USF ranks near top in turnover margin; Daniels/Joyce cited

Two weeks into the season and the USF football team has gained nearly half as many turnovers as it did last season.

The Bulls along with three other teams are ranked second in the country (FBS) with eight turnovers gained trailing national leader Rutgers, which has nine.

It’s quite an improvement for USF, which gained only 20 turnovers last year to rank near the bottom of the 120 FBS teams.

The Bulls rank third nationally in turnover margin with a plus 6 (3 per game). They have not lost a fumble and thrown two interceptions.

Three of the top five teams in turnover margin are from the Big East Conference: Rutgers leads the way and Cincinnati, which hasn’t lost the ball on a turnover this year, is second. The Bulls are tied for third with Maryland and Texas Tech.

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The Bulls 37-7 triumph over Ball State last Saturday evening turned into an awards kind of night.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels was named Big East Conference Offensive Player of The Week and Mark Joyce was named Special Teams Player of The Week.

Daniels posted career highs with 359 yards passing, 28 completions and 39 attempts despite playing only two series in the second half.

Joyce recovered a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown eight seconds into the game. It tied the school record for fastest scoring play in school history.