Backup quarterback Bobby Eveld, getting his first start of the season, has thrown for 144 yards and a touchdown as the South Florida Bulls lead the Louisville Cardinals 17-10 at halftime from Raymond James Stadium.
Skip Holtz kept his starting quarterback a secret until literally the last second — Eveld and B.J. Daniels both huddled with the Bulls’ head coach before their first offensive possession, and then Eveld ran out on the field with the rest of the first team. After a slow start that Louisville took advantage of to gain a 3-0 lead on a Chris Philpott field goal, Eveld got on track. He led USF on a 75-yard drive, finishing it with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Lindsey Lamar on a 4th and 3 to make the score 7-3. The Bulls were planning to punt, but Louisville had to call a timeout before the play, and USF caught the Cardinals napping by rushing the offense back out on the field when play resumed.
Maikon Bonani added a field goal midway through the second quarter, and then the Bulls drove for another score following a Jon LeJiste fumble recovery. USF went 59 yards on 13 plays before Demetris Murray punched it in from one yard out for a 17-3 lead.
But another questionable coaching decision ended up costing the Bulls half of their lead. With 35 seconds left, USF decided to squib kick, even though they had had no trouble containing the Louisville return game. Senorise Perry picked it up and ran for 54 yards to get the Cardinals into field-goal range. Two plays later, Teddy Bridgewater threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Parker to cut the lead to 17-10.
The Bulls will get the ball to begin the second half.