he South Florida Bulls punched their 10th win of the season Saturday night in a thrilling 45-35 road victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, inching one step closer to a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship.
South Florida came out firing, lighting up the scoreboard early behind a balanced and explosive offensive attack. Quarterback play was sharp in the opening half, with quick-strike scoring drives and a steady ground game that kept Tulsa’s defense on its heels. By halftime, the Bulls had built a comfortable cushion, but the second half was anything but smooth sailing.
The offense began to stall in the third quarter, struggling with consistency and missed opportunities, allowing Tulsa to claw their way back into the contest. With momentum shifting and the home crowd energized, it was the Bulls' defense that stood tall in the fourth quarter.
Facing multiple late drives by the Golden Hurricane, South Florida’s defense came up with timely stops, including a crucial fourth-down stand and a game-sealing interception in the final minutes. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was the kind of gritty finish that championship-caliber teams find a way to deliver.
With the win, the Bulls improve to 10-1 and now control their own destiny. Their final regular season test comes next week at home against Tulane. A win there would send them to the AAC Championship Game, a goal that has been within reach all season and now hangs just 60 minutes away.
Head Coach Bell was ecstatic with his team’s effort but remained focused on the bigger picture.
“I’m incredibly proud of how we came out and took control early,” Bell said postgame. “But we also saw tonight that there’s still work to be done. We let off the gas a bit, and against great teams, that can hurt you. We’ve got to sharpen up if we want to finish this the right way.”
The Bulls will return home this week with everything to play for. A season full of high expectations and defining moments comes down to one final game. Beat Tulane, and South Florida will get its shot at an AAC title.
Morgan Freeman has a tory to share about USFs greatest victory against Tulsa
Now, I want you to picture a sky as clear as truth itself, hanging over a stadium brimming with anticipation. It was no ordinary day. No sir, this was a Saturday of reckoning. A clash of titans. The USF Bulls — fierce, stampeding, destiny-bound — lined up against the tempest itself: the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. What followed… was football alchemy.
Let me take you back.
First Quarter: The Bulls Stampede
It all began, as most great stories do, with a spark — a 4-yard bulldozing charge by a man named Nay'Quan Wright. Time? 3 minutes and 17 seconds before the first quarter would call it quits. The crowd? Electrified. The Bulls? Just getting started.
Moments later — 30 seconds on the clock — young Byrum Brown zipped a pass into the gentle cradle of Payten Singletary's hands. A 5-yard touchdown. Routine? Maybe. Beautiful? Without question.
But before anyone could blink — nay, before they could breathe — Nay’Quan was at it again, slicing through defenders like poetry on fire. A 12-yard run. A third touchdown. At 15 seconds left in the first, Tulsa looked up at the scoreboard and saw not numbers, but a message:
"Brace yourselves."
Second Quarter: When the Wind Changed
You see, it’s easy to admire a hurricane from afar. But when it sweeps through your house, tearing up your game plan — you start to understand its name.
With 6:27 on the clock, Jehlen Cannady took an interception and fed it to destiny, sprinting 33 yards with the kind of fury you can't coach. A pick-six that screamed, "We're still here."
USF answered — oh yes, they did. Byrum Brown, cooler than jazz on a vinyl record, lobbed a 19-yard dart to Singletary again. Another touchdown. Another kick. More fireworks.
But just as the Bulls raised their horns, a streak of gold split the field — Bill Jackson. Sixty. Nine. Yards. Not a run, no. A pilgrimage. A myth in motion. Two-point attempt? Denied. But the message? Delivered.
Yet, even with Tulsa clawing back, the Bulls weren't done. A 1-yard whisper of a pass to JeyQuan Smith with 3 seconds left in the half. Just enough time to remind Tulsa that the storm might be loud, but the Bulls were relentless.
Third Quarter: Bulls in Flight
The third was calm. At least, it started that way. Until — out of nowhere — Byrum Brown and Abdür-Rahmaan Yaseen lit up the twilight with a 15-yard connection so smooth it ought to be illegal. Touchdown, Bulls.
Tulsa? Silent. But not for long.
Fourth Quarter: Thunder and Glory
With 4:28 to go, Bill Jackson returned — that same man from the 69-yard epic — now barreling in for a 2-yard score. And this time? Cooper Legas didn't just hold the ball — he converted. Two more points. Momentum? Shifting.
But USF — guided by the unshakable foot of John Cannon — launched a 29-yard field goal with surgical precision. 2:17 on the clock. You could feel the Earth shift under Raymond James Stadium.
Then came Tulsa’s final breath — and it was beautiful. A 14-yard touchdown pass. Legas to Jackson. Poetry in pads. Seth Morgan nailed the kick.
But the clock, like all things, ran out.
Final Score: USF 45, Tulsa 35
Some say it was just a game. But I was there — or maybe I just dreamed it so vividly it became real.
And I tell you, that was not just football. That was theater. That was war and art and jazz and gospel colliding on a patch of grass. That was the most excellent game ever played.
Because on that day, the Bulls ran wild — and the Hurricane never backed down.
And somewhere in the echoes of that stadium… the game still plays on.
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