Looking to end the 2025 regular season on a high note, the South Florida Bulls hosted the Rice Owls on Nov. 29th in Tampa, Florida. It was Senior Night, and USF gave their home crowd quite the show. With the win, the Bulls improved to 9-3 on the season — including an undefeated season at home, their first since 2002.
Offense
South Florida’s offense did not waste any time getting started. In fact, USF scored touchdowns on their first four drives of the game, building a commanding lead that took Rice out of the game early.
Quarterback Byrum Brown delivered yet another standout performance. Brown threw four touchdown passes, ran for another, and piled up 275 passing yards along with 104 rushing yards. His ability to extend plays kept Rice’s defense off balance all night.
Brown’s favorite target was Wide Receiver Keshaun Singleton. He hauled in six passes for 125 yards, including two trips to the end zone.
Wide Receivers Mudia Reuben, Jeremiah Koger, and Christian Helms all scored as well.
Helms’ touchdown was the first of his six-year career. I absolutely loved seeing 85 get into the end zone.
Additionally, Running Back Nykahi Davenport carried the ball 11 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. By the end of the night, the Bulls had tallied 553 total yards, showcasing the balance in their offense.
Defense
Per usual this season, the Bulls’ defense was disciplined and effective against the Owls.
Holding Rice to just three points and 257 total yards, South Florida’s defense delivered one of its most complete performances of the season.
Senior Linebackers, Jhalyn Shuler and Mac Harris, set the tone in the middle of the field. Shuler led the way with seven tackles, while Harris added another five.
Rico Watson and Josh Celiscar each recorded a sack as well.
Keeping everything in front of them and allowing no explosive plays downfield, the USF secondary perfectly complemented the front-end pressure being produced by the team’s Defensive Linemen and Linebackers.
To say the Bulls’ defense put on a clinic would be an understatement. They dictated the pace of the game, protected the lead, and guaranteed that Rice had no chance to climb back into this one.
What’s Next?
The Bulls are bowl eligible and will be playing in the Cure Bowl on December 17th, 2025, against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The game will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kick off will be at 5:00PM EST.
Also, following the Bulls’ victory over the Rice Owls, Head Coach Alex Golesh accepted the gig at Auburn to become the next leader of their program.
Check out my next article to learn a little bit about USF’s next Head Coach (unless you live under a rock, you already know who it is).
Go Bulls!!!