TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tanner Mordecai threw his two touchdown passes in a 21-point third quarter and SMU became bowl eligible with a 41-23 win over South Florida on Saturday, the Bulls’ eighth-straight loss.
USF, which fired coach Jeff Scott and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop last Sunday, played a spirited first half under interim coach Daniel Da Prato, scoring 10 late points to tie the game at 17 at halftime. But it was the Mustangs, under first-year head coach Rhett Lashlee, who took control to earn a probable bowl trip for the fourth-straight year.
The Mustangs went 97 yards in six plays with their first possession of the third quarter, taking the lead on a 21-yard pass to Rashee Rice.