Tampa, FL – McNeese State scored 40 unanswered points, including 31 in the second quarter, while posting a 53-21 rout of FBS South Florida Saturday night.
The 53 points were the most ever by an FCS team over a BCS squad. Also, the 32- point margin of victory was the largest by an FCS program over a BCS team in history.
Kelvin Bennett scored on a 7-yard run with 11:02 left in the second quarter to erase a 7-2 deficit and ignite the Cowboys (1-0) toward a 40-7 advantage in the third quarter.
Cody Stroud threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns as McNeese State ruined Willie Taggart's debut as South Florida's coach.
"I didn't see this coming because they (USF) have good players," McNeese State coach Matt Viator said. "We got a couple of breaks in the first half and made the most of them. But I was really proud with the way our kids played in the second half. We actually gained points in the second half from the first half. And that's a testament to our kids coming out with good focus in the second half and good conditioning."
McNeese State, from the Southland Conference, beat another FBS program, Middle Tennessee, to open its season a year ago
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