Bulls post three wins in non-conference play for the first time since 2018
 
TAMPA, FLA., SEPT. 20, 2025 – Quarterback Byrum Brown threw four touchdown passes as the South Florida Bulls (3-1, American) posted three wins in non-conference play for the first time since 2018 with a 63-14 victory over South Carolina State (2-2, MEAC) Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.
 
After a strong non-conference slate in which the Bulls downed two Top 25-ranked foes, South Florida will utilize its first bye week of the season to prepare for opening American Conference play in Raymond James Stadium in a Friday night, primetime clash with Charlotte on Oct. 3.
 
Brown finished 14-of-20 on the day for 236 yards with touchdown passes of 43, 26, 22 and 22 yards. The Bulls were explosive, adding rushing touchdowns of 54, 43 and 30 yards and a big 93-yard interception return for a touchdown.
 
The USF defense opened the scoring as Mac Harris intercepted SC State quarterback Ryan Stubblefield at the USF7 after the Bulldogs drove 70 yards on the opening possession of the game. The graduate linebacker raced down the sideline 93 yards for a touchdown and the longest interception return in program history.
 
The Bulls made it 14-0 early in the second quarter when Brown hit tight end Jonathan Echols, who lined up wide, on a 22-yard post route for a touchdown that capped a 67-yard drive.
 
When Brown hit Josh Porter with a beautiful 26-yard pass in the corner of the endzone, the Bulls led 21-0 with 6:20 to play in the first half.
 
SC State got an interception off a tipped pass at the USF27 and moved the ball in five plays to the endzone. The Bulldogs got on the board on a 1-yard run by Kacy Fields with 26 seconds to play in the first half to send the teams to the locker room with South Florida leading 21-7.
 
The Bulls took the opening kickoff of the second half and moved quickly to midfield. Brown uncorked a 42-yard touchdown pass to Chas Nimrod and the Bulls led 28-7 just over a minute into the third quarter.  It was a harbinger of an explosive quarter in which the Bulls ran off 35-straight points to put the game away.
 
The USF defense quickly forced a punt and, after a 19-yard return by Alvon Isaac, running back Nykahi Davenport cashed it in with a 43-yard run up the middle for a touchdown that made it 35-7.
 
The defense forced another punt and this time Jaelen Stokes crashed up the middle and blocked the kick near the Bulls 20. Ashton Mosley scooped it up at the USF4 and returned it for a touchdown and a 42-7 lead.
 
The defense forced another three-and-out and less than a minute later Brown hit Nimrod again with a 22-yard touchdown pass and it was 49-7.
 
A 30-yard touchdown run by Sam Franklin capped the Bulls' third quarter onslaught and made it 56-7 with 5:28 to play in the quarter.
 
Franklin tacked on another 54-yard touchdown run for the Bulls in the fourth quarter as USF ran for 252 yards in the game.
 
KEY STATS
• USF scored on several big plays, including passing touchdowns of 43, 26, 22 and 22 yards, rushing touchdowns of 54, 43 and 30 yards, a 93-yard interception return, and a blocked punt.
• The Bulls scored a season high 63 points, getting points on offense, defense and special teams. It tied the most points scored under head coach Alex Golesh.
• USF outscored South Carolina State 35-0 in the third quarter, a program record for points in a quarter. The Bulls have outscored opponents 58-7 in the third quarter on the year and 181-63 (+118) since the start of the 2024 season.
 
NOTABLES
• QB Byrum Brown – threw a season-best four touchdown passes, his most since tossing four against Charlotte on Nov. 25, 2023. Brown now has six touchdown passes on the season.
• LB Mac Harris grabbed his third career interception and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown, the longest interception return in program history. Harris put on a show, logging six tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss in the first 20 minutes of action before finishing with a career-best equaling 10 tackles.
• S Jaelen Stokes – blocked a punt that was returned 4 yards by Ashton Mosley for a touchdown, the Bulls' first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2011 when Andre Davis returned one 11 yards against Florida A&M.

• WR Chas Nimrod – posted his second straight 100-yard receiving game, catching four passes for 119 yards and touchdown catches of 42 and 22 yards.

 
UP NEXT
USF gets a bye week before opening American Conference play in a Friday night primetime clash with Charlotte on Oct. 3 in Raymond James Stadium. That game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 and can be heard on Q105 FM, the flagship station of USF Football.
 
Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2025 USF football season tickets are on sale and may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
 
Single-game tickets for the 2025 USF football season can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
 
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai'i Bowl. Head coach Alex Golesh posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.