The ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.
USF had somehow snuck out their true freshman, backup quarterback, Locklan Hewlett, to line up as their punter.
The St. Augustine native took the snap and lofted a pass down the field to star wideout Keshaun Singleton.
The receiver managed to snag the pass, shed a few Broncos, and take it to the end zone.
USF never looked back, putting an exclamation point on a 34-7 thrashing of the 25th ranked Boise State Broncos, who earlier this year were in the College Football Playoff after winning the Mountain West Conference. It was the Bulls’ 1st win versus a top-25 opponent in almost a decade.
The Bulls faced arguably the toughest start in college football to their 2025 season, with 3 straight matchups against top-25 opponents.
They’ve already exceeded all expectations by winning even one of these games, and they did so with a complete effort, all phases of the game showing out and making massive, momentum-shifting plays.
Dynamic linebacker duo Mac Harris and Jhalyn Shuler got the wonderful plays started by combining to force and recover a fumble on the Broncos’ first possession.
That would be the first of 3 turnovers forced by the USF defense (all fumbles), playing a huge role in the Bulls’ ability to go on a 34-0 run for the last 3 quarters of action.
Byrum Brown had his welcome back moments, with some bulldozing runs that led to touchdowns (with one of epic proportions being called back due to a hold), as well as hitting up Tennessee transfer Chas Nimrod for 3 receptions and an eye-popping 96 yards.
2nd-year back Alvon Isaac also broke off a massive 49-yard run in the 4th quarter to set up a field goal, helping add to the Bulls’ 100+ yard game on the ground.
All in all, it was an inspiring and galvanizing performance by a team that had high hopes for this season; could this be the start of something special?
Even if they lose their next 2 games on the road against those behemoth Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators, it could still be an amazing season for the Bulls.
Let’s hope they can keep the good vibes goin’, because to quote the late great Amir Abdur-Rahim, this ain’t the same old South Florida.
