G5 Football Daily

South Florida Crush Syracuse in Boca Raton Bowl 45-0

While South Florida may have been playing the Syracuse Orange, it was the Bulls, in fact, who had the juice. In a 45-0 victory in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl,

Joe Londergan

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While South Florida may have been playing the Syracuse Orange, it was the Bulls, in fact, who had the juice. In a 45-0 victory in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl, South Florida arguably played their best game of the season.

This game got so out of hand, most of the second half consisted of ESPN's broadcast team debating Christmas movies and Love Island UK.

Within the first few minutes of Thursday's contest, Alex Golesh's squad looked like the stronger team. Granted, Syracuse did lose about 16 players to the transfer portal and were missing starting quarterback Garret Shrader, whose college career is over after a major shoulder surgery. The Orange were also playing under the direction of interim coach Nunzio Campanile after the firing of Dino Babers.

In front of a largely pro-Bulls crowd that made the drive to Boca Raton, South Florida picked up their first bowl win since 2017 and their seventh overall. Here's what stood out from the blowout.

Atkins' Legacy Grows

Former walk-on Sean Atkins has already made quite a name for himself in the context of USF football. Atkins finished Thursday's game with six catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He becomes the first-ever USF player to have 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He became the program's single season receptions leader earlier this season.

Atkins also completed a 21-yard pass to QB Byrum Brown and rushed for 15 yards. His efforts were part of an offensive performance for USF that totaled - yards

Horns Up On Defense

In 2023, the South Florida defense was not the team's strong suit. The Bulls were one of the worse defenses in the American Athletic Conference, actually, allowing an average of 455.25 yards per game. Thursday was a completely different story. 

The Bulls allowed Syracuse to net just 159 yards of offense - a season-low for USF. South Florida also forced four turnovers, including two fumbles that were picked up and returned for touchdowns. 

Syracuse had just nine first downs and were 1-16 on third down conversion attempts.

First USF Shutout in 14 Years

The victory marked South Florida's first shutout win since 2009 when they beat FCS Charleston Southern 59-0 in 2009. Interestingly, USF also shutout Syracuse on the road in 2005. 

Syracuse also had not been shutout since 2020. It's the fewest points the Orange have ever scored in a bowl game.

The win for the Bulls secures a 7-6 record and their first winning season since 2018.

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe covers college sports from the Group of Five ranks and beyond. He has worked in the sports industry since 2008, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville, and a Master's degree from Seattle University.

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