Takeaways, highlights, notables, sights, sound bites and learning experiences from USF's 48-18 road victory against the UAB Blazers and a look ahead to Saturday night's regular-season finale against the Rice Owls at Raymond James Stadium.
The Quick Read
* Nothing can diminish the disappointment of losing at Navy (and Memphis, for that matter). But there's something to be said for finishing strong. The decisive victory at UAB was a step in the right direction.
* It has gotten to the point where most of what QB Byrum Brown accomplishes is viewed as routine. It is not routine. He is consistently excellent. Against UAB, he was 19-for-25 (76%) for 353 yards and three touchdowns, along with 63 yards rushing and two more scores. It has been a season to remember for BB17.
* All things considered, it was a nice effort by USF's secondary, which was without injured FS Tavin Ward and CB James Chenault, along with SS Fred Gaskin (who was ejected after a first-quarter targeting call). Jaelen Stokes, Cedric Hawkins and Jonas Duclona were pressed into extended duty, while CB De'Shawn Rucker played free safety for the first time in college.
* Suddenly, WR Mudia Reuben is a runaway train. When he catches the ball in the open field, he's next to impossible to bring down. He posted 98 yards after the catch among his 174 receiving yards Saturday.
Game Takeaway
After enduring eight penalties and two drives that resulted in punts during the first half, USF head coach Alex Golesh said he was beyond frustrated on Saturday afternoon.
But when the Bulls got clicking in the third quarter, when they pulled away for what became a 48-18 road victory against the UAB Blazers at Protective Stadium, Golesh said he was more than pleased.
"We looked like us in the second half,'' Golesh said. "We looked like a team that was focused and ready. We tackled much better. We made some plays. After halftime, we were just regrouping and refocusing. I can give you a million different reasons why it was that way, but nobody really cares. We had to go find a way.''
And the Bulls (8-3, 5-2 American Conference) did just that.
Leading just 17-10 at the half, USF wanted a proper response to begin the third quarter. After a 40-yard kickoff return by Alvon Isaac, the Bulls scored on their first play from scrimmage, getting a 60-yard touchdown pass from QB Byrum Brown to WR Mudia Reuben. In the fourth quarter, Reuben scored again from 59 yards out.
Overall, Brown was 19-for-25 with a season-high 353 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 63 yards and two more scores. Reuben had five catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, RB Nykahi Davenport produced his first 100-yard rushing game with 121 yards on 17 bruising carries.
It was a traumatic day for the Blazers (3-8, 1-6), who saw two of their players stabbed by a teammate at the team's facility on Saturday morning. The players were taken to the hospital and later listed in stable condition. The game was in doubt for a short time, but UAB decided to play. Golesh praised the leadership and professionalism of UAB interim head coach Alex Mortensen, sayng that "nothing prepares you for a situation like that and our hearts go out to that team."
The game was played as normal, and it gave USF a chance to fully distance itself from the 41-38 defeat at Navy that all but mathematically ended the Bulls' opportunity to win a conference title. With the highest goal seemingly out of reach, Golesh said USF's response and intent were important.
With a resounding second half, in which the Bulls outscored UAB 31-8 and completed a run of 27 unanswered points, USF got the desired outcome. USF had a 99-yard scoring drive to tie a program record, while also compiling scoring marches of 96, 75 and 75 yards. The Bulls forced Blazers QB Jalen Kitna into three interceptions and held UAB to a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, completing a fourth-quarter goal-line stand and snuffing out a 74-yard march.
"Last week (at Navy) was a hurtful game,'' DB De'Shawn Rucker said. "But moving forward, we all want to show how we can bounce back and play hard. There's a big emphasis on playing hard for the seniors. Finishing strong is important.''
"We have a good culture,'' Reuben said. "We were talking about resilience and showing the world who we are. It's easy after a loss like that (against Navy) to slow down and have a change in mindset. But with the type of values that Coach Golesh instills in us, we all knew we had to become like-minded and come with an intention to (perform well). Coming off a loss, you don't want to make it any other way.''
The Bulls are still chasing a 10-victory season, which has been accomplished only two times in program history.
"We're happy to get on the road and get a win,'' Golesh said. "I told our guys that winning road games in the conference is really hard. We're at a point in our program where we need to go do that and go win a championship. Obviously, we have two (conference road games) where we didn't. You're talking about six points that are holding us back (34-31 loss at Memphis, 41-38 loss at Navy). I've got to find a way to get those six points to go our way (in the future).''
