The USF Bulls upset the No. 13 Florida Gators 18-16 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday night. USF has now beat two-straight ranked opponents to start the 2025 season.
Sophomore kicker Nico Gramatica hit a chip-shot field goal from 20 yards out as time expired to secure the upset win for the Bulls. Gramatica, the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Gramatica, went 3-for-4 on kicks in the game.
“[Before each kick] I’m praying in Spanish,” Gramatica said. “I was praying the verse Exodus 15:2. The ending of the verse says to exalt Him, and whatever I do, good or bad, I want to give Him the glory and give him the praise.”
Bulls QB Byrum Brown had 263 passing yards and a touchdown, adding 60 yards on the ground in the win. He outplayed second year Gators QB DJ Lagway, who had 222 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
The first half featured field goals, field goals, and even more field goals, as Trey Smack and Gramatica combined for five field goals on seven drives. Each team had two red-zone drives in the half, but failed to get to the end-zone.
Florida hurt themselves on these drives, as the Gators committed three costly penalties from inside the red-zone. Two of these penalties negated touchdowns, forcing them to settle for three.
USF’s defense came to play to start the third quarter, as they forced two punts and an interception on Lagway by James Chenault. With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Brown spotted confusion in the Gators secondary and quickly snapped the ball. He threw to Keyshawn Singleton at the UF 45, who took the ball to the end-zone for a 66 yard score.
“I could lie to you and tell you that was the best schemed up play we’ve ever had,” USF Head Coach Alex Golesh said. “That was us trying to get done with 12 guys on the field. They didn’t give us the penalty, but Byron’s job is to snap it and throw it vertical.”
“Anytime the ball is in the air to Keyshawn, I call it 60-40,” Brown said.
Issues compiled for the Gators to end the third, as after a third down was stopped, they were forced to punt. The snap went over the head of punter Tommy Doman and rolled into the back of the endzone for a safety, putting the Bulls up 15-9 heading into the final quarter.
After a spirited performance of “I Won’t Back Down,” the crowd caused a Bulls false start on third down. Brown’s pass was deflected by Devin Moore, forcing a punt.
Before the game, Golesh said that the Swamp’s crowd was “real,” and Brown said he prepared the team to play through the adversity.
Chase Leon’s first punt attempt was negated due to an illegal motion penalty. The flag proved to be costly, as true freshman Vernell Brown III ripped off a 40 yard return, with an extra 15 yards coming off the penalty.
Set up at the USF 20, Lagway took advantage of the opportunity with a touchdown pass to Eugene Wilson III. Following Smack’s extra point, the Gators regained the lead 16-15.
Following the touchdown, the Bulls were unable to respond, having a three-and-out on a crucial drive. UF was able to drain five minutes off the clock before a Doman punt, which gave USF a chance with six minutes left in the game.
The Bulls drove down the field at will until senior rusher Tyreak Sapp sacked Brown to set up a 3rd and long. They were unable to convert and trotted out Gramatica for a 58 yard attempt. His attempt was accurate, but came just short of the goal-posts.
UF went three-and-out after the miss, giving Brown one more chance to lead his team to victory.
“We are confident in each other every time we step between those white lines,” Brown said.
Before the two minute timeout, UF committed two costly penalties: a pass interference and a flagrant foul. These two flags combined gave USF 28 free yards. A screen to Alvon Isaac gained 29 yards and moved the ball to the UF 32 at the timeout.
USF continued to drive the ball, getting to 1st and goal at the eight before Napier used a timeout. Brown drove his team all the way to the two, which set up the easy kick by Gramatica.
The Bulls have started 2-0 for the first time since 2018, while the Gators drop to 1-1. This is the first time USF has ever beaten Florida and the first time in 14 years that the Bulls beat a ranked team on the road.
Next up:
USF hopes to continue their hot streak, but it will be a tough task as they face No. 5 in Miami at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 13.
“Our confidence level is always high,” Brown said. “We’re just going to do what we do on a day-to-day basis.”
“I want them to feel like they did something really cool,” Golesh said. “They won a football game against a really good opponent. But we have to reset because we got to do the same thing again next week.”
Meanwhile, the Gators hope to bounce back at home against No. 3 LSU in Death Valley at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13.