USF vs UCF Game Balls

USFnation.com rewards three players, who were key contributors, for the Bulls in Saturday’s thrilling 24-17 win over the Central Florida Golden Knights. Read on to find out who we handed out game balls to. Only on USFNation.com!

1. Matt Grothe- In only his third career start, Grothe proved why he deserved to be the top guy. This was his most impressive performance of his young career, but more importantly he avoided costly mistakes. For the game, he completed 21 of 31 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He was also the leading rusher for the Bulls with 104 yards on 21 carries. On USF’s first drive of the game following an interception by Trae Williams, Grothe led the Bulls on a 79 yard drive in only seven plays. The drive ended with a seven yard touchdown pass to Marcus Edwards on third and goal from the seven yard line. His next touchdown came during the Bulls’ first drive of the fourth quarter. Facing second and goal from the two yard line, Grothe hit Ben Williams for a two yard touchdown which gave USF a 17-10 lead. After the Knights returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, the Bulls once again turned to their young quarterback with the scored tied. On the following series, the offense drove 90 yards in nine plays. On third and 14, Grothe threw a perfect pass to Ean Randolph for the 27 yard winning touchdown. Grothe was rewarded for his performance by being named the Big East offensive player of the week.


2. Defensive Backs – For the third week in a row, the defense set the tone early on with turnovers and big hits. On the opening drive of the game, Steven Moffitt led the Knights to midfield before launching a pass on 2nd and 28 which was intercepted by Trae Williams at the 21 yard line. Then following a Grothe touchdown pass, UCF had the ball for the second time of the game. The drive lasted only five plays before Trae Williams once again made an interception at the nine yard line. On top of the two interceptions, Williams also had six tackles. Jeremy Burnett once again was a crowd pleaser with his monster hits as well as being the game leader in tackles with nine. Mike Jenkins had four tackles, forced a fumble, and had two key breakups to preserve the victory.


3. Ean Randolph – Although he seemed to have problems early on with dropped balls, one a sure touchdown, Randolph proved he could be relied upon if the game is on the line. For the game he caught five passes for 126 yards including the game winning touchdown. His most important catch was also his final one of the contest. With over three minutes remaining and the score tied at 17, Randolph broke free and caught a 27 yard pass which won the game for the Bulls.



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