Takeaways, highlights, notables, sights, sound bites and learning experiences from USF's 55-23 win against the UTSA Roadrunners and a lookahead to next Saturday's road game against the Navy Midshipmen.
The Quick Read
* An amazing statistic: QB Byrum Brown became the first player in the last 30 years (NCAA or NFL, playoff games included) with 200 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and a 90-percent pass completion percentage. That's thousands and thousands of quarterbacks.
* Versatile DB Jarvis Lee Jr. and his knack of disrupting an offense reminds me of the way Ronde Barber, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, once performed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Players like that are unicorns.
* Between the afternoon ESPN SportsCenter on Campus and the game itself, USF football has rarely received such productive standalone exposure on national television. It was quite a statement for pollsters and pundits everywhere. The Bulls returned to the AP Top 25 on Sunday.
* USF up 14-0 before the offense takes its first snap? Never saw that before. The offense didn't see the field until 2:07 left in the first quarter.
* Give it up for USF's offensive line: 238 yards rushing (7.4-yard average), ZERO sacks allowed, ZERO penalties. That is now six straight games running for 235 or more yards and at least three touchdowns.
* Are you not entertained? Through nine games, USF is averaging 42 points per game (the program record is 43.8 in 2016). The Bulls also have 48 total touchdowns. Ten more and it's the second-most for a season in program history (the record is 77 in 2016).
Game Takeaway
After a heartbreaking defeat at Memphis, then a bye week, almost everyone had the same question entering Thursday night's game at Raymond James Stadium:
How would the USF Bulls respond?
USF 55, UTSA 23.
Next question?
"Here's what I told our guys before the game, last night in our team meeting and then again (following the game),'' head coach Alex Golesh said. "When we play really hard, we're a good football team. When we play really hard with elite detail, we're a really good football team. When we play really hard with elite detail and a violent intent, we can play with anybody in the country.''
The Roadrunners (4-5, 2-3 American Conference), who got everyone's attention with a rout of Tulane one week earlier, never had a chance against the fired-up Bulls (7-2, 4-1).
On the game's first snap, FS Tavin Ward scored on a 40-yard interception return after blitzing DB Jarvis Lee hurried the throw from normally precise UTSA QB Owen McCown.
The Roadrunners then sought the equalizer by mounting a lengthy drive deep into USF territory. But on the drive's 14th play, Lee again crashed into the backfield, sacked McCown for a 13-yard loss and created a fumble that SS Fred Gaskin scooped and scored on from 85 yards out.
Trailing 14-0, UTSA's offense again came onto the field and so did USF's overworked, but pleased defense, which forced a punt but saw it hit a Bull running downfield in the back of the foot and UTSA take another possession. In all, the Roadrunners ran 20 plays before USF's offense had its first snap with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.
"It was about as unique of a first quarter as I've been a part of in my coaching career,'' Golesh said. "In terms of having our defense out there as long as we did, I never warmed an offense back up during a TV timeout before, but we did it. I got some anxiety about handing off a football an hour after the last time (in pregame warmups) we handed off a football.''
But once USF's offense got under way, it couldn't be stopped. The Bulls collected touchdowns on five of its first six offensive possessions (getting a field goal on the other one) and assumed a 52-10 lead with 11:56 remaining in the third quarter.
QB Byrum Brown, who began the offensive onslaught with a 13-yard scoring run on the second quarter's opening play, finished with 109 yards rushing and 239 yards passing (14-for-15 accuracy), accounting for three touchdowns. His favorite target was WR Keshaun Singleton (four catches, 122 yards, two touchdowns). Meanwhile, RB Nykahi Davenport led the ground game with 14 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard score.
"It was not the usual way to start a game, but we adapted,'' Brown said. "When we (finally) got out on the field, we played our brand of football.''
It seemed like another night at the office for Brown, who has now accounted for 168 points (19 passing touchdowns, nine rushing scores).
"Byrum's ability to stay locked in and focused, along with his process, it's just so elite,'' Golesh said. "He's so self-aware, so conscious about what he feels like both physically and mentally. He communicates extremely well. He plays that game in his mind a million times over. He truly is as close to a coach on the field as you can ever imagine.''
Even though the offensive numbers were gaudy, both Brown and Golesh saluted the defense's ability to set a winning tone. The Bulls held UTSA to 72 yards rushing, while collecting six sacks and 12 tackles for a loss — both season highs.
