South Florida Stuns Boise State In Season-Opening Blowout Win

The South Florida Bulls hit the ground running for their 2025 season, starting things off with a stunning upset.

USF topped Boise State Thursday night by a 34-7 final, marking the program's first win over a nationally ranked team since they beat No. 22 Navy in 2016. Returning quarterback Byrum Brown completed 16-of-24 passes for 210 yards while doing his scoring damage with his legs, adding 14 carries for 43 yards and two touchdown runs.

The Bulls led only 10-7 with 8:28 to go in the third quarter, but that's when the game broke in their favor. Showing punt on fourth-and-6 from the Boise State 45-yard line, punter Locklan Hewlitt pulled up for the fake, instead lofting it to wide receiver Keshaun Singleton, who took it to the house. The extra point made it 17-3 for USF, who never looked back from there.

The Bulls also showed good ball security, committing no turnovers, while the Broncos put the ball on the ground three times. USF shined on defense by recovering all three fumbles, as Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen struggled to the tune of a 26.0 QBR.

After the fake punt touchdown, the Bulls scored two more TDs to make it three straight possessions hitting pay dirt. The Broncos, meanwhile, answered with two turnovers on downs and a fumble, putting the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

USF will look to build off the upset win, but their schedule only gets harder. They've got No. 15 Florida and No. 10 Miami over the next two weeks. But they just forced the college football world to take notice.