Bulls Rally Late, Fall Just Short in Thriller at UTSA

Thursday, October 8

San Antonio, Texas

7:30 p.m.

University of South Florida

4-2 , 1-2

UTSA

5-1 , 2-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
South Fla.	14	3	0	7	24
UTSA	7	3	10	11	31

USF Game Notes

Bulls Rally Late, Fall Just Short in Thriller at UTSA

October 08, 2026 | Football

Box Score Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

Bulls take the lead in the final two minutes before UTSA answers in the closing seconds, 31-24

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Oct. 8, 2026) – In front of a primetime national television audience on ESPN, South Florida (4-2, 1-2 American) battled back from a fourth-quarter deficit and took the lead in the final two minutes of regulation. UTSA (5-1, 2-0 American), however, showed why it owns a 35-5 record at home dating back to the 2020 season, answering with a touchdown and two-point conversion in the closing seconds to escape with a 31-24 win at the Alamodome.

The setback snapped the Bulls' two-game true road winning streak to open the season. South Florida pushed the Roadrunners to the final seconds in front of a loud, nationally televised Alamodome crowd.

The Bulls got the offense going early, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive and posting their most first-half points against an FBS opponent on the year to lead 17-10 at the half.

Running back D.J. Crowther, coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, ran for 83 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone twice, adding a receiving touchdown to his rushing score.

Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. completed 16-of-29 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack, finishing a clean, efficient night as the Bulls posted 288 yards of offense.

UTSA running back A'Marion Peterson was the catalyst for the Roadrunners, rushing for 92 yards on just 12 carries and scoring all three of his team's rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner with 15 seconds remaining.

Safeties Tavin Ward and Ayden Jackson led the Bulls defensive effort, posting nine and eight tackles, respectively, with Jackson also delivering a sack.

First Half
The Bulls took the opening kickoff and the offense came out humming, gaining three first downs before facing their first third down and moving to the UTSA 15 in nine plays. From there, Crowther bounced outside and cruised to the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown run that gave the Bulls the early lead just 4:33 into the game.

UTSA struck back, moving from its own 22 to its own 42 in five plays. On third-and-two, running back A'Marion Peterson found a crease on the right side and sprinted to a 53-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.

The Bulls drove to midfield and faced a fourth-and-two at the UTSA 45. Head coach Brian Hartline didn't hesitate, handing the ball to the hard-running Crowther, who broke tackles and dragged a defender to first-down yardage. On the next play, Van Buren lofted a deep ball to the right corner, and Bryson Rodgers hauled it in for a 42-yard touchdown that put the Bulls back on top, 14-7, with seconds remaining in the first quarter. It was the Bulls' highest-scoring first quarter against an FBS opponent this year.

UTSA drove to the Bulls' nine, where South Florida forced an incompletion on third down, and the Roadrunners settled for a 26-yard field goal.

The teams exchanged punts, and the Bulls took over on their own 34. A targeting penalty on a hit on Cam Seldon on second-and-16 moved the ball to the USF 49. The Bulls advanced to the UTSA 42, where they faced a fourth-and-one. Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek entered the game and picked up two yards for the first down. Van Buren hit Wyatt Sullivan on a short route underneath, and the big tight end rumbled to the UTSA eight. A short run from Crowther got the Bulls to the six, where the drive stalled, and Nico Gramatica knocked in a 24-yard field goal to make it 17-10 South Florida with 1:58 to play in the half.

UTSA quarterback Owen McCown completed a 14-yard pass and then ran up the middle for 19 yards, putting UTSA in Bulls territory at the 39. Defensive tackle Ryan Jenkins got a big stop, and Ashton Mosley hurried a pass, forcing the Roadrunners into a fourth-and-three at the 32. UTSA went for it, but the Bulls blitzed, and safety Ayden Jackson sacked McCown to end the threat and send the Bulls to the locker room with the lead.

Second Half
With the Bulls leading 17-10, UTSA took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 75 yards in eight plays to tie the game at 17 on a three-yard touchdown run from Peterson.

The Bulls gained 12 yards in four plays and were forced to punt. UTSA drove 64 yards for a 41-yard field goal to take its first lead of the game, 20-17, with 2:04 to play in the third quarter.

South Florida took over on its own 25 after the kickoff and went three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Roadrunners, who took over on their own 30. The Roadrunners drove to the Bulls' 13, where C.J. Hicks broke through the line and sacked McCown for a loss, forcing a 31-yard field goal. The attempt was good, and UTSA led 23-17 with 8:21 to play.

South Florida refused to fold. Taking over at its own 25, the Bulls put together their best drive of the night, marching 75 yards on 12 plays and nearly six and a half minutes off the clock. Van Buren moved the chains on third and fourth down alike, and on the biggest snap of the drive, found Crowther out of the backfield for an 11-yard touchdown strike. Gramatica's extra point gave South Florida the lead, 24-23, with 1:56 to play, and the Alamodome crowd went silent as the Bulls appeared poised to steal a signature road win.

UTSA answered right back. Peterson and the Roadrunners responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive of their own, converting on third and fourth down to keep the possession alive before Peterson capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds remaining. UTSA added a two-point conversion to push the final margin to 31-24, and South Florida's final possession expired as time ran out.

KEY STATS
• South Florida took a lead into the final two minutes on the road against a 5-1 American Conference opponent, outscoring UTSA 24-20 from the 4:33 mark of the first quarter until UTSA's game-winning score with 15 seconds left.
• Michael Van Buren Jr. did not throw an interception and was not sacked, completing 16 of 29 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
• South Florida was a perfect three-for-three in the red zone and converted both of its fourth-down attempts.
• The Bulls defense recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss, with Ayden Jackson's sack coming on a fourth-down stop that ended a UTSA scoring threat in the second quarter.

NOTABLES
• S Tavin Ward – led the Bulls with a season-best nine tackles.
• S Ayden Jackson – posted eight tackles and added a fourth-down sack that ended a UTSA scoring threat before halftime.
• WR Bryson Rodgers – caught a team-high 5 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, hauling in a 42-yard score in the first quarter.
• RB D.J. Crowther – scored twice, adding an 11-yard touchdown reception on the Bulls' go-ahead drive to his first-quarter rushing score.

UP NEXT
South Florida returns home for a homecoming clash against Kent State (2-3, 1-1 MAC) next Saturday, Oct. 17, in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls' final non-conference game of the season will kick off at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The Bulls are 3-0 on the season in non-conference action. It will be the first meeting against Kent State and the second Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent for the Bulls this year. South Florida won at Bowling Green earlier this season.

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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.

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