The University of Florida Gators will be back in the Swamp this Saturday as they are hosting the University of South Florida Bulls in a non-conference matchup. The Gators will have their hands full with a Bulls team that is fresh off a 34-7 upset win against the No. 25 Boise State Broncos, one of several notable upsets in the opening weekend.
Florida Gators
Florida opened the season with a 55-0 win over Long Island University Sharks last week, but are in for a much bigger challenge against the surging Bulls. Running back Jaden Baugh will look to continue his success on the ground after a 100-yard rushing game on a night where he saw just nine carries. However, he will be facing a Bulls defense that allowed just 3.2 yards per carry last week against Boise State’s running back committee. As for the rest of the offense, quarterback DJ Lagway will look to continue his solid play following his three touchdown outing and is expected to get reinforcements with receivers Dallas Wilson and Aiden Mizell returning to the lineup. The Gator defense impressed as well, as they gave up just 2 first downs and 86 yards of total offense on their way to a shutout win.
South Florida Bulls
The Bulls are riding high off a 34-7 upset win over the previously ranked Broncos from Boise State. Quarterback Byrum Brown, in his first action since last October, led the way with 210 yards through the air paired with two rushing touchdowns that helped fuel a South Florida attack that the Broncos couldn’t slow. As good as Brown was, the story for the Bulls was elite defensive play backed by senior linebacker Jhalyn Shuler. Shuler’s 14 tackles were a career high as he anchored a Bulls defense that gave up just one score. On top of his tackles, Shuler also recovered a fumble as the Bulls defense forced three turnovers to help set the offense up for success.
Matchup Breakdown
A matchup that felt like a sure win for Florida has now gotten much more interesting with South Florida’s win over Boise State. However, Florida’s star-studded offense figures to leave the Bulls’ defense with their hands full. Behind elite running from Jaden Baugh and a talented receiving corps in the nation, DJ Lagway should enjoy success over a Bulls defense that isn’t equipped to match SEC talent and depth. For the Bulls, they will need more magic from Byrum Brown to help move the ball against a defense that figures to be towards the top of the SEC.
X Factors
The Swamp: Similar to last week the Gators will enjoy the advantage of being backed by more than 90,000 fans in the famed stadium “where only Gators get out alive”. Crowd noise figures disrupt South Florida’s offense, though head coach Alex Golesh is familiar with SEC level crowds from his time at the University of Tennessee.
DJ Lagway: There isn’t much any defense can do when Lagway is at his best. While he enjoyed a solid stat line in his performance in the first half against LIU, he admitted that he needed to be better. He will be getting help with two of his starting receivers kicking off their 2025-26 campaign. Look for Lagway to continue to get his feel as the season progresses and start to pick apart a solid South Florida defense.
Byrum Brown: Brown looked like one of the the American Athletic Conference’s top quarterbacks during last week’s win over Boise State, but he will be tested against an elite SEC defense this week. Brown will have to continue his dual-threat style and try to give the Gators trouble in South Florida’s quick tempo offense where he will have to make capitalize on any of mistakes the Florida defense makes.
Prediction
Though South Florida has lots of momentum after last week’s performance, the Gators in the Swamp are going to be too much for the Bulls. Expect the Gators defense to stymie a Bulls attack centered around Byrum Brown. On the other side of the ball, with reinforcements at receiver, expect Billy Napier to spread the ball around and prove to be too much for the Bulls defense.
Final Score Prediction: Florida 38, South Florida 10
The University of Florida Gators take on the University of South Florida Bulls on Saturday Sept. 6 at 4:15 p.m. EST at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The game can be watched on SEC Network.
