Hoping for an upset, USF fell apart in front of 58,616 attendees after halftime in a 50-15 blowout versus No. 8 Miami.

Heisman favorite senior quarterback Cam Ward shredded the Bulls (2-2) defense, en route to a 404 passing yards and three touchdowns performance. Bulls head coach Alex Golesh remarked highly of the quarterback’s play in his post-game press conference.

“The quarterback is special. Made some throws that we’ve been able to defend the first three weeks,” said Golesh. “Today we couldn’t, no matter how good the coverage was.”

The Bulls offense produced no points after the second quarter, while the defense let up 36 straight the rest of the way.

Related: USF hopes to slow down Cam Ward, powerful Miami offense

First half frenzy

The game’s first 30 minutes had no shortage of points, with the offenses combining for a total of 37 in the first half.

Miami (4-0) scored on its first drive in the game on a two-yard run by junior running back Damien Martinez, with the help of four USF penalties. 

The Bulls would respond to Miami’s opening score with a career-long 58-yard field goal from freshman kicker Nico Gramatica.

On the next Miami possession, junior cornerback Brent Austin intercepted Ward, keeping momentum in the Bulls’ favor

Taking over at the Miami 25-yard line, South Florida capitalized on the turnover with a trick play on offense. Junior quarterback Byrum Brown would find himself on the receiving end of a four-yard touchdown, on a pass from graduate receiver Sean Atkins.

The receiver would finish the game with 11 receptions for 125 yards. Atkins appreciated the call from Golesh, saying it got him back on track during the game.

“Just seeing Byrum get open, executing a good play meant a lot to me,” said Atkins. “It kind of got me back in the groove”.

Related: USF football takeaways: Bulls run over Southern Mississippi

The ensuing point after attempt would be blocked by Miami, bringing the score to 9-7 with USF leading. 

The Bulls recovered a surprise onside kick after the score, but it was negated by a penalty. The Hurricanes took over, finding the endzone once again on a six-yard touchdown pass from Ward to sophomore Isaiah Horton to take the lead back 14-9.

A pair of Gramatica field goals gave USF a 15-14 advantage with 2:36 left in the second quarter.

A quick 76-yard strike from Ward to Martinez gave Miami the 22-15 lead going into half.

Brown exits, Bulls scoreless in second half

Down only a touchdown going into the third quarter, the game began to slip away from USF.

On defense, the Bulls struggled to get stops, allowing 36 unanswered points in the second half. 

Offensively, USF’s drives stalled over and over. South Florida failed to find the end zone in the fourth quarter, just as it did against Alabama.

Golesh emphasized the importance of finishing games no matter the competition in his post game interview.

“There’s no excuse. It doesn’t matter who you play,” Golesh said. “The expectation inside our locker room is that we find a way to win, and tonight, we didn’t.”

To add onto USF’s woes, Brown left the game early with an undisclosed injury. Golesh expressed that Brown could have returned to the game, but opted for junior quarterback Bryce Archie to get some game experience.

“[Brown] could have gone in, but he wanted to let Bryce continue,” said Golesh. “Bryce has earned the opportunity to do so as well, and Bryce needs those reps to continue to develop.”

On his third pass attempt of the game, Archie was intercepted in the end zone. He completed six of his 12 passing attempts for 37 yards and two interceptions.

The loss marks USF’s ninth straight defeat against teams ranked in the AP top 10. The last win was its historic upset versus No. 5 West Virginia on Sept. 28, 2007.

The Bulls will have the chance to get back on track in their first AAC matchup of the season against Tulane Sept. 28 on the road. The Green Wave lead the all-time series 3-1, defeating the Bulls last time out in 2022 by a score of 45-31.

USF will face Tulane on the road next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPNU and Bulls Unlimited. Follow @usf_huddle for news and updates.