DENTON, Texas — Byrum Brown accounted for five total touchdowns and No. 24 South Florida erupted for 49 points in the second half to hand previously unbeaten North Texas its first loss of the season, 63–36, Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 31,346 at DATCU Stadium.
The Bulls (5-1, 2-0 American Conference) piled up 580 total yards and forced five turnovers in a dominant road performance that extended their winning streak to four games and kept them tied atop the American standings. North Texas (5-1, 1-1) had opened 5-0 for the first time since 1959 but was overwhelmed after halftime, allowing touchdowns on six straight USF possessions.
Brown threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards and two more scores, leading an offense that topped 300 rushing yards for the second time this year. His favorite target, tight end J.J. Koger, caught four passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yard strike midway through the third quarter that broke the game open.
South Florida trailed 21-14 late in the first half before Brown’s 2-yard scoring toss to Ja’Kari Echols tied the game at 21 with two seconds left. From there, the Bulls turned the game into a rout. Receiver Christian Neptune took a backwards pass on the first drive of the second half and hit Kentron Singleton for a 29-yard touchdown. Moments later, linebacker Jhalyn Shuler scooped a fumble and raced 34 yards to make it 42-21.
Running back Sam Franklin added an 11-yard touchdown, and Brown’s 63-yard bomb to Koger pushed the margin to 49-28. In the fourth quarter, freshman Christian Skinner’s 1-yard plunge and Brown’s 9-yard keeper closed out a 28-point second-half blitz .
USF’s balanced attack saw five players top 50 rushing yards: Chris Garnett (74), Alvon Isaac (64), Franklin (51), and Nykahi Davenport (36) joined Brown as the Bulls churned out 306 yards on the ground and averaged 6.7 yards per play. The defense intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles, turning them into 21 points. Tavin Ward led the way with 14 tackles, while Shuler added eight stops and a takeaway touchdown.
North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 326 yards and two scores but was picked off three times. Miles Coleman caught seven passes for 101 yards and a 54-yard touchdown, while Wyatt Young added 79 yards receiving and a rushing score. The Mean Green managed just 97 rushing yards and surrendered two sacks.
The 63 points marked USF’s highest output since 2017 and its most ever against a current American Conference opponent. The Bulls scored touchdowns on nine of 13 possessions and went 6-of-7 in the red zone.