TAMPA, APRIL 14, 2023 – The USF Spring Game presented by USF Federal Credit Union was a joyous evening of football, friends and family, with a capacity crowd estimated at 4,000 filling Corbett Stadium on the USF campus as the Bulls held their final scrimmage of the spring surrounded from a fan fest, food trucks and fun for all.
The gates to Corbett Stadium had to be closed midway through the first quarter as the seating, turf and walkways surrounding the USF football stadium on campus were filled beyond capacity, with many fans diverted to watch the game on the big screen adjacent to the USF Baseball Stadium. USF welcomes back more than 70 former players – including current NFL players Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Mitchell Wilcox, D’Ernest Johnson and Marlon Mack – many of whom participated in a highly entertaining halftime football game.
On the field, the Bulls put on a show on both sides of the ball in four quarters, an offense-defense clash that saw four offensive touchdowns and two turnovers, six sacks and a defensive pick-six in just over 90 minutes of play.
Sophomore quarterback Byron Brown went 14 of 22 for 121 yards and a touchdown while redshirt freshman Bryce Archie went 8-of-13 for 41 yards. Junior running back Kelly Joyner, who moved into the slot just this week to help out an injury-plagued receiver, led all receivers with seven receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown that came on a Brown toss. Transfer to Florida Nai’Quan Wright running for a touchdown and a sophomore K’Wan Powell ran for 61 yards on nine carries. Junior tight end Gunner Greenwald caught a touchdown pass from the rookie quarterback Gunnar Smith.
On the defensive end, senior T-Mac Simpson returned an interception for a touchdown and Jaylen Stokes grabbed an interception to go with four tackles and a sack. Linebacker Jalyn Shuler had four tackles and one sack while on defense Jonathan Ross had three sacks and four tackles for loss, and rookie cornerback Jarvis Lee had five tackles.
The Alumni Flag Football Game presented by Allstate featured 55 former Bulls in a halftime flag football contest full of exciting plays. The Green Team, quarterbacked by BJ Daniels and Blake Barnett defeated the Gold Team, led by quarterback Matt Groth and Pat Julmist. One highlight was a 50-yard touchdown pass from Barnett to the Bulls’ all-time leading receiver, Andre Davis.
The Bulls open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Western Kentucky before the first of six home games on Sept. 9 against Florida A&M. Alabama visits Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 16 before USF begins conference play against Rice on Sept. 23.
New season tickets for the 2023 USF football season at Raymond James Stadium are now on sale. Secure your seats for the 2023 season by calling or texting 1-800-GoBulls or visiting USFBULLSTIX.com. All tickets are again dynamically priced for each game based on demand and are subject to change. Tickets can be purchased online at USFBullsTix.com by calling/texting 1-800-GoBulls or using the direct links below.
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USF’s football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 26th season in 2022 while completing construction on a new $22 million indoor performance facility. The Bulls recorded 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including a 2021 consensus. Brian Baty, and had 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF had 30 players selected in the NFL draft and made 10 bowl appearances (6-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight bowl appearances from 2005-2010 and most recently making four straight bowl appearances since 2015 -2015 18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, recording a program record of 11-2 in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF had a program-record 20 consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25 in the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached No. 2 in the national rankings in the 2007 season.
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