TAMPA, Fla. – Tulsa receiver Joseph Williams caught the football at his 35-yard line. He sprinted toward the end zone for what appeared to be a certain six points.
“At first, I was trying to locate the ball,” said Ben Knox. “I didn’t. Obviously.”
There is something else the USF senior corner did not do: give up on the play.
“I realized he caught the ball and, at that point, it’s not wanting to let my teammates down,” he said. “Go find a way to make a play. And I did.”
Did he ever.
With USF leading the visiting Golden Hurricane 49-7 at about the midway point of the third quarter of last Saturday’s 63-30 win, Tulsa quarterback Kirk Francis found Williams with separation on Knox. The DeLand native not only caught up to Williams, but knocked the ball loose and recovered it at the two-yard line.
READ: Never-Give-Up Effort Highlighted USF’s Bowl-Clinching Rout Of Tulsa
“Ben got beat on a (go route), which is not good,” said coach Alex Golesh. “Then he played through the very last inch of that play, which is awesome. That’s the standard. It’s a really good teaching (video) clip of why you keep playing and why you play until the echo of the whistle.”
That’s why Knox’s phone was full of pats on the back. There were messages from his mother, friends and assorted others who saw the play, which was No. 8 on ESPN’s College Football Final Top 10 plays.
“I got a lot text messages,” he said. “My mom was over there hyping me up. So, everything was cool.”
James Chenault had a similar effort on the next-to-last play of the first quarter. The freshman corner sprinted roughly 75 yards to tackle Golden Hurricane running back Anthony Watkins. Instead of a 79-yard touchdown, it was a 77-yard run to the two-yard line. Four plays later, Tulsa turned the ball over on downs and the Bulls (6-5/4-3 American) went 94 yards the other way to take a 35-0 lead.
“It’s literally what you are trying to build culturally,” said Golesh, following the game. “(They were) as cool of football plays to coach off of for years to come. That’s what you want your DNA to be.”
READ: R.J. Perry Enjoying Far More Productive Second Season At USF
That’s what Knox and his fellow Bulls play for.
“I feel like we all play for each other,” he said. “Not letting our teammates down, not letting our coaches down. It takes our game to another level, those types of plays.”
The Bulls close the regular season at Rice (3-8/2-5) on Saturday. Kick off is 2:00 ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Android Users: Download our free app to stay up-to-date on the latest news.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.