South Florida Beats First FBS Opponent In Almost Two Years

Last week, USF gave Alabama a run for their money, but couldn't get a victory. It was a disappointing result for the USF faithful, but showed how far the

Last week, USF gave Alabama a run for their money, but couldn't get a victory. It was a disappointing result for the USF faithful, but showed how far the program had come.

Prior to Saturday, the USF Bulls had not beaten another FBS team since October 23 of 2021 - 18 games, if you're keeping score at home. That changed when they downed AAC newcomer Rice University 42-29 in Tampa. 

It was the AAC conference opener for both teams in 2023. There were seven lead changes throughout. 

Helping to cement the win for the Bulls was a string of 22 points that went unanswered until the Bulls had a 41-22 lead in the fourth quarter.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Byrum Brown finished with the second-most passing yards in a game in USF history. Brown completed 22 passes on 29 attempts, accumulating 435 yards with two touchdowns. Brown also ran for 82 yards and a touchdown. 

Brown's primary target was Naiem Simmons, whose astonishing stat line ended up as eight catches for 272 yards and a touchdown. His yardage total was a single-game program record.

HAVE A DAY @NaiemSimmons

Puts the Bulls back on top with the 49-yard touchdown.#AmericanFB x @USFFootball pic.twitter.com/G66xm0orZa

— The American (@American_Conf) September 23, 2023

USF totaled 597 yards of offense. This was their highest total since November 27 of 2020 against UCF. 

This also marked the second win of Alex Golesh's career as a head coach. The Bulls improve to 2-2 on the season after also defeating Florida A&M two weeks ago. 

USF will look to continue their season next Saturday, September 30, when they play Golesh's first AAC road game at Navy.