South Florida Beats Kent State 29-2 After Early Safety
Kent State scored first. Hold onto that, because it is the last good news in this recap. A first-quarter safety put the Golden Flashes up 2-0, and the rest of the afternoon belonged to South Florida, which won 29-2.
The lead lasted until the second quarter, when C.J. Hicks returned a fumble 96 yards for a touchdown (Nico Gramatica kicked the point). Gramatica added a 49-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half, and USF carried a 10-2 lead into the break. Luke Kromenhoek scored from a yard out late in the third, Cameron Seldon caught a 36-yard touchdown from Michael Van Buren Jr. early in the fourth, and Gramatica kicked a 33-yarder to make it 27-2. USF closed the scoring with a safety of its own with 11 seconds left. A safety to open, a safety to close, and 27 points in between.
Here is the odd part. South Florida gained 272 yards and Kent State gained 228, a 44-yard gap that does not look like a 27-point beating. Nine of the Bulls' 29 points (the 96-yard fumble return and the closing safety) did not come from the offense at all. Van Buren was efficient, 22 of 27 for 193 yards, and neither team threw an interception. Kent State lost one fumble and USF lost none, and in a game this lopsided on the scoreboard and this even in yardage, that is where I would look.
South Florida moves to 5-2, and Kent State falls to 2-5. For fantasy, Seldon was the top scorer on the field with 16 points, which says plenty about how this one went. Nobody had a big day.