HONOLULU — In a thrilling conclusion to the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday night, South Florida overcame San Jose State with a 41-39 victory, sealing the game in the monumental fifth overtime. Bryce Archie connected with Keshaun Singleton in a pivotal moment, while Mac Harris deflected a pass in the end zone, securing the win for the Bulls.
This game marked the longest overtime stretch in FBS bowl history since the NCAA established overtime rules in 1996, surpassing the previous record of four games that had reached three overtimes.
With this victory, South Florida wrapped up its season at 7-6 and celebrated back-to-back bowl wins, a first for the program since the 2016-2017 seasons. Meanwhile, San Jose State, who also finished at 7-6, was aiming for their first bowl win since 2015.
As regulation was winding down, South Florida found themselves trailing 27-24. They initiated their final drive from midfield with only 43 seconds remaining. Archie successfully made two completions, setting the stage for John Cannon’s 41-yard field goal, which tied the game and sent it into overtime.
In the initial overtime, Payten Singletary opened the scoring with a 23-yard catch for South Florida. Following that, Ta’Ron Keith scored his second touchdown of the night. San Jose State responded with a sustained 11-play drive, highlighted by a crucial 12-yard sneak from quarterback Walker Eget on third-and-12, leading to a touchdown by Matthew Coleman on a fourth-and-goal play.
During the second overtime, SJSU opted to kick a field goal from the 2-yard line on fourth-and-1, with Kyler Halvorsen converting the attempt to give the Spartans a 37-34 edge. However, South Florida managed to tie the score again after their attempt at a first down stalled, with Cannon making a 36-yard field goal.
In the third overtime, South Florida struck first with Archie executing a shovel pass to Singletary. Although Eget appeared to have equalized with a sneak for SJSU, the play was negated due to a holding penalty. Subsequently, South Florida was called for pass interference in the end zone, allowing SJSU to advance to the 2-yard line, where Eget found Coleman for a touchdown that tied the game once more.
The fourth overtime, however, ended scoreless, setting the stage for the decisive fifth extra period due to the teams’ defensive stands.
Archie completed 24 of 35 passes for 235 yards for South Florida, with Sean Atkins being a standout receiver, amassing 11 catches for 104 yards. For San Jose State, Eget threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, while Coleman took on a significant role in the absence of star receiver Nick Nash, contributing 12 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
