South Florida Football opened its 13th season of American Athletic Conference play in emphatic fashion Friday night, steamrolling Charlotte 54-26 at Raymond James Stadium behind a relentless rushing attack and a throwback defensive performance reminiscent of vintage Bulls football.
USF (4-1, 1-0 AAC) piled up 631 total yards — including 407 on the ground — in a dominant display that left the 49ers (1-4, 0-2 AAC) searching for answers. The Bulls celebrated the early years of the program with the “Robo Bull” logo returning to their helmets and midfield, and the play on the field matched the energy of the tribute.
Before the fireworks on offense, it was the Bulls’ defense that established control. South Florida forced Charlotte off the field in three plays or fewer on six of the 49ers’ first eight possessions, allowing just 13 total yards in that span. The unit blocked a punt for a safety, snagged an interception, and forced four turnovers overall, extending USF’s streak to 13 consecutive games with at least one takeaway.
Defensive back Jarvis Lee grabbed his second interception of the season in the second quarter, setting up a Nico Gramatica 43-yard field goal that pushed USF’s lead to 26-0. The Bulls defense also tallied the program’s first blocked punt safety since 2018 when Jair Murphy broke through the line and stuffed a Charlotte punt through the back of the end zone.
Quarterback Byrum Brown led the offensive onslaught, accounting for five total touchdowns — four passing and one rushing — while amassing 211 passing yards and a career-best 162 rushing yards. It marked Brown’s sixth career 100-yard rushing game.
USF wasted no time getting on the board. After taking the opening kickoff, Charlotte transfer running back Cartevious Norton fittingly opened the scoring against his former team with a 37-yard touchdown run, capping a six-play, 59-second drive. Norton finished with 69 yards on 13 carries before exiting late in the game with an upper-body injury.
Brown then connected with true freshman Jeremiah Koger for a 38-yard touchdown, Koger’s first career reception and score. Koger later added three more catches to finish with four receptions for 75 yards. Brown’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Stanford transfer Mudia Reuben gave USF a 23-0 first-quarter lead — its most in an opening quarter since taking a 28-0 lead over Tulsa last November.
Despite four turnovers of their own (two interceptions and two fumbles), the Bulls continued to march up and down the field, running 97 plays and recording 21 explosive plays (gains of 20+ yards). Their 407 rushing yards ranked as the fifth-highest single-game total in program history, and combined with last year’s 425-yard effort, USF has now logged 832 rushing yards against Charlotte in the past two meetings.
Charlotte managed to close the gap to 33-18 early in the fourth quarter, but USF quickly snuffed out any hope of a comeback. Brown responded with back-to-back touchdown drives, punctuated by his own 13-yard scoring run to extend the lead to 47-18 and seal the victory.
Both teams committed four turnovers and combined for 18 penalties in a game that featured plenty of fireworks — and growing pains — on both sides. Still, USF’s balance and big-play potential were undeniable as the Bulls improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2018.
USF now turns its attention to a pivotal American Conference showdown on the road. The Bulls will travel to Denton, Texas, to face North Texas (5-0, 1-0 AAC) on Friday, October 10, in a 7:30 p.m. primetime matchup on ESPN2.
The Mean Green are coming off a bye week and enter the game unbeaten, setting up a marquee AAC clash between two of the conference’s most explosive offenses.
