TAMPA – Running back Jordan Cronkrite, a transfer from Florida, gave a new meaning to the “running of the bull” as he took a dive play straight up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown run with 10:13 remaining in the game. His longest run as a Bull proved to be the difference in South Florida’s 20-13 win over East Carolina in a hard-fought contest Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
“The hole opened up and he outran them,” deadpanned South Florida coach Charlie Strong. “Cronkrite is a really outstanding back. We blocked it well and got a hat on everybody. The seam opened and he hit it.”
The improved Pirates defense had stymied the USF running attack all evening as the Bulls had only 35 yards on the ground before the Cronkrite sprint. They had forced six punts and had recovered a fumbled on the seven drives before the eventual game winner by Cronkrite.
On the following Pirates drive, quarterback Reid Herring drove ECU to the South Florida 35, but Bulls senior corner Mazzi Wilkins broke up a fourth down pass. That was as close as ECU would get to pulling a huge upset as the Bulls came in 3-0 after wins over Georgia Tech and Illinois in the past two weeks.
The Pirates had one last chance as they took over on their own 23-yard line with just over two minutes remaining, but another Herring pass was intercepted by USF corner Nick Roberts on the Pirates’ 44 to seal the game.
“I go back to preseason camp with Nick and he is one of those guys that we feel like had the talent and everything that it would take to go play at that position,” said Strong. “One day out there at practice, we got his attention really good and he has been a different player since.”
Not so Chunky
Chunk plays with the Bulls’ speed have always been a staple on offense. The Pirates did an outstanding job of eliminating those on Saturday, but the two plays that they allowed were lethal and decided the outcome of the game.
In addition to Cronkrite’s 80-yard score, quarterback Blake Barnett hit wide receiver Darnell Salomon with a 66-yard touchdown pass which gave the Bulls their first lead at 13-7 with 13:46 remaining in the first half.
Barnett ran the pump-n-go to perfection as he pumped and moved safety Davondre Robinson over into the middle of the field. The Pirates defensive back didn’t check Salomon at the line of scrimmage as he came out of the block and Barnett hit him on the dead sprint.
“It was almost like his plays come at the right time when we really need them,” noted Strong. “You can see the ball thrown out to (Tyre) McCants. Boom! (Randall) St. Felix. Boom! And then Solly – Touchdown! It seems like almost every time he touches it, a touchdown is involved.”
It was Salomon’s fourth touchdown of the season after he scored two last week in the Bulls’ come-from-behind win against Illinois.
Limping Offensively
Minus the two long scores, USF tallied only 150 yards on 50 plays. This was a good win for South Florida as it had an injury chart that looked like a registration desk at a hospital.
Tight end Mitchell Wilcox went down in the first half and McCants got hurt late in the game. The Bulls also missed three running backs and speed burner Terence Horn, Jr., who were all hurt during the week.
Horn’s heroics in the return game were huge with 97- and 98-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in the win over Georgia Tech two weeks ago.
“He went down Wednesday and we threw a back shorter fade to him and he turned his body around and when he turned his knee went in one direction and his leg in another – it was the way he planted,” analyzed Strong.
The Bulls also lost Trent Schneider’s kick-off duties in the pregame, but he was able to punt and averaged 49.2 yards on nine boots.
South Florida gets an open date this week before an eight-game marathon through the tough AAC that begins with a non-conference road date at UMass on Oct. 6.
“The open date comes at the right time where we can rest some guys,” Strong said. “I told the team when you come into the game, you have to be focused. You have to be prepared and you have to get yourself ready to play and we weren’t ready to play tonight.”
From the Plank
East Carolina looks like it potentially has a solid enough defense to be able to compete in the American once again. They have been near the bottom of the FBS in several defensive categories in the last three years, but were at 47th in the nation coming into the game. The Pirates gave up only 332 yards on average in the first two games which were a surprising loss to North Carolina A&T and a 41-19 win over North Carolina.
The Pirates held the Bulls to 296 total yards and 115 on the ground, 80 of which were on the Cronkrite run. They sacked Barnett six times and were very physical up front in taking the fight to the Bulls.
It marks their second strong defensive outing in a row as they pitched a shutout in the second half in the win over the Tar Heels as they had a couple of fourth-and-one stops in outscoring UNC, 20-0, after intermission.
