SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 13, 2012
Rutgers 23, South Florida 13: Jawan Jamison rushed for 151 yards on a school-record 41 carries and the visiting Scarlet Knights intercepted three passes to beat the Bulls for the sixth time in seven years.
Quarterback Gary Nova connected with Tim Wright for 46 yards down the left sideline to set up Kyle Federico’s third field goal of the game, a 22-yarder with 2:48 remaining, to give Rutgers (3-0, 1-0 Big East) a 16-13 lead. After stopping the Bulls on fourth down, Jamison sealed it with a 41-yard touchdown run.
Nova threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, while Wright caught eight passes for 125 yards.
South Florida (2-1, 0-1) turned the ball over five times in all, including two fumbles on special teams. Quarterback B.J. Daniels threw three picks, one in the end zone.
Maikon Bonani connected on field goals from 41 and 46 yards, respectively, as South Florida took 6-0 lead in the first quarter. Rutgers moved the ball well but hurt itself with seven penalties, a fumble and a blocked field goal to trail 6-3 at halftime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Jamison has four straight 100-yard rushing games dating back to last season. … Bonani set a school record with nine straight made field goals. He has not missed since a 27-yard field goal that would have beaten Rutgers at the end of regulation last year, leading to a 20-17 overtime loss. . … The Bulls are 0-9 in Thursday games on ESPN.