University of Houston
South Florida
Cougars Dropped By South Florida, 45-6
11/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov 3, 2001
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - South Florida running backs Clenton Crossley and Vince Brewer combined for four touchdowns to lead the Bulls to a 45-6 victory over Houston on Saturday night
Houston (0-8) was the first established Division I program to face South Florida at Raymond James Stadium, but the Cougars established little against the Bulls (6-3) in falling behind 31-0 in the first half.
Brewer extended South Florida's dominance after halftime with a 6-yard touchdown reception at the start of the third quarter, and Quinton Callum scored on a 23-yard run midway through the fourth.
But the game's tone was set in the first half.
The Cougars entered with the nation's 17th-ranked passing attack, but they opened by running 23 times and passing only 15 times in the first half. The strategy resulted in only 110 yards total offense for Houston. Nick Eddy completed only four passes.
South Florida's defense, sparked by end Shurron Pierson's three first-half tackles and two sacks, returned a fumble for one touchdown and gave the Bulls' offense a short field on two other first-half scoring marches.
While Crossley and Brewer provided the bulk of the scoring, quarterback Marquel Blackwell was the catalyst. He had 221 of his 284 passing yards in the first half, and finished the game with 66 yards rushing.
Thanks largely to Blackwell's passing and running, Crossley and Brewer scored on short runs to help South Florida score 17 second-quarter points. Crossley had a 3-yard run with 10:01 remaining before the half, and Brewer scored on a fourth-and-goal form the 1 with 1:14 left before the half.
The Bulls took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to touchdowns from free safety J.R. Reed and Crossley, who plunged in from a yard to cap off a seven-play, 79-yard drive with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter.
Reed got the first of two fumble recoveries when he scooped up a Chris Robertson fumble and returned the ball a school-record 63 yards for to make the score 7-0. Reed hit Robertson on an inside running play to cause the fumble, then bounced out of the fray to pick up the ball and go untouched.
