Where Does “A Win’s a Win” End and “We Have a Problem” Begin?

The South Florida Bulls football team has started the 2026 season 4-0.

That is the most positive statement I can formulate after the Bulls’ head-scratching, excruciating, and infuriating 14-6 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons on Saturday evening.

USF trailed for 40:11 of game time Saturday. They needed a near-perfect defensive performance and some heroic plays on both sides of the ball to scratch out their eight-point win.

The loss dropped Bowling Green to 0-4. They are one of just four FBS teams to have an 0-4 record through the first month of the 2026 season. The Falcons came into the game allowing their opponents to score an average of 43.7 points per game.

However, for the majority of Saturday’s game, the Falcons looked faster and more inspired.

USF’s offense lays a major egg

Bowling Green’s defense held USF to a season-low 14 points. The Falcons had six sacks and nine tackles for loss. In total, the Bulls lost 103 yards between sacks and tackles for loss.

Bowling Green’s six sacks are tied for the fifth-most by a team in a single game this season. It’s the most a USF quarterback has been sacked in a game in program history.

The dismal day for USF’s offense started immediately. Bulls quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. lost fumbles on back-to-back possessions to start the game. Going into the game, the Bulls had turned the ball over just once in three games.

Van Buren Jr. completed a season-low seven passes and had just 52 yards Saturday evening. He was under extreme pressure all night.

The Bulls’ offensive line play against Bowling Green is what will be remembered from Saturday’s game, and not for good reasons.

USF’s overall pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, was 22.2. Four of the Bulls’ starting offensive linemen had pass-blocking grades of 45 or lower. Van Buren Jr. was kept clean on less than half of his dropbacks.

The person who struggled the most was graduate offensive lineman Thomas Shrader. He played both tackle positions for the first time this season after previously playing guard and center. Shrader registered a 0.0 pass-blocking grade Saturday evening. (I didn’t even know that was possible until today.)

Shrader was inserted as a tackle because of an injury to starting tackle Michael Wooten, who has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. The Bulls will have to continue to shuffle their offensive linemen because of injuries and lackluster play moving forward.

Saturday’s pass-blocking performance made it nearly impossible for the Bulls to move the ball. It is a major concern for USF moving forward.

D.J. Crowther puts the Bulls’ offense on his back

Graduate running back D.J. Crowther was a bright spot in the dark world that was the Bulls with the ball on Saturday.

Crowther carried the ball a season-high 23 times for 143 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry. It’s the first time in Crowther’s career that he’s rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games.

He willed the Bulls’ offense to the majority of its success. Crowther was the highest-graded player on USF’s offense, according to PFF.

Crowther’s success is even more impressive when noting the aforementioned struggles of the Bulls’ offensive line Saturday. He had 93 of his 145 yards after contact and forced seven missed tackles. He dragged, dodged and stiff-armed wimpy Falcons defenders all evening long.

He has asserted himself as the top dawg in the Bulls’ running back room. His 23 carries are the most by a USF running back. He’s now led the team in carries in back-to-back weeks.

Having a go-to guy in the backfield is a huge development for USF moving forward.

The Bulls’ defense is at its best when faced with adversity

With how anemic the Bulls’ offense was Saturday evening, there was no margin for error for its defense.

And they delivered.

Bowling Green had one drive longer than 46 yards Saturday. The Falcons were held to a season-low 3.4 yards per play.

The Bulls racked up 11 tackles for loss and a season-high three sacks of their own. USF ranks sixth nationally with 33 tackles for loss this season.

USF held the Falcons to just 85 rushing yards on 2.6 yards per carry. Bowling Green converted just five of its 15 third-down attempts. The Falcons were stopped on both of their fourth-down attempts.

The biggest stop for the Bulls’ defense came while they were down 6-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Senior defensive lineman Asani Redwood shot through the Falcons’ offensive line and recorded a tackle for loss on fourth-and-1 to get the Bulls the ball at the Falcons’ 45-yard line. USF would go on to score its first touchdown of the game on the ensuing drive.

Time after time this season, it’s been the Bulls’ defense playing its best when their backs were seemingly against the wall. Whether it was senior cornerback Tayvion Beasley getting an interception in a key spot in Week 1 against FIU, sophomore linebacker Zavier Hamilton screaming into the backfield to get a game-defining sack against Army or now Redwood’s crucial tackle for loss, the Bulls’ defense has played its best in key moments.

The Bulls’ defense dominated all day long in Bowling Green. The Falcons had seven drives that lasted four plays or fewer. No matter what undesirable position USF’s offense left them in, the Bulls’ defense didn’t flinch.

Outlook on the Bulls moving forward

USF’s performance Saturday was less than ideal. They played against a struggling Bowling Green team and were lucky to come out on top. A similar performance to their uninspiring Week 1 win against FIU.

The Bulls are 4-0 for the first time since 2018, but it’s hard to come away from this game feeling optimistic about their chances moving forward.

USF’s offensive line is a major concern. Until they can get more consistent play from that unit as a whole, the Bulls’ offense will be handcuffed in what they can do.

Saturday was the sloppiest game the Bulls have played in 2026. They had the two turnovers in the first quarter, and they also had a season-high seven penalties for 66 yards.

Defensively, the Bulls have been up and down this season. However, their clutch play in big moments is something they can hang their hats on. USF will also get even better with linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard back in the lineup and leading the defense moving forward. Howard played five snaps against Bowling Green.

The bottom line is USF will not be able to put together performances like they did Saturday and continue to win. The Bulls have yet to put together a complete game for four quarters in 2026.

However, it’s college football. USF traveled 1,100 miles to Bowling Green, Ohio, to play in front of a mostly packed house on homecoming weekend. Weirder losses have happened.

The Bulls will have to find consistent play as their schedule starts to ramp up, with seven of their final eight games being against American Conference opponents. The slate starts Saturday against a pesky Temple team.

So, to answer the question in the title: USF does have problems that have to be fixed. But it feels far better to be needing to fix problems as a 4-0 team as opposed to a 0-4 team.