C.J. Hicks' Record 96-Yard Fumble Return Sparks USF's 29-2 Homecoming Win Over Kent State

The University of South Florida's defense did not allow Kent State into the end zone on Saturday night, and C.J. Hicks supplied the play that turned the game: a school-record 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Bulls beat the Golden Flashes 29-2 in their homecoming game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, snapping a two-game losing streak and moving to 5-2 heading into a bye week.

Kent State's only points came on a safety in the first quarter. The Golden Flashes fell to 2-5, and an announced crowd of 31,384 watched the Bulls pull away with 19 unanswered points in the second half.

The goal-line swing

The game turned on two Kent State trips to the USF goal line. On the first, the Golden Flashes drove 77 yards in 14 plays but turned the ball over on downs at the 3, according to WUSF. USF took over deep in its own territory, and on the Bulls' first play Kent State's Dion'Dre Taylor tackled running back D.J. Crowther in the end zone for a safety with 1:52 left in the first quarter, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Kent State then took over at midfield after USF's free kick and marched 47 yards. Quarterback Dru DeShields appeared to score from the 3, but officials ruled his forward progress had stopped short of the goal line, WUSF reported. On third-and-goal from inside the 1, DeShields mishandled the snap on a sneak attempt, and Hicks scooped up the loose ball and ran 96 yards for the touchdown with 12:32 left in the second quarter. Nico Gramatica's extra point gave USF a 7-2 lead it never gave up.

"On defense, when our numbers are called, we've got to stand up," Hicks said, according to WUSF. He said the touchdown flipped the game's momentum for both sides of the ball.

A defense that carried the night

Kent State finished with 228 total yards and just 63 rushing yards on 35 carries, an average of 1.8 per attempt, according to ESPN's box score. The Golden Flashes went 0-for-4 on fourth down and 6-for-17 on third down. WUSF reported that Kent State managed only 31 yards of offense in the second half. DeShields completed 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards, and Kent State kicker Sean Leonard missed his only field goal attempt.

Michael Williams II led the pass rush with 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss, and Richard Scott III added a sack. Ashton Mosley and Jabari Smith each had 1.5 tackles for loss. Grayson Howard, Zavier Hamilton and Williams led the Bulls with five tackles apiece.

The defense also produced USF's final points. With 11 seconds left, Smith tackled backup quarterback Nolan Good in the end zone for a safety, closing out the 29-2 final.

Offense finds its footing late

The win did not hide the offensive problems that have followed the Bulls all season. For the fourth straight game, USF failed to score an offensive touchdown in the first half, according to WUSF. The Bulls managed 107 yards before halftime against a Kent State defense that entered the game allowing nearly 33 points and 379 yards per game. Gramatica's 49-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half made it 10-2.

The offense came alive after the break. Backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek capped a 15-play, 73-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Michael Van Buren Jr. hit Cameron Seldon for a 36-yard touchdown to finish a five-play, 65-yard drive. Gramatica added a 33-yard field goal with 4:45 to play.

Van Buren completed 22 of 27 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Seldon led USF with four catches for 60 yards. Crowther ran for 42 yards on 11 carries, and Jason Collins Jr. added 40 yards on six carries. USF finished with 271 total yards and did not commit a turnover.

The scoring, according to ESPN's play-by-play:

Hartline: "We didn't maximize the day"

First-year USF coach Brian Hartline said afterward that the early struggles came down to what he called "self-inflicted wounds," and he put the responsibility on the staff.

"Ultimately, if those wounds are happening, it's on the coaching staff. It's on myself. It's on the position coaches," Hartline said, according to WUSF. "So, we have to figure that out. We got to figure out our consistency level."

He praised the second-half response but said the team left something on the field. "A heck of an effort by these guys grinding in the second half," Hartline said. "But it's just disappointing that we didn't maximize the day."

Where USF stands

The game against Kent State, a Mid-American Conference team, did not count in the American Athletic Conference standings. USF is 1-2 in league play after a road win at Army and losses to Temple, 17-13 at home, and at UTSA, 31-24. ESPN's standings list the Bulls ninth in the American. USF is 3-1 at home this season. The Bulls opened 4-0 with wins over FIU, 19-9, at Army, 28-24, over Delaware State, 59-17, and at Bowling Green, 14-6, before the two conference losses.

What's next

USF is off this weekend and returns Oct. 31 against UAB at Raymond James Stadium. All five of the Bulls' remaining regular-season games are against American Athletic Conference opponents, including a trip to Boca Raton to face in-state rival FAU.