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It's 1 that got away

USF leads most of the game but loses its Division I-A debut on a final-play field goal - the first time it trailed.

[Times photo: Bill Serne] USF's Joe Morgan sits on the bench after the Bulls, 17.5 pt underdogs, nearly pulled off the upset.

By PETE YOUNG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 31, 2001

DeKALB, Ill. -- In its debut in Division I-A, South Florida, a 17 1/2-point underdog, never trailed -- until the final gun sounded.

Steve Azar's 42-yard field goal as time expired Thursday lifted Northern Illinois to a 20-17 victory. "It shouldn't have come down to this," defensive end Chris Daley said. "I feel at every point in the game we had control. This team was not better than us."

Azar's kick spoiled a noble effort by the Bulls, especially by the defense against a powerful ground attack. USF was tied at 7 for part of the first half but otherwise had the lead until a 37-yard field goal by Azar with 5:27 remaining tied it at 17.

NIU, 6-5 last season in the Mid-American Conference, won the battle of attrition in the second half -- barely. Behind running back Thomas Hammock (34 carries, 177 yards, 1 touchdown) the Huskies drove 19 yards in the final 2:04, from the USF 44 to the 25, setting up the winning field goal.

The Huskies converted fourth and 1 with 42 seconds to go from the USF 35 on a quarterback sneak, then Hammock ran twice, getting the ball to the 25. NIU called a timeout with 2.8 seconds to go, and Azar's kick was true, sending the crowd of 14,426 into a frenzy.

"Our guys battled, we played hard, but they were better than us tonight," USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "Our defense was digging in as best it could, but you've got to stop the running game. We didn't stand up good enough."

NIU's rushing attack, 12th in the nation last year, succeeded when it had to. The Huskies netted 70 of their 200 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, as they rallied from a 17-7 third-quarter deficit.

"We can't expect to make that many mistakes and win," said Leavitt, whose team lost one fumble, had a punt blocked and committed 11 penalties for 96 yards. "We kept losing field position."

Coming out of halftime with a 14-7 lead, the Bulls missed an opportunity to seize command.

After NIU went three and out, USF and quarterback Marquel Blackwell (17 of 32, 223 yards, 2 touchdowns), operating exclusively from the shotgun as he did for most of the game, charged into NIU territory and had first and goal from the 3. Blackwell gained 2 yards on first down, but fumbled the exchange on second down.

Blackwell recovered for a short loss, and USF settled for Santiago Gramatica's first career field goal, from 21 yards, for a 17-7 lead.

USF forced another punt, but Clenton Crossley's fumble on the ensuing play gave NIU the ball at the Bulls 26. Six plays later, Huskies quarterback Chris Finlen (20 of 36, 144 yards, 1 touchdown) connected with tight end Matt Dunker for a 7-yard score to make it 17-14 just before the end of the third quarter.

The Bulls still led by three when NIU took over on its 15 with 9:30 to go and drove to the USF 20 for Azar's tying field goal. After USF punted from deep in its territory, the Huskies took over at the Bulls 44 with 2:04 remaining and drove to the winning field goal.

USF took a 7-0 lead on its second possession of the game when Blackwell hit a streaking DeAndrew Rubin (3 receptions, 121 yards, 2 touchdowns) down the left sideline for a 57-yard score.

The Huskies responded on the next possession, easily marching 80 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 1-yard run by Hammock, who bulled over the left side.

With 5:17 remaining in the second quarter and USF punting, the snap to Devin Sanderson was high, ruining his rhythm. The punt was blocked by Mike Spacucello, giving NIU possession at the USF 47.

The Huskies drove into scoring position, but safety J.R. Reed forced a fumble and linebacker Kawika Mitchell returned it 17 yards to the USF 36.

Three plays later, Blackwell and Rubin struck again on a mirror image of their first TD strike, a bomb down the left sideline. This time Rubin beat cornerback Vince Thompson by two steps, and Blackwell's pass was perfect for a 52-yard score and 14-7 halftime lead.

Northern Illinois outgained USF 344-274. The Bulls offense misfired after the opening drive of the second half, and USF was outgained 143-89 after halftime.

"We can't let this be the end of our season," Blackwell said. "We've got to bounce back and work hard."

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