USF football rolls past Charlotte in American Conference season opener

TAMPA, FLA., OCT. 3, 2025 - On "Flashback Friday" at Raymond James Stadium, South Florida (4-1, 1-0 American) flashed in 54-26 rout of Charlotte (1-4; 0-2 American) that included 631 yards of offense and 407 rushing yards to open the Bulls' 13^th season of American Conference play.

USF celebrated the early years of the program with the "Robo Bull" logo adorning its helmets and at midfield. The Bulls defense looked like vintage USF teams, forcing the Charlotte offense off the field in three plays or less in six of the 49ers' first eight possessions, blocking a punt for a safety and getting an interception. Charlotte totaled just 13 yards in its first eight possessions. The defense went on to force four turnovers on the night and extend a string of 13 straight games gaining a turnover.

Meanwhile, the USF offense was explosive, scoring touchdowns of 37, 38 and 10 yards to post 23 first quarter points, the Bulls most in the quarter since taking a 28-0 first quarter lead vs. Tulsa last November. The Bulls would rumble to 407 rushing yards, part of 631 yards on the night as they posted 21 explosive plays. Only an uncharacteristic four turnovers - two interceptions and two fumbles - slowed a Bulls offense that ran 97 plays and posted the second-highest yardage total under head coach .

Quarterback accounted for five touchdowns on the night as he threw for 211 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a career-best 162 yards and a touchdown - his sixth career 100-yard rushing game. Freshman was a key target posting his first career catch on a 38-yard touchdown before finishing with four grabs for 75 yards.

After USF took the opening kickoff, Bulls running back , a Charlotte transfer, fittingly opened the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown run through the heart of the 49ers defense. The Bulls scored in six plays and 59 seconds and were off and running. Norton would finish with 69 yards on 13 carries, but left the game after suffering an upper body injury in the fourth quarter.

After the defense forced a pair of Charlotte punts, the Bulls struck again when Brown connected with Koger on a 38-yard touchdown pass, the first career reception for the true freshman.

After a penalty on the ensuing kickoff, Charlotte started on its own 7. The USF defense forced the 49ers into a loss of two yards and Charlotte had to punt from its own 5 after a third straight three-and-out. broke through the middle of the line and blocked the punt through the back of the endzone for a safety and a 16-0 lead.

The Bulls made it 23-0 when Brown drove USF 40 yards in six plays and capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown toss to , the first touchdown grab in a USF uniform for the Stanford transfer.

grabbed his second interception of the season on Charlotte's next possession and turned it into three points with a 43-yard field goal that made it 26-0 early in the second quarter and had the Bulls well on their way to victory.

Charlotte intercepted Brown at the USF34, the 49ers third take away in the first half, and scored three plays later to cut the lead to 26-7.

The 49ers got within two scores, 33-18, when they scored on a short touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls scored back-to-back touchdowns, the last on a 13-yard Brown touchdown run that made it 47-18, to reaffirm control and cruise to victory.

KEY STATS
• USF started fast posting a 23-0 first quarter lead, its most first quarter points since holding a 28-0 lead vs. Tulsa last November.
• USF ran for 407 yards, the fifth most in a game all-time, and have logged 832 rushing yards vs. Charlotte the last two years after posting a program record 425 last year.
• Both teams committed four turnovers and the teams combined for 18 penalties.
• The Bulls ran a season-high 97 plays and posted 631 yards, the second-most of the era.

NOTABLES
• QB - For the second straight game he threw for four touchdowns and ran for one, accounting for five touchdowns on the night as he ran for a career-best 162 yards.
• WR scored on a 38-yard touchdown on his first career catch before finishing with four catches for 75 yards.
• LB led the Bulls with 10 tackles and forced a fumble.

UP NEXT
USF hits the road for another Friday night primetime clash as the Bulls take on North Texas in Denton, Texas on Oct. 10. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2. North Texas will be coming off a bye week and will enter the game unbeaten at 4-0 (1-0 American) on the year.

Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2025 USF football season tickets are on sale and may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.

Single-game tickets for the 2025 USF football season can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.

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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai'i Bowl. Head coach posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.