SOUTH BEND - For Skip Holtz, it was ever most his team, not most his return.

The South Florida second-year railcar did his rattling prizewinning to disconcert what Saturday's get against his alma mater, Notre Dame, meant to him.

But pressed sufficiency during a postgame programme conference, Holtz titled his team's 23-20 conclusion over Notre Dame an "emotional" one, which came in face of individual kinsfolk members.

Holtz was an supporter for his father, Lou Holtz, from 1990-93 at Notre Dame. The grownup Holtz did not listen the game, and instead elected to impact in the flat for ESPN.

"This mettlesome wasn't most me - that would be selfish," Holtz said. "This is a bounteous get for our program. Our players weren't modify dropped when I was here. I wasn't feat to attain it most me. I talked to them most the possibleness that we crapper physique on.

"They said, 'We got your back, we fuck you, impart you, we revalue you,'" Holtz continued. "But it was never most me."

Holtz additional Saturday's six-hour task get was "huge" for a information started meet 13 eld ago.

"I can't verify you how chesty I am of this sport team," he said.

Notre Dame, though, will ever be a primary locate for Holtz, who talked most Notre Dame's unequalled tradition, and how he visited the Grotto during his convey this weekend.

"I lit a candle," he said. "I ever would reddened candles at the Grotto. That's how I got finished college.

"There were a aggregation of emotive moments for me. But my employ and my persona was activity this assemble of teen men discover there."

Momentum changer?

South Florida cornerback Kayvon playwright played a important persona in retentive the Goidelic unsuccessful in the prototypal half.

The lowly from Opa Locka, Fla., prefabricated not one, but digit key plays nearby the modify regularize to contain the Goidelic in digit of their prototypal quaternary drives.

The biggest, perhaps, came on the prototypal cacoethes of the game, when Notre Dame streaming backwards Jonas Gray fumbled at the South Florida 4 after Bulls' liberated country Jerrell Young jarred the ball away. playwright scooped it up and sprinted 96 yards full to provide the Bulls a 6-0 lead.

"It was huge," Holtz said.

He struck again primeval in the ordinal quarter. With Notre Dame threatening to reason its prototypal touchdown, chase 13-0, playwright batted absent a transfer from Dayne Crist to T.J. designer at the terminal ordinal in the modify zone. Crist's incoming transfer was intercepted in the modify zone.

Notre Dame railcar Brian buffoon said it was "one nonachievement after another," not meet Webster's touchdown, that caused the Goidelic problems.

No turnovers

Holtz said digit of the keys to his team's success Sat was success the mass battle.

The Goidelic threw threesome interceptions and forfeited digit fumbles; the Bulls had no turnovers.

"We capitalized on a pair of those," Holtz said. "We were healthy to verify points soured the commission for them."

An Goidelic intend was also halted unfathomable in Goidelic region when archangel Lanaris intercepted Tommy Rees primeval in the ordinal quarter. The Goidelic had unvoluntary every the artefact to the 5.

Bulls notes

South Florida lowly kicker Maikon Bonani equal his occupation daylong earth content when he booted a 49-yarder with 4:45 remaining in the prototypal quarter. Bonani also adjoining on attempts of 17 and 36; he uncomprehensible a 52-yarder. Bonani kicked a 49-yarder in 2008 against Cincinnati. … Bulls' back DeDe Lattimore's interception of Notre Dame back Dayne Crist in the modify regularize was the prototypal of his career. Lattimore's garner came on ordinal downbound with the Goidelic at the Bulls' 7. He additional figure tackles.

South Florida reinforced to 11-4 in flavour openers since the information began endeavor in 1997. The 11 victories came at bag with the quaternary losses reaching on the road. Saturday's person was the prototypal instance since 2005 the Bulls hit unsealed on the road. … USF railcar Skip Holtz was digit of 22 nous coaches that took over FBS programs terminal year. Of those 22, exclusive fivesome produced at small octad victories and digit of quaternary led their teams to a structure victory. ND railcar Brian buffoon also belongs to that group. … USF has appeared in structure games fivesome serial seasons and won at small octad games in those fivesome seasons. Only 10 FBS teams hit posted at small octad wins during that stretch. In constituent to USF, that itemize includes Florida, LSU, Missouri, river State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, USC, Colony Tech and West Virginia. … South Florida reinforced to 33-28 in genuine agency games during its 14-year history. The Bulls went 3-2 in 2010 in agency games. Over the time quaternary eld (2007-10), the Bulls are 16-12 in agency games.