USFNation Game Balls

USFnation.com rewards three players, who were key contributors, for the Bulls in Saturday’s 41-10 win over McNeese State. Read on to find out who we handed out game balls to.

1. Trae Williams- Williams helped set the tone early on for the stingy defense of the Bulls. On the second drive of the game for McNeese State, Williams intercepted a ball thrown downfield by Derri Fourroux. Initially he seemed to fall a step or two behind the receiver who was streaking down the field. As the ball sailed to the Bulls’ 25 yard line, Williams showed impressive recovery speed and leaped directly in front of the receiver to put an end to the drive of the Cowboys. Then Williams tried to top that play in the second quarter. With less then two minutes left in the half, McNeese State attempted a punt on fourth and 15 from the 47-yard line. Williams once again showcased his speed and ran right past the defenders to block the punt.


2. Matt Grothe- Initially the plan was for Grothe to start in the second half, but when Julmiste went down with an injury his name was called earlier then expected. He completed his first pass on his first attempt to Amp Hill and then used his legs to run a 1 yard touchdown run which were the first points for the Bulls this season. At first, Grothe seemed to struggle throwing the ball but significantly calmed his nerves in the second half. This is the time where the redshirt freshman thrived. On the second drive of the second half, Grothe showed his passing skills by completing a 47 yard touchdown pass to Marcus Edwards. On the following drive, Grothe scored again with a perfectly placed 10 yard throw for a touchdown to Ean Randolph. By the end of the game, Grothe completed 9 of 13 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 58 yards including one touchdown.


3. Walt Smith – While the Bulls used a combined five running backs against McNeese State, nobody stood out more than Walt Smith. On only seven carries he rushed for 70 yards including two touchdowns. His first score came early on in the fourth quarter from three yards out. Smith rushed up the middle but bounced outside when his initial hole was completely closed by the defense. His second score came late in the fourth quarter. On his first carry of that drive, Smith scampered 24 yards before finally reaching the end zone.