USF Falls to No. 25 BYU in Home Opener

Following a 2 1/2 hour weather delay, USF took on BYU at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night. The Cougars played a solid game all around, taking down the Bulls, 50-21.

BYU got off to a hot start, with junior wide receiver, Puka Nacua, scoring a 75 yard touchdown on the first play. The Cougars eventually jumped to a 38-0 lead in the first half.

BYU dominated the run game on offense, putting up 314 total rushing yards. Senior running back, Chris Brooks, led the team in rushing with 135 yards, including a 52 yard touchdown run. Puka Nacua showed dual threat ability, with 76 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, while also bringing in a 22 yard catch. Redshirt senior, Lopini Katoa, totaled 55 yards on the ground, while sophomore, Jackson McChensey ran for 33 yards.

BYU quarterback, Jaren Hall, is coming off of a solid 2021 season and started off his 2022 season on the right foot. He performed well, throwing for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, while completing 25 of his 32 pass attempts. Hall did a great job spreading the ball out throughout the game, completing passes to 12 different receivers.

The Cougars had a good day on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary took advantage of what was given to them, while the front seven made it difficult for USF to break off big plays on the ground. Junior linebacker, Max Tooley, snagged a pick-six in the first quarter, while leading the team in solo tackles alongside Jacob Boren, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, and Jakob Robinson, all recording four solo tackles.

USF got out to a slow start. A successful two minute drill, led by Baylor transfer, Gerry Bohanon, gave the Bulls a spark going into halftime. Expolsive wide receiver, Jimmie Horn Jr., returned the 2nd half opening kickoff for a touchdown. Sophomore running back, Brain Battie, finished out the third quarter for the Bulls with a 9 yard touchdown run. Despite the score, USF played a solid stretch of football from the end of the first half, through the third quarter.

There were high expectations for junior quarterback, Gerry Bahanon, in his USF debut on Saturday. Bahanon didn’t perform as well as many USF fans would’ve hoped for. With that being said, this was Bahanon’s first game in Jeff Scott’s system and was only named the starter a few weeks ago. He is still building chemistry with his wide receivers and adjusting to the system, and had to do so against one of the tougher opponents USF will face all season. Bahanon was able to put together a handful of solid drives for USF – there is still hope for him to have a good 2022 season.