For a few minutes Thursday night, it looked like USF would come away with another hard-fought win.
But then, just like last week against Temple, the Bulls’ defense allowed UTSA to drive 75 yards and score the go-ahead touchdown with 15 seconds to play as the Roadrunners pulled out a 31-24 win against the Bulls.
Less than two minutes earlier, the offense had delivered. D.J. Crowther scored a touchdown. The Bulls had taken the lead in a tough road setting with less than two minutes left. They needed one more stop. But they never got it.
UTSA drove 75 yards and scored with 15 seconds remaining to beat South Florida 31-24 at the Alamodome.
The Bulls fell to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the American Conference. Meanwhile, UTSA improved to 5-1 and stayed unbeaten in league play at 2-0.
For Bulls fans, this one stings a bit because USF had a real chance to leave San Antonio with a win that could have changed the mood around this team. Instead, the Bulls left with their second straight loss and a familiar question: How do they finish?
After a rough showing against Temple, Brian Hartline’s team needed more than talk about better execution. They needed to move the ball, mix the run with the pass, and put touchdowns on the board.
The opening possession actually checked all those boxes.
The Bulls went 65 yards in 10 plays, finishing with Crowther’s 15-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. It was the kind of balanced drive Hartline has been looking for, with USF moving steadily down the field instead of asking one big play to rescue the offense.
That start gave Bulls fans a reason to believe the short week had produced some answers.
USF also found a big play through the air as Michael Van Buren Jr. connected with Bryson Rodgers for a 42-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, giving the Bulls a 14-7 lead.
Rodgers would finish with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. His score showed what a downfield threat can do for an offense that has struggled to find steady rhythm.
UTSA’s first touchdown came on a 53-yard run by A’Marion Peterson, an early reminder that one missed chance to contain a runner can wipe out several good defensive snaps.
Nico Gramatica added a 24-yard field goal with 1:58 to play in the half to put USF up 17-10.
Ayden Jackson then made one of the defense’s biggest plays, sacking Owen McCown on fourth down to end a UTSA threat before the break and send the Bulls to the locker room with the lead. Jackson finished with eight tackles.
Those plays mattered. But the Bulls needed that same ability to end a possession when the game was on the line. Still, USF reached halftime with a 17-10 lead.
The third quarter changed the game. UTSA dominated the second half, outscoring USF 21-7.
The Roadrunners tied the game on their first possession after halftime. Then they used two field goals to build a 23-17 lead.
Meanwhile, the Bulls’ offense lost the rhythm it had found early. USF ran only eight plays in the third quarter. That left the defense facing long possessions while the offense struggled to give it a break.
Hartline pointed to that problem afterward, saying the offense had failed to stay on the field in the third quarter. He also said the defense had fought hard.
“We are getting better. Just not good enough fast enough,” Hartline said.
That is a fair description of Thursday’s game. There was progress. There were stretches of good football. But USF still could not put enough of those stretches together to win.
UTSA outgained the Bulls 271-87 after halftime. The Roadrunners rushed for 174 yards in the second half, compared with 31 for USF.
J.D. Crowther gave the Bulls another chance.
Trailing by six, USF put together a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that used 6 minutes, 25 seconds. Van Buren found Crowther for an 11-yard score, and Gramatica’s extra point gave the Bulls a 24-23 lead with 1:56 remaining. Crowther finished with 83 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored twice, once on the ground and once as a receiver.
Van Buren completed 16 of 29 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He threw no interceptions and was not sacked.
USF also scored on all three red-zone trips and converted both fourth-down attempts. Those are real positives for an offense trying to find its footing.
The Bulls protected their quarterback, avoided interceptions, and finished scoring chances. But one final defensive stand was needed to turn those positives into a win.
UTSA answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1 minute, 41 seconds.
McCown’s 19-yard scramble on third-and-five kept the drive alive. Later, Will Henderson III broke loose for 26 yards to the USF 1. Peterson scored on the next play, and the Roadrunners added a two-point conversion. UTSA gained 70 of its 75 yards on that drive by running the ball.
With the game hanging in the balance, the Roadrunners kept finding room on the ground. USF could not close the door.
Peterson finished with 92 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
UTSA totaled 486 yards, including 277 rushing, while USF finished with 288 total yards.
This loss does not belong to one unit alone. The offense’s third-quarter stall helped UTSA take control. The defense’s final breakdown cost USF its last chance to win.
Kent State comes next.
USF returns to Raymond James Stadium to face Kent State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.
The Bulls still have time to turn this season around. A 4-2 record leaves plenty to play for. But after two straight losses, the Bulls need to sustain drives, tackle better, and protect a late lead. Thursday showed that USF can start well and fight back. Now the Bulls have to learn to finish.