USF Gets Gut-Punched at the Finish: ECU 20, Bulls 17 on a 55-Yard Field Goal

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A brutal ending, no sugarcoating

A 55-yard field goal. Two seconds on the clock. That is a spectacularly unpleasant way to spend a Saturday if you’re pulling for the Bulls.

South Florida lost 20-17 at East Carolina on November 7, with A. Conrad’s late kick settling a game that had been tied since the fourth quarter’s 9:42 mark. No overtime. No happy escape from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Just a long-distance finish that turned a competitive afternoon into a Tampa Bay gut punch.

But blaming everything on the final kick lets too much slide. USF produced 329 yards and got a strong rushing performance from D.J. Crowther. It also went 1-for-10 on third down. That combination is how you stay close enough to believe and leave yourself vulnerable enough to hurt.

How it happened: Early juice, then trouble

USF struck first with the kind of play that makes the afternoon feel promising: Luke Kromenhoek found Bryson Rodgers for a 26-yard touchdown at 10:25 of the first quarter. N. Gramatica’s extra point made it 7-0, and that lead held through the opening period.

East Carolina answered with N. Perez’s 44-yard field goal at 9:30 of the second. Gramatica then hit from 30 yards with 1:11 before halftime, putting the Bulls ahead 10-3.

Nice cushion? Not for long.

Emory Williams connected with Landon Sides for a 15-yard touchdown at 0:31, and Perez’s extra point tied it 10-10. USF’s late-half scoring response had barely landed before ECU wiped out the advantage. The ESPN gamecast has the scoring sequence, and that halftime swing deserves attention alongside the dramatic finish.

Williams and Sides connected again in the third quarter, this time for an 8-yard touchdown at 6:24. ECU won that quarter 7-0 and carried a 17-10 lead into the fourth.

The turning point: A rally without a reward

The Bulls did respond. J. Collins Jr. scored on a 1-yard run at 9:42 of the fourth, and Gramatica’s kick brought it back to 17-17. USF had erased the deficit. What it never found was another scoring answer.

The next scoring play was Conrad’s 55-yard winner at 0:02. That’s the headline moment, and understandably so. When a game gets decided from that distance with almost nothing left, the ending swallows the conversation.

Still, the quarter-by-quarter picture matters: USF opened with 7 points, managed 3 in the second, went scoreless in the third and scored 7 in the fourth. ECU’s middle quarters supplied 10 and 7. The Bulls recovered from that swing, but they never reclaimed the lead.

Stat of the game: Third down was a brick wall

Here’s the part that should linger longer than the highlight of the winning kick: USF converted 1 of 10 third downs and went 0-for-1 on fourth down. ECU finished 6-for-15 and 1-for-1, respectively.

The key numbers tell a frustratingly clear story:

Third downs: USF 1-for-10; ECU 6-for-15.
First downs: USF 19; ECU 25.
Total yards: USF 329; ECU 361.
USF rushing: 150 yards on 37 attempts.
USF passing: 179 yards on 17-of-22 team passing.

This wasn’t an offense that produced nothing. Kromenhoek’s individual line was 17-of-21 for 179 yards and a touchdown, while Rodgers caught 5 passes for 50 yards and a score. There was production. There just wasn’t enough conversion when the down demanded it.

For more USF coverage from Pinellas Podcast, that distinction is worth keeping front and center: competitive isn’t the same thing as clean.

The standouts—and the uncomfortable takeaway

Crowther gave USF a legitimate bright spot with 111 yards on 17 carries. Grayson Howard recorded 13 tackles, and Asani Redwood supplied 1.5 sacks. Those performances deserve acknowledgment without pretending they erase a 20-17 loss.

Across the field, Sides was the standout: 14 receptions, 126 yards and both ECU receiving touchdowns. Williams finished 19-of-27 for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Ashton Gray added 101 rushing yards on 18 carries.

The hometown verdict? Appreciate Crowther’s work. Appreciate the fourth-quarter response. Then be honest about the third-down problems. USF did enough to make this painful, not enough to make it a win.

What's next: Follow the Bulls’ upcoming schedule for their next matchup and a chance to respond.