McCloud, Johnson help short-handed USF beat The Citadel

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jordan McCloud threw for a touchdown, Noah Johnson ran for another, and South Florida beat The Citadel 27-6 on Saturday night to give Jeff Scott a win in his first game as a head coach.

Scott, who had served as Clemson's co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach since 2015, replaced the fired Charlie Strong in December 2019.

McCloud hit DeVontres Dukes for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 7-3 with 49 seconds left in the first quarter and USF (1-0) led the rest of the way.

Colby Kinter, who opened the scoring with a 45-yard field goal, made a 41-yarder to pull The Citadel (0-1) within a point with 11:08 left in the second quarter but Omarion Dollison , for a touchdown before Johnson's 9-yard scoring run made it 20-3 at halftime.

McCloud and Johnson split time at quarterback for USF. McCloud was 11-of-16 passing for 68 yards, and Johnson completed 3 of 4 for 24 yards and had 49 yards rushing on seven carries.

Kelly Joiner added eight carries for 87 yards for the Bulls, including a 3-yard TD to cap the scoring midway through the fourth quarter.