3-0	W 70–7 vs FCS Southeast	at Oklahoma State
4	4	Georgia	3-0	W 45–21 vs Florida State	—
5	5	Auburn	3-0	—	vs #6 Oklahoma
6	6	Oklahoma	4-0	W 41–17 at Houston	at #5 Auburn
7	7	USC	2-0	W 51–17 vs Purdue	at #10 Utah
8	8	Notre Dame	4-0	W 33–14 vs Arkansas	vs FCS East
9	10	Tennessee	3-0	—	vs UTEP
10	11	Utah	2-0	—	vs #7 USC
11	12	Oregon	3-0	W 49–19 at Oregon State	—
12	14	Boston College	3-0	W 45–9 vs Army	at Florida State
13	13	Michigan	2-1	W 44–17 vs Maryland	at Purdue
14	15	Pittsburgh	2-1	W 34–6 vs Syracuse	at Georgia Tech
15	22	Miami	1-2	W 33–31 at #18 Penn State	at #24 Virginia
16	18	North Carolina	4-0	W 55–6 vs Stanford	vs James Madison
17	17	USF	4-0	W 38–28 vs UCF	vs Tulane
18	9	Penn State	2-1	L 33–31 vs #15 Miami	at Michigan State
19	20	Washington	3-0	W 42–37 at Washington State	vs #22 UCLA
20	21	Texas	2-1	W 25–20 vs UTSA	vs Florida International
21	24	Louisiana	3-0	W 48–17 vs Northwestern	vs FCS Northwest
22	23	UCLA	1-1	—	at #19 Washington
23	25	Ohio State	2-1	—	vs Wisconsin
24	NR	Virginia	3-0	W 20–14 vs FCS East	vs #15 Miami
25	16	Nebraska	3-1	L 35–28 vs Wisconsin	—

Others receiving votes: Texas A&M (160), Northwestern (151), Mississippi State (136), Duke (94), BYU (39), Wisconsin (30), Boise State (19), West Virginia (3)
Dropped from rankings: Northwestern (19)

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National Players of the Week (Week 3)
Defensive: Syair Torrence – CB – Boston College | W 45–9 vs Army | 6 TKL, 2 INT, 1 TD
Offensive: George Woodhead – WR – Colorado | W 56–31 vs FCS West | 8 REC, 144 REC YDS, 18.0 AVG, 5 REC TD

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2028 Heisman Watch
George Woodhead – WR – Colorado | Last Game vs FCS West (W 56–31) | 8 REC, 144 REC YDS, 18.0 AVG, 5 REC TD
Gio Lopez – QB – North Carolina | Last Game vs Stanford (W 55–6) | 25–31, 252 PASS YDS, 4 PASS TD; 10 CAR, 43 RUSH YDS, 1 RUSH TD
DeJuan Williams – HB – LSU | Last Game vs New Mexico State (W 62–3) | 19 CAR, 110 RUSH YDS, 4 RUSH TD; 7 REC, 71 REC YDS
Julian Lewis – QB – Colorado | Last Game vs FCS West (W 56–31) | 21–32, 314 PASS YDS, 6 PASS TD; 9 CAR, 36 RUSH YDS
Ethan Houck – QB – Notre Dame | Last Game vs Arkansas (W 33–14) | 22–31, 233 PASS YDS, 3 PASS TD; 8 CAR, 53 RUSH YDS

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[djp73]

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Tulane at #17 USF
Saturday September 23, 2028 | 7:00 PM | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida

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USF BULLS
Head Coach: DJ Porter | 16-2 at USF | 40-6 Career
Schemes: Multiple | 3-3-5 Tite
2028 Season Schedule and Results
Sat, Aug 26 – vs Southern Miss – W 28-7
Sat, Sep 2 – vs UConn – W 37-23
Sat, Sep 9 – at Miami – W 24-13
Sat, Sep 16 – vs UCF – W 38-28
Sat, Sep 23 – vs Tulane – 7:00 PM
Sat, Oct 7 – at UTSA – 1:00 PM
Sat, Oct 14 – at North Texas – 12:30 PM
Sat, Oct 21 – vs Tulsa – 7:30 PM
Sat, Oct 28 – at Charlotte – 4:00 PM
Sat, Nov 4 – vs Rice – 2:00 PM
Sat, Nov 11 – vs Memphis – 3:00 PM
Sat, Nov 18 – at East Carolina – 6:00 PM

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Season Stat Leaders
Passing | QB Locklan Hewlett | 72% 902 Yds 5 TD 4 Int
Rushing | RB Connor Suggs | 289 Yds 3 TD
Receiving | WR Jordyn Bridgewater | 378 Yds 3 TD
Tackles | MLB Eric Rance | 33 Tkl
Sacks | DT Jahari Grant | 3.5 Sck
Interceptions | CB Gavin Jenkins | 1 Int

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Injury Report
SS Nick Jones | Torn Rotator Cuff | 19 Weeks

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TULANE GREEN WAVE
Head Coach: Jon Sumrall | 41-17 at Tulane | 64-21 Career
Schemes: Power Spread | 4-2-5
2028 Season Schedule and Results
Sat, Aug 26 – at Iowa State – L 22–31
Sat, Sep 16 – vs FCS East – W 21–7
Sat, Sep 23 – at #17 USF – 7:00 PM
Sat, Sep 30 – vs Memphis – 2:00 PM
Sat, Oct 7 – vs #22 UCLA – 3:15 PM
Sat, Oct 14 – vs UAB – 6:45 PM
Sat, Oct 21 – at Charlotte – 2:00 PM
Sat, Oct 28 – at Florida Atlantic – 3:15 PM
Sat, Nov 4 – vs East Carolina – 9:00 PM
Sat, Nov 11 – at Navy – 12:00 PM
Sat, Nov 18 – vs Tulsa – 1:30 PM
Sat, Nov 25 – at Temple – 3:30 PM

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Season Stat Leaders
Passing | QB Jershaun Newton | 58% 438 Yds 1 TD 1 Int
Rushing | HB Paul Lincoln | 181 Yds 1 TD
Receiving | WR Shaun Nicholas | 128 Yds 1 TD
Tackles | SS Josh Rush | 14 Tkl
Sacks | OLB Warren Roberts Jr and OLB A.J. Rountree | 1.0 Sck
Interceptions | CB LJ Green and SS Deon Droege | 1 Int

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Injury Report
HB Javin Gordon | Foot Fracture | 3 Weeks
C Elijah Baker | Quad Tear | 2 Weeks

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[djp73]

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USF NEWS

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-DJ Porter announced a few personnel changes for the game against Tulane.
-Daryl Treadwell will replace Adam Forbes as the starting right guard.
-TE will be more of a rotation with Dalton Sahara giving up some reps to Henry Gregory, Turner McLaughlin and OT Josh Yachty.
-Elton York will likely get a couple of touches at RB.

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