Florida Atlantic Owls vs South Florida Bulls Box Score on Sep 14, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 14, 2013

Florida Atlantic 28, South Florida 10: Jonathan Wallace and Jaquez Johnson each had a rushing touchdown and the Owls' defense accounted for a pair of scores in a win over the host Bulls.

Wallace finished with 65 yards on the ground and Johnson added 55 for Florida Atlantic (1-2), which capitalized on three South Florida turnovers. Cory Henry returned a fumble by South Florida quarterback Bobby Eveld 10 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter and D'Joun Smith sniped a Steven Bench pass and returned it 65 yards for with 3:12 to play in the fourth to seal the victory for the Owls.

Marcus Shaw rushed for a career-best 159 yards on 22 carries for the Bulls (0-3), who have dropped their first three games for the first time in program history. Bench replaced Eveld at quarterback for South Florida, connecting with Ryan Eppes on a 25-yard touchdown strike with 3:36 to play in the first quarter to give the Bulls a 10-7 lead.

Johnson shook off an early interception and a modest 98-yard passing performance, using his legs to scamper for a 4-yard touchdown run to send the Owls into halftime up 14-10. Wallace's touchdown run with 1:42 to play in the third extended Florida Atlantic's lead to 21-10 and left South Florida behind for good.

Bench, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, finished 8-of-23 for 128 yards and rushed nine times for 12 yards.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Freshman LB Nigel Harris made his first career start in place of Reshard Cliett (shoulder), leading South Florida with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. ... Florida Atlantic fell to 0-4 all-time against the Bulls. ... Shaw's performance marked the best rushing output by a South Florida player since Mike Ford's 207 yards in 2009.