Up by 17 points in the second quarter, Tulane redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah dropped back and found junior wide receiver Mario Williams sprinting down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown.  

Just a few plays later, junior USF quarterback Byrum Brown coughed up the football on a violent sack – the Bulls’ (2-3, 0-1 AAC) second turnover of the day. 

Mensah and Williams immediately hit paydirt again, putting Tulane (3-2, 1-0 AAC) up 31-0. The Bulls found themselves on the wrong end of blowout territory, and it wasn’t even halftime yet. 

That was the story of USF’s 45-10 loss on Saturday in New Orleans to open American Athletic Conference play – a demoralizing defeat that was thought to be a competitive matchup between AAC title frontrunners. 

Related: Preview: USF football opens conference play against Tulane

Tulane managed to put up 528 offensive yards, while Mensah picked apart the USF defense for an average of 17.1 yards per completion. 

The loss is a gash that stings a bit more considering the status of Brown – who left in the third quarter after getting his legs twisted up in a low tackle. 

USF head coach Alex Golesh said that Brown will be evaluated after the Bulls arrive back in Tampa. 

But even before then, the tone of the game was set. The Bulls’ first possession was a three-and-out. The Green Wave marched down the field on a six-play drive that resulted in a quick touchdown. 

Golesh said that, after that first possession, the Bulls offense felt “a count behind” during the first-half. 

“You get behind and you feel like you need to force some things down the field, which is not the way you want to live,” he said. 

That was the start of the onslaught. 

Mensah must have studied the tape from USF’s previous loss against Miami. 

He took command of the Green Wave offense, meticulously picking apart the defense from the first possession. He completed 18 of his 22 pass attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns. 

USF could only find the end zone once in the entire game, a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Brown at the end of the first-half to snap Tulane’s 31-point scoring barrage. 

It was only one of two USF possessions that didn’t end in a turnover or a punt. 

Saying the Bulls defense struggled might be an understatement – USF has now allowed 95 combined points in its last two games. 

Third-down defense – in particular – has appeared to be a struggle. The Bulls have also allowed a combined 68% third-down conversion rate in their last two matchups. 

“It looked like in between the explosive plays we were not able to get off the field on third down,” Golesh said. “That goes to time of possession, that goes to lack of possessions offensively.”

USF will take on Memphis on Oct. 11 at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN and Bulls Unlimited.