By Chris O’Grady
Despite a dominant defensive effort the U of L football team fell inches short against the University of South Florida Saturday afternoon at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium – and I do mean inches.
The Bulls’ kicker Maikon Bonani hit a 37 yard field goal in the first overtime to send South Florida to a 24-21 victory. Bonani had missed a 52 yard attempt which would have won the game in regulation.
Beginning in overtime the Cards stuck to the run, mixing running backs Bilal Powell and Jeremy Wright with a run from quarterback Dominique Brown to get the ball to all the way to the USF 4 yard line. But after Wright was stopped on a third down run the Cards faced fourth and inches with the game in the balance. Coach Charlie Strong elected to go for it, but senior quarterback Justin Burke was stopped for no gain, setting up Bonani’s game winner.
“This was a very tough loss,” said Strong. “That was my decision to go for it and I thought we had been running the ball very well and could get that. Our offensive line is the strength of our team so you have to feel like you can go get that. If you can’t get a fourth and inches then you don’t deserve the win.”
The Cards looked dominant in the first half, jumping to a 14-3 lead after touchdown passes from Burke to sophomore Andrell Smith and junior Josh Chichester, but the special teams let the Cards down as USF kick returner Lindsey Lamar raced 100 yards past would-be tacklers for a score just before half.
After a Bonani field goal in the third quarter and a touchdown strike from USF quarterback BJ Daniels to Dontavia Bogan, the Cards found themselves down 21-14 with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The offense mounted a drive, and Burke found junior Josh Bellamy on a fade route for a touchdown to tie the game at 21.
The Bulls got another solid kickoff return, this time from backup tight end Andrea Shields, to set up Bonani from 52 yards with the wind at his back. But Strong effectively iced the kicker with his remaining two timeouts and Bonani’s third try sailed wide left.
With the momentum, the Cards looked as though they would score first in overtime, but Burke’s quarterback sneak was stopped short by a powerful surge from the USF defensive line.
“I didn’t get low enough and didn’t get enough push,” said Burke. “It hurts a lot right now, it wasn’t very fun out there after that.”
Center Mario Benevides says the call was the right one regardless of the result.
“If (coach Strong) didn’t go for it there I would have felt even worse than I do right now,” said Benevides. “It gives us a lot of confidence and that’s all on us. They made a play and we didn’t.”
Bilal Powell was marvelous again for U of L, rushing for 140 yards on 31 carries. Burke was 16 for 30 passing for 146 yards and three touchdowns, but it was the defense who shined Saturday limiting Daniels, to just 87 yards passing – 48 of which came on the touchdown throw to Bogan.
Linebacker Brandon Heath, who had 10 tackles on the day, said the team is one though and no part functions without the rest.
“This is a whole team, we win together and we lose together,” said Heath. “That play we were all together on. We knew it was an inch and we wanted it.”
The Cards fall to 5-5 with two games remaining beginning next week against (6-3) West Virginia at Cardinal Stadium.
