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Photo Credit: Bobby Carter NGSC Sports
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Pregame Storylines
The USF Bulls entered yesterday’s matchup with the South Carolina State Bulldogs following a 1–1 road trip, highlighted by a win over the Florida Gators and a tough loss to the Miami Hurricanes.
The crowd wasn’t quite as full as it was for the Boise State game, but fans still turned out for “Bay Day”, a celebration of the Tampa Bay area. USF had briefly cracked the national rankings for the first time in years, but the loss to Miami bumped them out.
First Half: Early Defense Sparks the Bulls
The Bulls’ defense made the first big play of the day when Mac Harris returned a 93-yard interception for a touchdown, giving USF the early momentum.
Although South Carolina State’s speed challenged the Bulls, USF’s defense held strong. The Bulldogs finally broke through late in the second quarter, but USF carried a 21–7 lead into halftime.
Second Half: Bulls Pour It On
The offense wasted little time after the break. Byrum Brown connected with Chas Nimrod for a 42-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 28–7. Shortly after, Nyahi Davenport scored his first career rushing touchdown to make it 35–7.
USF’s dominance carried into special teams, as a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown to extend the lead to 42–7. From there, the rout was on.
Two more offensive touchdowns made it 56–7 before the Bulls wisely pulled Brown late in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Gaston Moore stepped in and handled the offense efficiently.
The Bulldogs managed a late rushing touchdown by Julian Mulligan, trimming the margin to 56–14, but USF answered back with another rushing score to seal a 63–14 victory.
Final Thoughts
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Record: USF improves to 3–1 heading into conference play.
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Key Moments:
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Mac Harris’ pick-six opened the scoring.
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Special teams contributed with a blocked punt return TD.
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First career touchdowns for both Joshua Porter (receiving) and Nyahi Davenport (rushing).
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Despite being outgained in several statistical categories early, USF’s defense, big plays, and opportunistic offense carried the day.
What’s Next
Today’s blowout marked the final non-conference game of the season for the Bulls. They’ll now turn their focus toward conference play, where the competition level takes a step up.
Join the Conversation
What are your thoughts on USF’s dominant win heading into conference play? Leave a comment below!
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Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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