> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Three things we learned from Memphis 34, USF 31 - URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/three-things-we-learned-from-memphis/ - Published: 2025-10-26T00:21:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T15:46:11.000Z - Description: While it might have felt like the Same Ol' South Florida, the Bulls still have their first conference championship and a CFB berth to play for. Plenty for a team that embraces process over outcome. - Author: Collin Sherwin - Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44 In front of a generously-announced crowd of 30,940, the Memphis Tigers staged a 17-point fourth quarter comeback to knock off the South Florida Bulls 34-31 at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday. Here are three things we learned from the loss: **1\. Relentless aggression has defined USF under Alex Golesh. Today was the first time it backfired.** [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Some might point to Golesh’s decision to eschew a chip shot field goal with a 24-17 lead and six minutes left in the third quarter as a sign of pushing the edges of football math too hard. But in that spot, going for it was actually fine. The missed field goal by Memphis’s Gianni Spetic coming back the other way erased any downside via outcome, especially after Sam Franklin took it 73 yards to the paint on the next play to give the Bulls a 14-point advantage as the penultimate period ended. But with Memphis now in desperation mode, which makes every fourth down a third down, Tigers QB Brendon Lewis was able to swing the advantage. Lewis was 9-15 for 148 yards and a touchdown in the final quarter, and added 43 yards on the ground. He was the overwhelming majority of the Tigers 221 yards in the last 15 minutes. Memphis ran 26 plays run during the last period, plenty of them coming against an exhausted Bulls defense. And while the Bulls run game wasn’t exactly flawless, keeping the clock moving could have been more of a priority. The Bulls had the ball for just 5:25 of the final quarter, throwing 12 passes and running it eight times against often-loaded boxes from the Tigers. Some spots when the clock was running could have seen a snap that was delayed to spin the dial even further. USF was certainly favored to be able to escape a Memphis team that had been outgained 475-229 through 45 minutes of football. But they were unable to kill off the game via their usual truculence. And for a play caller that’s as hyper-aggressive as Golesh, it’s amazing it hasn’t come back to bite the Bulls until now. Relentless aggression wins a lot more than it loses. But today backing off the throttle a smidge might have seen a different result. **2\. The youth of the Bulls is special and contributing** It’s small consolation in a heartbreaking loss, but seeing the Baby Bulls have breakout games all over the place is another sign for a program that continues to build a roster with depth usually not seen in the Group of SIx. Freshman Christian Neptune was terrific with six catches for 43 yards, and his classmate Jeremiah Koger added five receptions for 78 yards and a score. Sophomore Nykahi Davenport popped a 60-yard run, and tight end Jonathan Echols looks like he could be the future at a position that has vexed the Bulls for decades. In the modern era of college football, keeping this talented roster will be a priority in the offseason, and that will require cash. But for now, enjoy the upside. “We’re young in some spots. You saw freshman, sophomores all over the place,” said Golesh after the game. “We’re gonna continue to grow.” **3\. The Bulls still have everything to play for, and that’s what makes 2025 different** It’s overwhelmingly likely only thing USF lost today was their insurance policy. While there are scenarios where the 7-1 Bulls don’t reach the American Conference Championship Game, they are very few and far between. If the Bulls win out against UTSA, Navy, UAB, and Rice, four games in which they’ll be solid favorites before kickoff, they’ll finally get a chance to claim a conference championship. If Tulane beats Memphis on November 7th, the serve is back on the Bulls racket. And even if they don’t, there are still far more paths to the title than not. “We’re going to be in this situation again at some point, hopefully this year,” Golesh said postgame. “In the fourth quarter we were in too many 3rd and longs, and we didn’t run it as effectively as we needed to.” It doesn’t make blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter any easier to swallow, but it does mean there’s still plenty to play for. Including a berth in the College Football Playoff. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup)