South Florida rolled up 544 yards and broke UAB’s back with 27 unanswered points on the way to a 48-18 American Conference win at Protective Stadium on Saturday. The Blazers played the game under an unsettling cloud after two players were stabbed by another team member in an incident at the team’s football facility earlier in the day. Officials have said the unnamed victims were in stable condition after suffering non-life threatening injuries and that 20-year-old redshirt freshman offensive lineman Daniel Israel Mincey of Pompano Beach was arrested in the inceident. He faces charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder. Mincey transferred this season from the University of Kentucky, where he saw action in one game. UAB interim head coach Alex Mortensen said the team decided to move forward and play the Senior Day game. “I’m really proud of this team, the way they came together and competed today, even with heavy hearts,” Mortensen said after the loss. “This allowed our seniors to compete in their last game at Protective and it’s a testament to our team’s dedication to each other and to UAB.” Mortensen said several players “understandably chose to sit out and we certainly respect that decision.” Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown hit 19-of-25 passes for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns as USF improved to 8-3 on the year and 5-2 in league play. The senior QB also ran for 63 yards on 14 attempts with a pair of touchdown runs. Nykahi Davenport ran 17 times for 121 yards and a score for the visitors. The Blazers dropped to 3-8 and 1-6 with their fourth consecutive loss under interim coach Alex Mortensen. UAB’s Jalen Kitna hit 20-of-36 passes for 230 yards, but he was intercepted 3 times. The Bulls held the home team to 131 yards on 43 rushing attempts. Jevon Jackson had 16 carries, managing 32 yards second to Isaiah Jacobs’ 38 yards on 6 carries. Jacobs ran 6 yards to cap a 7-play, 85-yard drive to give the Blazers a 10-7 lead with 1: 16 left in the opening period. The Blazers had eight ballcarriers in the game and eight players caught at least one pass, led by Iverson Hooks’ 10 catches for 146 yards. The Bulls broke on top after Jalen Kitna’s pass was intercepted by Fred Gaskin and returned 21 yards to the Blazers’ 36-yard line. On the Bulls’ second snap, Brown hit Mudia Reuben for a 32-yard gain and the senior quarterback scored on a 1-yard plunge with 11: 47 left in the first quarter. Jonah Delange kicked a 30-yard field goal to get the Blazers on the board with 8: 30 left in the period. South Florida started its run of 27 straight points to put the game away with a Brown-to-Wyatt Sullivan 6-yard TD pass, a 49-yard Nico Gramatica field goal to close out the half at 17-10, a quick-strike 60-yard scoring pass from Brown to Reuben on the Bulls’ first play of the third quarter, a 43-yard Gramatica field goal and a 2-yard Nykahi Davenport run with 4: 04 left in the third period. Solomon Beebe got UAB back on the scoreboard with a 3-yard run with 14: 04 left in the game. The Blazers got in business when Jeremiah Vessel jarred the ball loose after Rueben caught a pass at the home team’s 25-yard line and AJ Brown jumped on it. Ryder Burton scored the 2-point conversion. Reuben made up for his fumble by catching a Brown pass and turning it into a 59-yard touchdown with 12: 09 to play, putting the Bulls up 41-18. USF stopped the Blazers a yard short of the end zone, spoiling a drive that started on the UAB 25 and then marched 99 yards for the final TD. The big gainer in the 11-play drive was Brown’s 32-yard run to the Blazers’ 29. The QB scored five plays later from the 2-yard line with 1: 42 remaining. The Blazers wrap up the season at Tulsa next Saturday.
https://www.al.com/sports/2025/11/south-florida-rolls-past-uab-after-blazers-decide-to-carry-on-after-shocking-assaults.html
South Florida scores 27 unanswered points to roll past UAB
