USF Football Downs Kent State on Homecoming

Saturday, October 17

Tampa, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of South Florida

5-2 , 1-2

Kent State

2-5 , 1-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Kent St.	2	0	0	0	2
South Fla.	0	10	7	12	29

Tailgate Packages USF Game Notes BullsEye Coaches Show

C.J. Hicks, Ashton Mosley during the South Florida Football match vs Kent State on October 17, 2026.

Photo by: Kendall Bulkiewicz / University of South Florida Athletics

USF Football Downs Kent State on Homecoming

October 17, 2026 | Football

Box Score USF Postgame Notes vs. Kent State 10.17.26 Photo Gallery

TAMPA, FLA. (Oct. 17, 2026) – On homecoming at Raymond James Stadium, South Florida (5-2; 1-2 American) closed out an unbeaten non-conference season as the Bulls downed Kent State (2-5; 1-2 MAC), 29-2, behind a defense that didn't give up a point and scored eight points itself.

The Bulls improved to 16-14 in homecoming games and completed an unbeaten non-conference campaign for the first time since 2018. The Bulls 4-0 mark against non-conference opponents marked the sixth unbeaten pre-conference slate in program history. The Bulls will get a bye week before resuming conference play back in Raymond James Stadium on Halloween vs. UAB.

The South Florida defense was the star of the night, scoring on a 96-yard fumble return and recording a safety while holding Kent State to 228 total yards, 1.8 yards a run and no offensive points.

Neither team scored an offensive point until Nico Gramatica's 49-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play in the first half, which gave the Bulls a 10-2 lead going to the locker room. Kent State produced 197 offensive yards to the Bulls 101 in the first half, but the Golden Flash offense was held scoreless despite two drives inside the USF 5. The first ended in a failed 4^th-and-goal attempt and the second produced a fumble returned 96 yards for a touchdown by C.J. Hicks.

Kent State got on the board first with a safety. After the USF offense took over on its own 3 following the stop on the Golden Flashes 4^th-and-goal attempt, the KSU defense dropped Bulls running back D.J. Crowther in the endzone on South Florida's first snap.

The Bulls offense got going late in the game producing touchdown drives of 73 and 65 yards to pull away.

Quarterback Michael Van Buren completed 85 percent of his passes (22-of-26) for 193 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Cam Seldon hauled in four passes for a career-best 60 yards and a 36-yard, fourth quarter touchdown.

Michael Williams led the Bulls defensive effort, posting a team-best five tackles, 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.

First Half
After the teams exchanged punts following their opening possessions, Kent State drove 77 yards to the Bulls' 3-yard line. KSU went for it on 4^th-and-goal, pitching the ball wide to the running back. An off-target pitch slowed the runner, and Bulls' cornerback Jair Murphy ran him on the sideline for no gain as he tried to gain the edge.

The Bulls took over on their own 3. Lined up in the shotgun for their first play, Van Buren handed off to Crowther who was hit immediately in the endzone and dropped for a safety that gave Kent State a 2-0 lead.

The Bulls' free kick went out of bounds and the KSU offense came back on the field to begin their fourth drive of the game at their own 35. The Golden Flashes moved quickly into the redzone and reached the Bulls 1. On 3^rd-and-goal, quarterback Dru DeShields fumbled the snap. C.J. Hicks raced in from his Jack position on the edge, scooped the fumble, and raced 96 yards for a touchdown that flipped the momentum and gave the Bulls a 7-2 lead.

Hicks' scoop and score tied the program record for the longest fumble return in program history and came just moments after the previous record holder, Kayvon Webster, was introduced on the field for the homecoming crowd. Webster recorded his in a 2011 upset win at No. 16 Notre Dame.

KSU drove 51 yards in 11 plays to reach the Bulls 29. A 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide, preserving a 7-2 South Florida lead.

The Bulls took over with 1:56 to play in the half. Van Buren began moving the Bulls with short passes and hit Joshua Porter for a nine-yard gain that crossed midfield. The drive stalled at the KSU 32. On fourth down, Nico Gramatica came on with 10 seconds to play and knocked through a 49-yard field goal for the first offensive points of the half. The Bulls took the 10-2 lead to the locker room.

Second Half
South Florida got the ball to begin the half and Seldon returned the kickoff 26 yards to the 34. After a gain of nine of first down, two run plays were stuffed and the Bulls faced a 4^th-and-1 at their own 43. They went for it, but Crowther was stopped on a run up the middle.

KSU took over on the 43, but gained no yards on three downs and faced 4^th-and-10. The offense stayed on the field, Shields dropped back for a pass and South Florida's Marshon Oxley was hit with a 15-yard personal foul for roughing the passer. The ball moved to the 28. A 10-yard run moved it to the 18 and then the drive stalled at the 13. KSU settled for a 30-yard field goal attempt, but the holder fumbled the ball and the Bulls dropped him for a seven-yard loss.

Van Buren and Crowther combined to move the Bulls methodically down the field. A 12-yard catch by Evan Dangler, was followed by a 10-yard Van Buren run. Crowther carried six times as the Bulls reached the KSU5. Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek came on and the 220-pounder pounded the ball up the middle three times sandwiched around a KSU offsides penalty, finally reaching the endzone on a 3^rd-and-inches plunge that gave South Florida a 17-2 lead.

The Bulls made it 24-2 when Van Buren hit Cam Seldon with a beautiful 36-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.

A 33-yard Gramatica field goal extended the lead and later, following a Luke Goater punt downed at the KSU1, the Bulls put the final points on the board when Jabari Smith dropped quarterback Nolan Good in the endzone for a safety.

KEY STATS
• The Bulls defense scored on a 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a safety, and did not allow an offensive point on the night.
• The South Florida offense drove 73 yards in 15 plays for the first offensive touchdown of the game late in the third quarter and produced 138 yards and 14 points on back-to-back drives.
• Kent State drove inside the USF 30 four times on the night – two inside the 5 – and scored no offensive points on any of the trips. On their final five drives of the game, USF only allowed the Golden Flashes to advance as far as their own 21 and produce 14 total yards.

NOTABLES
• J C.J. Hicks – His 96-yards scoop and score fumble return in the second quarter after Kent State had reached the Bulls 1 tied the longest fumble return in program history, equaling the mark Kayvon Webster set in 2011 with a 96-yard scoop and score in the Bulls 23-20 upset of the No. 16 ranked Irish.
• QB Luke Kromenhoek – The 220-pound quarterback scored his fourth rushing TD of the year – second on the team – with a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter.
• WR Cam Seldon – Caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren, his first in a South Florida uniform. It marked the longest reception of his career. He finished the night with a career high – receiving yards and – catches.

UP NEXT
South Florida get a bye week before resuming American Conference action with a Halloween clash vs. UAB on Oct. 31 in Raymond James Stadium. UAB is 4-3 (2-1 American) on the year after a 30-17 overtime victory over ECU on Friday night. The Bulls lead the series 3-2 and have won the last two meetings, including a 48-18 victory in Birmingham, Ala., last year.

Follow us:
For the latest updates from South Florida Athletics, visit GoUSFBulls.com. Follow South Florida Football on social media Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube.

Get Your Tickets Today!
Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the South Florida Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.

About South Florida Football
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30^th season in 2026.

In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027.

The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida 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. The Bulls 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 AP rankings during the 2007 season.

– #GoBulls –