"Our defense played on a mission,'' Golesh said. "Jarvis Lee played out of his mind. These dudes came out to play. When the defense plays like that, it's contagious. As much as everybody knows (how much) I like offensive football, I'm a defensive guy at heart. I'm self-aware enough to know that you win ball games on defense.''
And that USF defense was intent on making a statement.
"How would we respond after losing to Memphis?'' Ward said. "I don't think there's any question about it. You saw what happened on the field. We responded fantastically well.''
The Big Play
That would be play No. 1. On the first snap from scrimmage, Roadrunners QB Owen McCown, under heavy pressure from DB Jarvis Lee, delivered an interception to FS Tavin Ward, who returned it for a 40-yard touchdown. No one knew it then, but the rout was on.
Game Balls
* DB Jarvis Lee, who tied for the team lead with six tackles, while collecting two sacks, three tackles for a loss and forcing a fumble.
* QB Byrum Brown, who accounted for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 109 yards and one score, while completing 14 of his 15 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
* FS Tavin Ward, who had a 40-yard interception return touchdown, six tackles and one tackle for a loss.
* WR Keshaun Singleton, who had four catches for a career-high 122 yards and two touchdowns.
* SS Fred Gaskin, who scored on an 85-yard fumble return and registered five tackles.
* RB Nykahi Davenport, who had seven carries for a career-high 94 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown run.
* PK Nico Gramatica, who connected on field-goal attempts of 40 and 51 yards. His 51-yarder was the fifth 50-yarder of his career, setting a new program record
Notable Numbers
4 — Number of 50-points-plus games by USF. That's a single-season program record. This season, that figure is tied for second nationally with North Texas and it's one behind front-running Indiana.
5 — Number of career 50-yard-plus field-goal attempts made by PK Nico Gramatica, who set a USF record.
6 — The number of sacks by USF's defense, tying for the most in a home game since 2019 (BYU).
15-2 — USF's record under Alex Golesh when the Bulls force two or more turnovers.
27 — Rushing yards by UTSA RB Robert Henry against USF. Henry came in averaging 124 yards per game (second nationally).
32 — Consecutive games won by USF when leading by 10 or more points after the first quarter. It's the longest such streak ever for USF and the eighth-longest for that category in NCAA history.
45 — Points scored by USF in the first half. The program record is 51 (a 51-3 halftime lead against Cincinnati in 2015).
50 — Number of plays (including three game-closing kneel-downs) by USF, which had 417 yards (9.4-yard average). The fewest plays ever by a USF team was 46 against Pittsburgh in 2009.
72 — Yards rushing by UTSA, the second-fewest for the Roadrunners this season. It was the fourth time this season for USF to hold an opponent under the 100-yard rushing mark.
82 — Number of plays by UTSA, which had 381 yards (4.6-yard average).
93.3 — Completion percentage (14-for-15) by QB Byrum Brown, who set a USF single-game record.
The List
QB Byrum Brown moved up on a pair of USF career lists:
Career Rushing Touchdowns
1. Quinton Flowers….41 (2014-17)
2. Marlon Mack………32 (2014-16)
3. Byrum Brown…….26 (2022-present)
4. B.J. Daniels……….25 (2008-12)
5. Andre Hall…………24 (2004-05)
Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
1. Marlon Mack………..20 (2014-16)
2. Quinton Flowers…..16 (2014-17)
3. Andre Hall………….12 (2004-05)
4. (tie) Byrum Brown…9 (2022-present)
(tie) Brian Battie………..9 (2020-22)
Next Up: Navy
Next Saturday, the Bulls visit the Navy Midshipmen (7-2, 5-1), who enter on a two-game losing streak following Saturday night's 49-10 road defeat against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
USF is 2-3 all-time against Navy, including last season's 28-7 defeat at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls beat Navy 52-45 in 2016, then won another scoring duel against the Midshipmen, 44-30, in 2023 (Golesh's first season).
Navy QB Blake Horvath, who has rushed for 926 yards, did not play against Notre Dame due to injury, but his replacement, Braxton Woodson, rushed for 101 yards against the Irish. Horvath accounted for 262 yards and four touchdowns in the two previous games against USF.
"We're (one week away) from getting our discipline tested, getting our violent intent tested, getting our accountability tested,'' Golesh said. "Everything you want to be as a football program you're going to face in Annapolis, so the challenge for us is to regroup, coach like crazy through the mistakes, coach like crazy through the positives and give ourselves a chance to go play high-end football again.
"The only thing that matters is Navy at this point in our lives. The only thing that matters is the United States Naval Academy.''
–#GoBulls–
