Advertisement

Career games to cameos: How every USF starting QB has fared in his debut

USF quarterbacks are a combined 9-5 in their first career starts
 
Published Aug. 24, 2018

Graduate transfer Blake Barnett, expected to start USF's season opener against Elon next weekend, will become only the 15th quarterback ever to start a game for the Bulls.

Which begs the question: How did his predecessors perform in their respective inaugural starts? We did some research, and the results run the gamut, from ground-breaking (see B.J. Daniels) to grim (see Matt Floyd). Some made history (see Chad Barnhardt). Others barely made a cameo (see Courtney Denson).

But the good outweighs the bad. Bulls QBs are a combined 9-5 in their first career starts. Here's how each performed in his debut:

Chad Barnhardt, vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (Sept. 6, 1997)
Result: USF, 80-3
Barnhardt's line: 14-for-28, 255 yards, two TDs

Glen Gauntt, vs. Cumberland (Nov. 7, 1998)
Result: USF, 69-3
Gauntt's line: 13-for-19, 266 yards, three TDs

Marquel Blackwell, vs. Western Kentucky (Sept. 18, 1999)
Result: USF, 21-6
Blackwell's line: 16-for-27, 169 yards, three TDs

Ronnie Banks, at Alabama (Aug. 30, 2003)
Result: Alabama, 40-17
Banks' line: 17-for-33, 199 yards, one TD, one INT; three carries, minus-8 yards

Brian Fisher, vs. Charleston Southern (Oct. 18, 2003)
Result: USF, 55-7
Fisher's line: 1-for-3, 7 yards; four carries, 6 yards, one TD*

Pat Julmiste, at East Carolina (Nov. 8, 2003)
Result: USF, 38-37 (2 OT)
Julmiste's line: 4-for-6, 15 yards, one TD; 10 carries, 3 yards

Courtney Denson, at Penn State (Sept. 3, 2005)
Result: Penn State, 23-13
Denson's line: 0-for-3; two carries, 2 yards^

Matt Grothe, vs. FIU (Sept. 9, 2006)
Result: USF, 21-20
Grothe's line: 15-for-28, 174 yards, one TD, two INT; 16 carries, 82 yards

B.J. Daniels, at FSU (Sept. 26, 2009)
Result: USF, 17-7
Daniels' line: 8-for-21, 215 yards, two TDs, two INT; 23 carries, 126 yards

Bobby Eveld, vs. Connecticut (Dec. 4, 2010)
Result: UConn, 19-16
Eveld's line: 22-for-41, 195 yards, one TD, three INT; five carries, 29 yards

Matt Floyd, at Cincinnati (Nov. 23, 2012)
Result: Cincinnati, 27-10
Floyd's line: 21-for-39, 176 yards; eight carries, 21 yards

Steven Bench, vs. Cincinnati (Oct. 5, 2013)
Result: USF, 26-20
Bench's line: 1-for-1, 7 yards, one carry, 1 yard#

Mike White, at Houston (Oct. 31, 2013)
Result: Houston, 35-23
White's line: 26-for-41, 311 yards, two TDs, one INT

Quinton Flowers, at SMU (Nov. 15, 2014)
Result: USF, 14-13
Flowers' line: 6-for-15, 105 yards; four carries, 33 yards+

*-Replaced in first half by Ronnie Banks
^-Replaced by Pat Julmiste in first quarter after a fumble leading to a Penn State scoop-and-score
#-Injured in the first half and replaced by Bobby Eveld
+-Replaced by Mike White, who led two fourth-quarter TD drives to rally USF