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# USF dominates FAU in front of record homecoming crowd
- URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/usf-dominates-fau-in-front-of-record/
- Published: 2025-10-20T15:30:47.000Z
- Updated: 2025-10-20T15:30:47.000Z
- Description: The Bulls' defense is stifling and their offense is explosive for another big win
- Author: Collin Sherwin
- Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44

**TAMPA, Fla. —** The South Florida Bulls (6-1) thumped the Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4) 48-13 on Saturday night.

In an unpredictable college football landscape filled with upsets, the Bulls were anything but flat against their in-state foe on homecoming.

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“In a lot of ways that was as complete of a game from beginning to end that we’ve played,” head coach Alex Golesh said.

Five of the Bulls’ six wins this season have come by 27 points or more. USF is winning American Conference games by an average margin of 30 points and has scored 48 or more in every conference matchup.

A 6-1 overall record and 3-0 mark in league play is the Bulls’ best start since 2018, when they opened 7-0 *(don’t ask what happened next).* Ed Note: “Were we not 7-0?” USF secured bowl eligibility for the third straight year under Golesh and the 13th time in program history.

In the third quarter, FAU cut the lead to 21-13 when senior tight end Michael Kirch caught a shovel pass from junior quarterback Caden Veltkamp and barreled into the end zone. From there, USF scored the final 27 points of the game. The Bulls have outscored opponents by 98 points in the second half this season.

Senior quarterback Byrum Brown turned in another explosive performance with 256 passing yards, 111 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. It was Brown’s seventh career game with 100 or more rushing yards and his fourth career game with 350 or more total yards — the others coming against Charlotte two weeks ago and at UAB and Memphis in 2023.

The Bulls dominated FAU on the ground, rushing for 259 yards while holding the Owls to just 23, including -4 in the first half.

Sophomore running back Nykai Davenport had 71 rushing yards and a touchdown — his third of the season. Junior offensive lineman Cole Skinner scored his second touchdown in as many weeks.

Freshman receiver Jeremiah Koger led all players with 90 receiving yards, including a 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Koger has four touchdown catches in the last three games after not recording a reception in the first four.

Golesh praised Koger’s work ethic and competitiveness after the game, saying, “We need to recruit more Jeremiah Kogers.”

Sophomore receiver Keshaun Singleton added five catches for 69 yards. Tight end Jonathan Echols hauled in a second-quarter touchdown — his third in the last four games — and junior tight end Wyatt Sullivan rumbled in for a 24-yard score in the third.

Graduate defensive lineman Jacob Merrifield posted a sack and a tackle for loss — sweet revenge for the FAU transfer in his first game against his former team.

USF’s defense prides itself on being violent and explosive, and Saturday night might have been its best showing yet. The Owls entered averaging 32.8 points per game but managed only 13\. Their 280 total yards were a season low.

The Bulls’ defense totaled five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.

Graduate linebacker Mac Harris led the team with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Fred Gaskin added seven tackles and a strip sack — his first career forced fumble and sack. Graduate defensive linemen Josh Celiscar and Devin Lee each recorded a sack.

USF also slowed FAU’s prolific passing attack. Veltkamp completed 35-of-50 passes for 244 yards — well below his 297.5-yard average. He averaged just seven yards per completion, nearly four fewer than his 10.9-yard season mark entering the game.

FAU junior receiver Easton Messer, who leads the American Conference in receiving, had seven catches for 54 yards. Sophomore Asaad Waseem led the Owls with eight catches for 56 yards.

In the fourth quarter, graduate linebacker Rico Watson III recorded his first career interception — a milestone moment for the sixth-year player and former walk-on from Armwood High School in Tampa.

The Bulls’ defense has forced at least one takeaway in 15 consecutive games.

The announced attendance at Raymond James Stadium was 45,169 — the fifth-largest homecoming crowd in program history and the biggest since 2009 against Louisville. More than 11,000 students attended, filling the section so completely that officials opened club-level seating to accommodate them.

“The fans being here makes such a huge difference — that’s what college football in Tampa should be,” Golesh said, noting that more than 200 recruits were in attendance. The strong crowd was another sign of the program’s growth under his leadership.

USF moved up one spot to No. 18 in the AP poll on Sunday.

Up next, the Bulls travel to Memphis for a heavyweight bout against the Tigers — a clash of 6-1 teams after Memphis’ stunning loss to UAB on Saturday.

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