Top 10 Plays of the 2023 USF Football Season: Honorable Mentions
Before diving into the top ten, these are a handful of our picks for the best of the rest.
With the USF football season now officially in the books, it’s time to say a proper goodbye to what ended up being a wonderful 2023 season by reviving an old Voodoo Five/The Daily Stampede staple and counting down the top ten plays of the Bulls’ season. We’ll be writing individually about each play, but before we get dive into the countdown proper, we put together a list of honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut for the top ten but nonetheless gave us the warm and fuzzies.
A quick note before we get started: this was a great season for the Bulls, but they only played two games that ended within seven points all season. Many of the big, significant wins ended up being blowouts in USF’s favor - which, of course, I’m definitely not complaining about, but it does make it harder to zero in on any obvious, set piece-type plays. The last time we ran the feature was in 2016, and the top of our list included highlight-reel moments like the Marlon Mack run against UCF, or that Quinton Flowers run against UConn. This year’s list has no such box office moments, so some of the choices in the top ten might be a bit more symbolic or avant-garde than usual. You may disagree with some of the picks, or be furious that your favorite play landed outside the top ten. This was a very unique season, so that’s entirely fair and probably inevitable (though it is admittedly a very weird thing to be furious about).
Without further ado, let’s dive into the honorable mentions. These plays aren’t ranked at all - they’re just listed in chronological order.
Brown to Simmons on 4th Down Puts Away FAMU
It’s easy to forget now, but back in early September, the Rattlers gave the Bulls all they could handle. With 7:46 left in the fourth quarter, FAMU had just scored to pull within seven points, and forced a USF fourth-and-six in no man’s land at the Rattlers 31. Alex Golesh wisely elected to roll the dice (more to come on his fourth down habits later in this countdown), and Byrum Brown took advantage of a blown coverage to find Naiem Simmons in the end zone for a huge touchdown that finally put the game out of reach. At the time, Bulls fans were likely less concerned with this play rescuing a potential sixth win down the stretch than they were with avoiding an FCS loss, but it should be noted that this game aged about as well as possible. It ended up being the only loss all season for the Rattlers, who had an incredible year and ended up ranked 10th in the FCS (the Sagarin ratings estimate them as being about as good as Temple was this season). Not a “quality win,” as the CFP Committee would put it, but one that ended up being vital to the Bulls’ bowl hopes.
USF IS BEATING ALABAMA NOW
This was a cheeky suggestion from Nate, and while I couldn’t bring myself to put it in the Top 10 (it is simply a field goal), I enjoyed the idea so much that I felt the need to include it here. While the Bulls’ season had much bigger highs to come, nothing else they accomplished earned as much national publicity as giving Bama all they could handle for 60 minutes, and no part of that game was more headline-grabbing than “USF leads Alabama 3-0, approaching halftime.” The man to thank for that headline was John Cannon, who knocked in an at-the-time career best 44-yarder off a Bama muffed punt to draw first blood and start turning heads across the country. If nothing else, this play allowed me to bother everyone I know in the universe by shouting “DID YOU KNOW THAT USF WAS UP 3-0 ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PARTICIPANT ALABAMA FOR A HALF?” at them, repeatedly. To those who suggest that USF should have grander ambitions than being up 3-0 on College Football Playoff Participant Alabama for a half: DID YOU KNOW THAT USF WAS UP 3-0 ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PARTICIPANT ALABAMA FOR A HALF?
Simmons Torches Rice on the First Play of the Second Half
Khafre Brown One-Handed Catch
Brown to Simmons Puts the Bulls Up for Good
One could argue that the Rice game was the informal turning point of the Bulls’ season. It felt like the moment where all the potential the team showed in the WKU and Bama games finally came to a head, and we got our first tangible indication that oh, this team might win some games this season. Since the Bulls pulled away in the second half, I don’t think the game contained a ton of hold-my-beer moments worthy of the Top 10, but I would be remiss not to flag three particularly excellent plays: first, a statement of intent from the Bulls on the first play of the second half where Naiem Simmons got a step on his man on a go route and Byrum Brown hit him in stride for 52 yards. Second, an absurd one-handed catch from Khafre Brown on a dart from Byrum for 59 yards. Lastly – and perhaps most importantly – a 42-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Simmons to put the Bulls up 27-21 right when it felt like momentum might be shifting in Rice’s favor. This was a delightful game to watch, and it pains me to omit these three plays from the list. Know that if I were ranking 2023 games, the Rice game would probably be a top three entry, thanks in large part to a magisterial, expectations-shattering game from Byrum (435 yards passing, 82 yards rushing), and a record-setting day from Simmons with a program-best 272 receiving yards.
Brown to Atkins for 88 Yards vs. Navy
Jhalyn Shuler’s Wacky PAT Return
Tramel Logan House Call (Part 1)
Similar to the Rice game, the Navy game was a critical win. It was also delightfully wacky, with a number of fun highlights to choose from. The only catch for these plays is that I think each one was bettered by a similar play later in the season, but each still bears mentioning on its own.
First: Byrum Brown and Sean Atkins connected many times this season, but no play was longer – and perhaps goofier – than the 88-yard touchdown pass that put the Bulls up 21-14 against Navy. Atkins manages to position himself downfield so that a Brown teardrop falls right into his arms, while the nearest Navy defender to him also falls - but unlike the ball, his fall takes him directly onto his butt, rather than into the loving arms of Sean Atkins. Meanwhile, Atkins sprints freely ahead for six and gives the Bulls the lead. Football is a very challenging sport.
Second: Speaking of wacky plays. With just a minute left in the half, Navy scores a touchdown and appears ready to tie the game on the PAT. Unfortunately, the snap is high and caroms off the holder’s hands, and Jhalyn Shuler snatches the ball and takes it all the way back for a bizarre, but very much appreciated, two points. The goofiest part of this one is that as soon as the ball gets over the holder’s head, the two Bulls cornerbacks going for the block – Aamaris Brown and Braxton Clark – immediately abandon all thoughts of the ball and simultaneously smush the holder into a Holder Sandwich, clearing the way for Shuler to take it to the house. The cartoon violence here absolutely horrifies the play-by-play announcer, who gasps, “they just SANDWICH…” in awe, too stunned to finish his sentence. Holder Sandwiches are apparently a thing you can do in football. I don’t make the rules.
Third: The Bulls’ defense was not very good for most of the season, but they did have a knack for making big, explosive plays in key moments. The first of these came on the first play of the fourth quarter of the Navy game, right when the Midshipmen were sneaking their way back into this one. The Bulls had a slim 30-23 lead, but Navy was driving and had the ball at the USF 28 yard-line. On 3rd and 1, Navy attempted to run a Tush Push-type QB sneak, but unfortunately seemed to forget to bring along the ball, an item that is famously critical to the game of football. As the football lay five yards behind the line of scrimmage, gently oscillating like an abandoned Easter egg, Tramel Logan scooped it up and returned it 70 yards for an insurmountable Bulls lead.
Bonus: this may not have been the best Tramel Logan touchdown of the season! In fact, it may not have been the second best Tramel Logan touchdown of the season! Tramel Logan scored more offensive touchdowns this season than all but five of the Bulls’ offensive players. The RayJay visitor’s end zone shall hereinafter be referred to as the Tramel Logan Memorial End Zone.
USF BLOCKED A PUNT
I have nothing intelligent to say about this play. Blocked punts just rule! I love everything about it – the fact that it was a huge play that gave the Bulls a much-needed spark in a fun game against Memphis, the fact that starting-safety-turned-special-teamer Matt Hill was the man to make the play, the solid one-Mississippi post-block of every player wheeling around frantically to try to locate the ball, and especially the announcer describing the football as a “loose pig.” Football needs more blocked punts. If I were the commissioner of football, I would legislate that every team must have at least one (1) of their punts blocked per game, but they can strategically select which one they want to get blocked and prepare themselves for said block accordingly. The increased level of strategy this would bring to the game would be fascinating to literally only me.
Tramel Logan House Call (Part 2)
Logan makes another appearance in the honorable mentions with a look-what-I-found pick six against Temple that put the Bulls up 27-10 late in the third quarter. This one isn’t quite as dramatic as his touchdown against Navy, but it was arguably more critical – the Bulls needed every point possible in this one, as what looked like a potential blowout over the Owls ended up being a 27-23 squeaker. Any visits that Tramel Logan makes to the Tramel Logan Memorial End Zone are worth admiring, though my favorite of the bunch is still to come.
The Daquan Evans Pick Six That Wasn’t
If this play hadn’t been called back, it would have been the play of the season by a substantial margin. The fact that it still merits an honorable mention despite being unjustly* reduced by the referees to a glorified game of schoolyard tag speaks to how amazing of a play it was. I suppose we should thank the refs for giving us some modicum of drama in the Bay Area Examiner Top 10 Plays of the 2023 Season Countdown, even if they deprived DaeDae of an absolutely magnificent PlaePlae (I am so sorry).
*Fun fact here: the refs were correct in calling DaeDae short of the end zone, but the play should still have stood under little-known NCAA Rulebook Corollary 243-6(b), which states that the touchdown counts because it’s cool as heck.
Brown to Alexis Wild TD vs. Charlotte
Byrum Juke Stick TD Run
I also feel the need to give a shoutout to two big plays that helped put the Charlotte game away and secure bowl eligibility for the Bulls for the first time in five years. The first was an early-third quarter bomb to Jaden Alexis, who successfully backtracked to get under an underthrown pass from Byrum, then weaved his way through a few Charlotte defenders to score a 60-yard TD and give the Bulls a convincing 21-point cushion. The second is a lovely zone read keeper from Byrum later in the quarter where the young QB juked a couple 49ers defenders en route to a 40-yard score that sent the game into full #BEATEMDOWN mode. I’d argue that these two plays were the two moments where a new, wonderful reality started to hit for USF fans – the sheer bliss of oh my goodness, we’re finally going bowling again – and they’d undoubtedly be in the proper list if not for a couple plays from this game that I liked a bit more.
Aamaris Brown TD vs. Syracuse
The Boca Raton Bowl was just a smorgasbord of amazing moments, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for having any number of plays from the game in their top ten – trying to fine-tooth-comb one’s way through the many wild USF defensive and special teams touchdowns this season would be fool’s errand. At the very least, this one merits a mention; it’s a hilarious ball-don’t-lie moment after Syracuse was granted possession on a questionable fumble call, it gave the Bulls an all-important two-possession lead, and most importantly, it continued USF’s absolute reign of terror over kickers and holders this season. Attempt a kick against USF at your peril (to be clear, you will probably make it, but if you don’t, something very funny and stupid will happen to you).