Michael Van Buren threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Josh Porter on fourth-and-6 with 19 seconds left to rally South Florida to a 28-24 comeback victory over Army on Saturday.
It was the American Conference opener for both teams and the first road victory for USF (2-0, 1-0) under first-year head coach Brian Hartline.
“Pretty special,” Hartline said. “There were a lot of emotions. … Proud of the guys.”
Van Buren threw for another score and scrambled for two rushing touchdowns, including a 24-yard run that pulled the Bulls to within three – 24-21 – with 3:31 remaining.
“He's our quarterback for a reason,” Hartline said. “He can make plays, he's dynamic with his feet. He's getting much, much better with his arm.”
Nico Gramatica’s onside kick failed, but Army lost yardage on its last possession and a punt plus a personal foul on the Black Knights gave the Bulls the ball at their own 19 with 1:46 remaining.
Van Buren, a transfer from LSU, completed five passes to drive the Bulls to the Army 38-yard line before he found Porter down the right sideline on fourth down for the go-ahead score.
Van Buren, who also ran 18 yards for a score, led the Bulls with 45 yards rushing. He completed 19 of 30 for 239 yards passing – 131 on USF’s final two drives.
The Black Knights (1-1, 0-1) had taken a 24-14 lead on a 10-yard run by Godspower Nwawuihe with 4:59 remaining in the game. It ended Army’s third scoring drive of over 90 yards.
With Army’s triple-option attack eating up the clock, the Bulls’ offense was limited to four possessions in the first half (the last was a kneel-down to run out the clock). The Black Knights were directed by quarterback Cale Hellums, who was 9-of-10 passing for 91 yards and added 55 on the ground.
Army took a 14-7 halftime lead on Cale Hellums' touchdown passes to Zach Mundell and Nwawuihe.
Van Buren tied the game midway through the third quarter on an 18-yard run before Army went back out in front, 17-14, on a field goal by Dawson Jones.
The Bulls relied on kicker Gramatica’s four field goals in last week’s season-opening 19-9 victory over Florida International.
Gramatica’s leg wasn’t needed against Army. But on fourth down with 25 seconds remaining, many anticipated him to attempt what would have been a 55-yarder to tie the game.
Gramatica kicked a 53-yard field goal against FIU, and he had a career-best 58 in a loss to Miami last year.
After USF’s final timeout, however, Hartline sent out Van Buren and the offense with the game on the line. The Black Knights’ defense blitzed and left single coverage in the secondary. Porter beat his defender down the right sideline and caught Van Buren’s bomb in stride.
“We had good conversations with staff and decided we were the best fit for the play, and great execution by the guys,” Hartline said. “I mean, it's nothing to do with plays, it's about how you execute the plays. So, hats off to the line, hats off to Mike Van Buren and JP making that huge completion.”
The Bulls return to Raymond James Stadium next week to face Delaware State. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
