Ground Game: South Florida’s All-Time Touchdown Runners

The University of South Florida football team began play in 1997. The Bulls are part of the NCAA and compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision and the American Athletic Conference. They have an all-time record of 175-160 and a bowl record of 8-4. USF has won one division title, which came in 2016. The team played well in the 2000s, hovered around .500 in the 2010s, endured some extremely rough seasons in the early 2020s, but has recently been trending upward and back over .500.

Historically, the Bulls have had several elite quarterbacks and running backs. Let's take a closer look at the rankings for the top 5 runners for the Bulls football team:

Blackwell gets the fifth spot for helping get this team on the map and having a brief professional football career. He played for USF from 1999 to 2002 and held several passing records during his time with the program. He posted a 30–12 career record and helped lead the Bulls to their first nine-win season in 2002.

Blackwell also had stints with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before playing in the Arena Football League for the Tampa Bay Storm and in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes. After his playing career, he coached 20 high school players to Division I scholarships and helped three college players become first-round NFL draft picks.

Mack gets the fourth spot because of his multiple football records, and for his special status as a running back, compared to the quarterbacks that populate this list. He is USF's all-time leading rusher at the RB position with 3,609 yards. He is also second in program history in all-purpose yards (4,107 yards) and first in career touchdowns by a RB (33). Mack was the first three-time First-Team All-AAC selection in school history.

In 2014, Mack was named the American Conference Rookie of the Year. Mack once rushed for 275 yards in a single game, setting both a USF and AAC record.

Grothe gets the third spot because he was Mr. offense for the Bulls and was clutch in the postseason. He is regarded as one of the best players in USF football history and was inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024. He is the all-time leader in total offense in Big East history with 10,875 yards.

Grothe led the Bulls to their first-ever bowl victory in 2006 and won two career bowl games. He led USF to a top 25 ranking in 2007 (22nd). A true dual-threat QB, Grothe later spent time in the UFL, CFL, and AFL.

Flowers gets the second spot because he was elite with his arm and legs. Flowers was a dynamic quarterback at USF and is considered one of the best players in Bulls football history. He also holds school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Flowers was the first player in Florida FBS history to surpass 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, accomplishing this feat in 2016. That same year, he was named Offensive Player of the Year. Flowers went undrafted in 2018 but eventually signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he primarily spent time on the practice squad.

Daniels gets the No. 1 ranking because he can say he's a Super Bowl Champion and was a dual sport athlete for USF. He played at USF from 2008 to 2012. He ranked second in total yards in the Big East during his time there. Daniels was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Additionally, Daniels spent time with six NFL teams and won a Super Bowl ring as a backup QB for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. Today, Daniels works at USF as the Assistant Director of Development/Community and Donor Engagement.

The Bulls football team is known for its rapid rise to prominence in college football, its participation in numerous bowl games, and its strong presence in the Tampa Bay community. The program quickly grew from a newly established team to a nationally recognized contender in a relatively short period of time. Its success has brought national attention to USF, both for its athletic accomplishments and for raising the university's overall profile.