USF Seeks Bounce-Back Win in Crucial Matchup With UTSA

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The University of South Florida Bulls take on the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners on Thursday night.

USF comes off a bye week following a heartbreaking 34-31 loss to Memphis. Now, the Bulls head back home with hopes of bouncing back.

“The best thing you can do is get back out on the field and go back to work, and I will say it’s a resilient group — a leadership-heavy team we have right now — and the leadership has taken it by the horns,” head coach Alex Golesh said.

The Bulls are 2-2 after bye weeks under Golesh. They beat Charlotte 54-26 after a bye earlier this season. USF is 10-3 following a loss under Golesh.

UTSA is coming off a 48-26 rout of Tulane last Thursday. The Roadrunners are 24-0 at home against conference opponents under head coach Jeff Traylor. It’s been a different story on the road — they’ll head to Raymond James Stadium riding a six-game road losing streak against conference foes.

UTSA produced a season-high 523 total yards last week. Junior quarterback Owen McCown was nearly flawless, completing 31-of-33 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns. It was the most completions, passing yards and touchdowns by McCown in 2025. McCown received American Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. He is the son of longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014.

The Bulls’ passing defense struggled against Memphis, allowing Tigers quarterback Brendon Lewis to throw for 307 yards. USF is allowing 272.4 passing yards per game in 2025, ranking 127th in the FBS. The Bulls’ defense is giving up explosive passing plays on 10% of dropbacks.

USF’s lack of pass rush has handicapped its pass defense this season. The Bulls rank second in the American with 19 sacks. However, only 8.5 of those have come from USF’s defensive front. The team’s reliance on the blitz has led to big plays in the passing game.

While the Bulls have struggled against the pass, their run defense has been consistently stout. Opponents are averaging 114.3 rushing yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry — both second-best marks in the conference. UTSA is averaging 178.3 rushing yards per game on 4.9 yards per carry.

UTSA senior running back Robert Henry is one of the most prolific backs in the country. Henry has 955 rushing yards this season, the third most in the nation. His eight yards per carry rank second in the FBS.

Graduate linebacker Mac Harris leads the Bulls with 69 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and four forced turnovers. Graduate linebacker Jhalyn Shuler has added 64 tackles.

USF’s defense has forced 17 turnovers this season, 10th most in the country. UTSA has lost just seven turnovers, the 14th fewest in the FBS.

Senior quarterback Byrum Brown has led the Bulls’ offensive attack. Brown is averaging 245.5 passing yards per game in 2025 with a career-high 12.8 yards per completion. He has accounted for four or more total touchdowns in each of his last five games.

While Brown’s passing has been impressive, his legs have been the most dynamic part of his 2025 campaign. He’s averaging a career-high 74.5 rushing yards per game, fifth most among quarterbacks nationally. Brown is also the Bulls’ leading rusher this season.

Graduate Sam Franklin and sophomore Nykai Davenport lead USF’s running back room. Both have rushed for more than 300 yards this season and are averaging more than six yards per carry. The Bulls have rushed for 250 yards or more in each of their last five games.

Freshman receiver Jeremiah Koger has totaled 17 catches for 337 yards over the last four games. Sophomore receiver Keshaun Singleton has 451 receiving yards, including seven catches for 88 yards in the loss to Memphis. The seven receptions tied a career high for Singleton.

Senior receiver Chas Nimrod has missed USF’s last two games with a foot injury. Despite the absence, he remains the Bulls’ leading receiver with 466 yards. Golesh implied that Nimrod’s return could be near.

“I think it will be really close as we go into tomorrow and into Wednesday,” Golesh said when asked if Nimrod could return for the game. He added that Nimrod is “doing really, really well.”

USF’s offense ranks sixth in the nation, averaging 40.4 points per game. The Bulls are converting third downs at a 49.2% rate, the 20th-highest mark in the FBS.

Thursday is USF’s “Salute to Service” game at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls will honor active military members and veterans with USA-themed helmets. USF will look for a better result in the uniforms this year after losing to Navy in them last season.

The Bulls enter the weekend in a cluster of six American Conference teams with one league loss. Four straight wins to close the season would earn them a spot in the conference championship game.

“That’s what we’ve been working toward for three years here — having real, actual expectations,” Golesh said. “For us, it’s critical that it doesn’t become our prison. It’s critical that it becomes our testimony and part of our story. The challenge to our guys is that, at the end of this whole thing, what is the story going to be?”

There is no margin for error if the Bulls want to make their first conference championship appearance in program history. Their high-stakes stretch run for the 2025 season starts Thursday.