The Big Play
After an uneven first half, USF struck first to go up 24-10 early in the third quarter. UAB seemingly had a good answer by driving to the USF 7-yard line. But on first down, DB De'Shawn Rucker raced to the right corner of the end zone and intercepted a pass from Blazers QB Jalen Kitna, who was looking for WR Brandon Hawkins Jr. That allowed the Bulls to continue a run of 27 unanswered points and roll up a 34-10 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Game Balls
* QB Byrum Brown, who accounted for 416 yards and five touchdowns. Another night at the office for BB17.
* RB Nykahi Davenport, who had his first career 100-yard rushing game (17 carries for 121 yards and one touchdown).
* DB De'Shawn Rucker, who had an end-zone interception to stop UAB's initial third-quarter drive, along with six tackles to tie for the team lead.
* WR Mudia Reuben, who had a monster game (five receptions for 174 yards, including TD catches of 60 and 59 yards).
* DT Devin Lee, who plays an inglorious interior position and sometimes doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Against UAB, he had 4 tackles and career-best 2.5 tackles for a loss.
* DB Jaelen Stokes, who tied for the team lead in tackles with six while adding two pass break-ups.
* PK Nico Gramatica, who hit field goals of 49 and 43 yards.
Notable Numbers
4 — The number of Football Bowl Subdivision players over the last 30 years to accumulate at least 2,800 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and 900 rushing yards through 11 games (USF's Byrum Brown this season, LSU's Jayden Daniels in 2023, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts in 2019, Louisville's Lamar Jackson in 2016).
11 – USF has 11 wins by at least 25 points since the start of last season. That is tied for third most in the FBS over that span (with Notre Dame) behind Ohio State (13) and Indiana (12).
6 — Number of 100-yard rushing games this season by USF players (five by QB Byrum Brown, one by RB Nykahi Davenport).
7 — Number of games this season for USF's offense to register 500 or more yards.
37 — Number of touchdowns QB Byrum Brown is responsible for this season. That ties his own single-season mark (2023) and trails only the program record of 42 (Quinton Flowers in 2016). He ranks No. 1 in the nation in points responsible for on the year.
Plus-107 — USF's scoring margin this season during the third quarter, when the Bulls are outscoring their opponents 137-30. That stands second-best in FBS football behind No. 2 Indiana (+120)
497.0 — USF's average yards per game which is on pace to rank third in program history (behind 513.0 in 2017 and 511.5 in 2016). The Bulls rank No. 2 in the nation in total offense.
5,467 — Total yards for USF's offense through 11 games. If the Bulls maintain their average through the regular-season finale and the bowl game, they will finish No. 2 all-time in program history (behind the 6,650 yards of 2016).
The List
WR Mudia Reuben had five catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns against UAB. It was the sixth-highest receiving yardage single-game total in USF program history:
1. Naiem Simmons: 272 yards (8 catches, 9/23/23 vs. Rice)
2. Tyre McCants: 227 (9 catches, 11/24/17 at UCF)
3. Andre Davis: 191 (12 catches, 9/8/12 at Nevada)
4. Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 186 (10 catches, 10/28/17 vs. Houston)
5. Jimmy Horn: 180 (8 catches, 10/1/22 vs. East Carolina)
6. Mudia Reuben 174 (5 catches, 11/22/25 at UAB)
7. Randall St. Felix: 165 (6 catches, 12/20/18 vs, Marshall)
8. Andre Davis: 154 (6 catches, 10/18/14 at Tulsa)
9. Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 152 (6 catches, 11/4/17 at UConn)
10. Clif Dell: 149 (5 catches, 9/6/96 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan)
Next Up: Rice
The Bulls (8-3, 5-2 American) will play host to the Rice Owls (5-6, 2-5) on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium. Rice, which has lost five of its last seven games after a 3-1 start, is coming off a 56-24 defeat against North Texas (with the Owls allowing 640 yards to UNT).
It's Senior Night, a chance to say goodbye to many USF football stalwarts, and Fan Appreciation Night. It's also an opportunity for USF to avenge last season's 35-28 defeat against Rice in Houston.
–#GoBulls–
