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South Florida's Defense Sparks A 55–23 Rout Of UTSA On The Bulls' Salute To Service Night

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Football

(BCSNN) — South Florida scored two defensive touchdowns before its offense took the field and never looked back, rolling past UTSA 55–23 on Salute to Service night at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bulls (7–2, 4–1 American) raced to a 45–10 halftime lead and posted their fourth defensive touchdown of the season in a statement win that kept them in the thick of the American Athletic Conference race.

Safety Tavin Ward opened the scoring just eight seconds into the game with a 40-yard pick-six, and fellow safety Fred Gaskin added an 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown on UTSA’s second possession. Jarvis Lee Jr. sparked both plays with blitz pressure and finished with six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble.

Quarterback Byrum Brown accounted for 348 total yards and three touchdowns, going 14-of-15 for 239 yards and two scores while rushing for 109 yards and another touchdown. It marked Brown’s fifth consecutive game with 300-plus total yards and his ninth career 100-yard rushing performance. He moved into third place on USF’s all-time list with 26 career rushing touchdowns.

Wide receiver Keshaun Singleton had a career-high 122 yards on four catches, including touchdown grabs of 16 and 40 yards. Running back Nykahi Davenport added 94 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.

USF averaged 9.4 yards per play and scored touchdowns on four straight possessions in just over five minutes of game time. The Bulls finished with 417 total yards on 50 plays, including 238 rushing yards.

Defensively, USF logged six sacks and 12 tackles for loss, holding UTSA to 72 rushing yards. Roadrunners running back Robert Henry, who entered averaging 124 yards per game, was limited to just 27.

UTSA (4–5, 2–3 American) struggled to find rhythm, committing 17 turnovers and converting just one touchdown in the second half. Caleb Smith led the Roadrunners with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Kicker Nico Gramatica added a 51-yard field goal, the fifth of his career from 50-plus yards, setting a USF program record.

Up next: USF travels to Annapolis to face Navy on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

This article originally appeared in its entirety as a feature on BCSNN.