Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
As South Florida won the Hawaii Bowl by a hair.

As much of the nation’s children were sleeping with dreams of Santa, the Bulls were winning one of the wildest games of bowl season, a five-overtime, 41-39 thriller over San José State in the Hawaii Bowl. It was the NCAA’s first bowl or postseason game to go more than three overtimes.

The game nearly ended in a back-and-forth regulation, however, as South Florida got the ball back with less than a minute left and down by three points. A good punt return and pair of first downs got them into field goal territory, at which point kicker John Cannon got a charitable bounce to tie the game.

Overtime then developed into a classic college football shootout, with the teams exchanging touchdowns, then field goals, then two-point conversions, then failed two-point conversions. With each set of plays, the game inched toward midnight ET, until it was finally Christmas for much of the country.

The game ended a half-hour later, when USF converted its two-point attempt and got the stop it needed.

USF got the win despite being outgained 441-291 and gaining only 1.6 yards per rush. Its biggest plays came on special teams and defense, including a 93-yard kick return touchdown by Ta’Ron Keith. USF quarterback Bryce Archie finished 24-of-34 with 235 passing yards and an interception.

It was the kind of game designed for the people who want to spend the final hours of Christmas Eve cheering for a tug-of-war between two Group of 5 programs. The win gives South Florida back-to-back winning seasons and bowl wins, having gone 7-6 last year with a win in the Boca Raton Bowl.

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