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Talking points on USF vs. N.C. State

 
South Florida Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers (9) finds a hole in the N.C. State defense during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, September 13, 2014. N.C. State defeated South Florida 49 to 17.
South Florida Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers (9) finds a hole in the N.C. State defense during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, September 13, 2014. N.C. State defeated South Florida 49 to 17.
Published Sept. 14, 2014

Talking Points

1. Untimely taunt: USF may have trailed by 21 points with less than nine minutes to play in the second quarter against N.C. State, but its offense looked like it was starting to make positive strides. Almost. On third down, quarterback Mike White connected with fullback Kennard Swanson for a 4-yard gain and the team's first first down since its opening drive. But after the play, tight end Mike McFarland was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, costing the Bulls 15 yards. Three plays later, USF was forced to punt.

2. Wrong way wreck: In six possessions after a 75-yard touchdown pass from White to freshman receiver Ryeshene Bronson in the first quarter, the Bulls offense mustered minus-18 yards of total offense. Five of those possessions ended in punts, and the other in a fumble by White.

3. Sitting it out: With four seconds left, USF freshman quarterback Quinton Flowers opted to take a knee and end the game rather than attempt a run or a pass downfield. While that might have incensed some fans, remember, there's no 32-point play in football.

Sights and sounds

USF debuted its alternate green matte and chrome helmets. … With Flowers and defensive back Tajee Fullwood, a Tampa Bay Tech alumnus, formally relinquishing their redshirts on Saturday, eight true freshmen have suited up for USF this season. … In one instance, a noise meter on the Raymond James Stadium Jumbotron asked the announced crowd of 27,269 to "get loud" for USF's defense. It hardly hovered above green — the lowest level.

All Atwitter

A few tweets from fans we came across Saturday:

"I am a diehard fan and season ticket holder from day one. Today, for the first time ever, I wish USF never played football." @cwagner717

"They've announce that next week's #USF game will be on Comedy Central." @balward

"Jim Leavitt would have head butted himself unconscious if he was still around to witness this performance #USF" @Usfrob22

"This is the worst. You want students to support the team, the team better show up to play" @deadudea

"Lol we getting killed out there" @kayvonwebster

The last word

And so, about those bowl projections …

Jeff Odom, Times correspondent