Coming off a disappointing loss to the Temple Owls, the South Florida Bulls traveled to Texas to take on UTSA on a short week. The Bulls entered the game struggling mightily offensively over their previous two games, but finally showed signed of life early in the game.
The Bulls’ offense started the game with a ten play drive that ended in a D.J. Crowther 15-yard touchdown run. The most encouraging part of the drive for South Florida was the success in the passing game.
Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. completed two passes for chunk plays in the opening drive, finding Evan Dangler for an 11-yard gain and Mudia Reuben for a 14-yard catch. Van Buren Jr. finished the day completing 16-of-29 passes for 177 yards and two passing touchdowns.
After the opening drive, the two teams exchanged punts before running back A’Marion Peterson took a third down run 53 yards to tie the game. The 53-yard run was the longest run of the day for either team.
South Florida answered right back on the ensuing possession as Van Buren Jr. found Bryson Rodgers for a 42-yard touchdown pass, his first of the day. Both UTSA and South Florida added field goals, sending South Florida into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
The 17 first-half points were the most South Florida had scored in the opening half against an FBS opponent this season, a welcome change after the offense produced just 27 total points over its previous two games.
Coming out of the half, the Roadrunners marched right down the field on a dominant eight-play drive that was headlined by a Mekhi Anderson 30-yard run before Peterson scored his second touchdown of the game to tie it at 17.
From that point on, the game flipped. UTSA scored on each of its four possessions in the second half and controlled the ball for long stretches while South Florida’s offense struggled to recapture its first-half rhythm.
Two more Roadrunners field goals put the Bulls behind 23-17 late in the fourth quarter.
With the game slipping away, Van Buren Jr. and the Bulls’ offense responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Van Buren Jr. finding Crowther for an 11-yard score to give the Bulls a 24-23 lead with 1:56 left in the game.
After carrying South Florida through much of the early season, the defense was given a chance to close the game. This time it couldn’t.
The Roadrunners marched 75 yards in just 1:41, converting third and fourth downs before Peterson scored his third touchdown of the day from one yard out with 15 seconds remaining. UTSA added a two-point conversion to take a 31-24 lead.
The late collapse overshadowed what had been the Bulls best offensive start against an FBS team of the season. The Bulls led 17-10 at halftime, but managed just 87 yards of offense in the second half to UTSA’s 271 yards.
Van Buren Jr. finished the game clean, committing no turnovers. Crowther added 83 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored twice.
Defensively, the Bulls allowed 486 total yards, including 277 on the ground. Peterson led the way for UTSA with 92 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.
The 31-24 loss marked the first time the Bulls have lost back-to-back games since 2024, while their American conference record fell to 1-2. After starting the season 4-0, the Bulls now sit at 4-2 needing to regroup after consecutive losses.
South Florida will host Kent State next week in its last non-conference game of the season. The game will take place at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. The game can be watched on ESPN+.
