Bulls fail to tame Tigers in 34-31 loss at Memphis
South Florida football led for most of the game on Saturday at Memphis, but a critical decision in the third quarter changed the outcome of the game. Bulls head coach Alex Golesh opted to go for it with 5:51 left at the Memphis 7 instead of taking the short field goal to go up 27-17. The Bulls missed a 52-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica as time expired to hand the Bulls their first American Conference loss of the year and put the Bulls behind the eight ball in the chase for the league championship and a potential playoff berth.
Golesh’s squad did end up going up 31-17 at the end of the third quarter on the next drive, but were outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter, with two key drives going just 13 total plays for 48 yards.
Quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 269 yards with an interception and a touchdown while rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Sam Franklin had a 73-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in his return to action after leaving the loss at UAB with an early injury. The Bulls did bottle up the Tigers’ rushing attack, holding Memphis to 129 yards on 34 carries.
The Bulls had nine TFLs and three sacks in the loss, but also had some key breakdowns late in the game, allowing Memphis to score in the fourth quarter.
