The most notable bowl game of this season took place on the picturesque island of Hawaii.
The University of South Florida football team (7-6) achieved an impressive victory in the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday night, triumphing over the San Jose Spartans (7-6) in a historic match that concluded with a score of 41-39 after an exceptional five overtimes. This game marks the longest bowl game in history, finishing at 12:24 a.m. Tampa time.
The victory for USF was secured in the fifth overtime when Bryce Archie completed a 3-yard pass to wide receiver Keshaun Singleton. During San Jose State’s possession, linebacker Mac Harris effectively disrupted Walker Eget’s pass intended for the end zone, prompting an enthusiastic celebration among the USF sidelines.
Coach Alex Golesh’s Bulls, competing in their second consecutive postseason, achieved a remarkable victory in an exceptionally lengthy game against the Spartans from the Mountain West Conference.
“I am so proud of these guys, I love this group,” Bulls head coach Golesh said. “A bunch of them chose to stay when it was not cool to stay. There was a bunch that came when it was not cool to come. We are building something really cool, I am so proud of these guys, I love this group.”
It was the first bowl game to go 5 OT since overtime was established in 1996.
The Miami Hurricanes and Iowa State University will be competing in the Pop Tart Bowl
In the first overtime period, USF took the lead with a 23-yard completion from Archie to Singletary, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run by Ta’Ron Keith.
San Jose State responded by equalizing with Eget’s 4-yard pass to Coleman on a fourth-and-goal situation. The Spartans executed an 11-play drive from the 25-yard line, successfully converting on two fourth-down attempts and including a 12-yard run by Eget on a third-and-12 conversion.
During the second overtime, both teams exchanged field goals, with San Jose State successfully converting a 24-yard attempt by Kyler Halvorsen, and USF responding with a 36-yard kick from John Cannon.
Archie completed 24 of 35 passes, totaling 235 yards, while Eget completed 33 of 58 passes for 280 yards.
“Bryce loves ball,” Golesh said. “He’s a really tough ball player. He believes in himself and his teammates believe in him. He did a good job taking care of the football and getting it to the right guys. And it wasn’t always perfect. But it was in the end.”
In the third overtime, during which both teams were restricted to two-point conversions, the teams exchanged scores. The University of South Florida achieved a touchdown with a 3-yard shovel pass from Archie to tight end Payten Singletary, while San Jose State responded with a 2-yard pass from Eget to Matthew Coleman, following penalties committed by both teams.
In the fourth overtime period, Eget attempted a pass for San Jose State, which was incomplete. Subsequently, the Bulls employed a strategic play. Byrum Brown came into the game as quarterback before positioning himself wide right. Archie then passed to Sean Atkins, who attempted a touchdown pass to Michael Brown-Stephens in the back of the end zone, but it was not successful.
Photo/USFFootball/X
