South Florida wasted no time making a statement in the 2025 college football season, dismantling No. 25 Boise State 34-7 Thursday night in Raymond James Stadium. Behind quarterback Byrum Brown’s dual-threat performance and a gutsy trick play that swung momentum, the Bulls secured their first win over a Top 25 opponent since 2016 and snapped an 18-game losing streak against ranked teams.
Brown, steady and poised from start to finish, completed 16 of 24 passes for 210 yards while adding 43 yards on the ground. He also ran for two touchdowns, leading a USF offense that looked confident and explosive under head coach Alex Golesh.
The turning point came in the second quarter with South Florida facing a fourth down at the Boise State 45. Golesh inserted freshman backup quarterback Locklan Hewlett as the punter, and the gamble paid off. Hewlett executed a flawless fake punt, firing a pass to wide receiver Keshaun Singleton inside the red zone. Singleton shrugged off three defenders and bolted into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Singleton finished the night with five catches for 93 yards and the touchdown, while receiver Chas Nimrod stretched the field with 96 receiving yards of his own. Running back Cartevious Norton iced the game in the fourth quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run.
“This is what we’ve been building toward,” Golesh said. “Our guys played fearless, and tonight, it showed.”
Boise State, meanwhile, couldn’t escape its own mistakes. Quarterback Maddux Madsen went 25 of 46 for 225 yards and threw a touchdown to Chris Marshall, but the Broncos coughed up three costly fumbles and failed to convert on fourth down three different times in USF territory. Latrell Caples led Boise State with four catches for 58 yards, but the Broncos never found a rhythm.
The loss is a major setback for Boise State, which entered the season ranked No. 25 and with hopes of contending for a College Football Playoff berth. With the stumble, the Broncos will almost certainly fall out of the Top 25 and now face a must-win stretch to stay relevant in the playoff race. Their next marquee chance to impress voters comes against Notre Dame on Oct. 4.
For South Florida, the win is a long-awaited breakthrough. The Bulls’ last ranked victory came on Oct. 28, 2016, when they outdueled No. 22 Navy in a 52-45 shootout. Thursday night’s rout may prove even more significant, signaling that USF could contend in 2025 with ranked matchups against Florida and Miami still looming.
Boise State: Hosts Eastern Washington on Sept. 5. South Florida: Travels to Gainesville to face Florida on Sept. 6.
