South Florida beat UAB 30-10 on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, and the turnovers decided it: both of UAB's lost fumbles came back the other way for Bulls touchdowns. That is 14 points the South Florida offense never had to earn.
The other story was the line of scrimmage. UAB ran 33 times for 17 yards, barely half a yard per carry. South Florida ground out 191 rushing yards and never needed to throw.
How It Happened
UAB started fast. Rod Robinson II scored on a 5-yard run at 10:58 of the first quarter, and Jonah Delange's 30-yard field goal at 3:49 made it 10-0. Those were the last points the Blazers scored.
South Florida got on the board with a 31-yard Nico Gramatica field goal at 5:03 of the second quarter. Then the game flipped in 10 seconds. Jason Collins Jr. ran in from 6 yards with 47 seconds left in the half, and Asani Redwood returned a fumble 6 yards for a score at 0:37. South Florida went to the locker room up 17-10.
Gramatica added a 30-yard field goal at 4:53 of the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Grayson Howard scooped up another UAB fumble and took it 13 yards for a touchdown at 12:28, pushing the lead to 27-10. Gramatica closed the scoring with a 33-yarder at 1:36.
Key Performers
Nico Gramatica, USF: 3 FG (31, 30, 33 YDS), 3 PAT – 12 points
Asani Redwood, USF: 6-yard fumble return TD
Grayson Howard, USF: 13-yard fumble return TD
Jason Collins Jr., USF: 6-yard rushing TD
USF rushing: 43 ATT, 191 YDS, 4.4 per carry
UAB rushing: 33 ATT, 17 YDS, 0.5 per carry
Gramatica accounted for 12 of South Florida's points, and that mattered in a game where the Bulls' offense rarely finished drives. South Florida managed just 13 first downs and 237 total yards. Points from the kicker and the takeaways covered the gap.
Redwood's return was the swing play. It turned a 10-10 tie into a 17-10 lead seconds before halftime, and South Florida never trailed again. Howard's score early in the fourth ended any comeback hope.
What It Means
South Florida improves to 6-2 and 4-1 at home. The Bulls won with 46 passing yards on 8-of-12 throwing, which tells you how little they asked of the air game. They leaned on the run, took care of the ball with 0 turnovers, and let UAB make the mistakes.
UAB falls to 4-4, and the split is stark: 4-0 at home, 0-4 on the road. This game showed why. Away from home, the Blazers' offense could not sustain drives, converting just 4 of 16 third downs and finishing with 177 total yards.
The passing game was not the problem on its own. UAB threw for 160 yards on 14-of-28 passing without an interception. But with no run game to lean on and two fumbles turned into touchdowns, the Blazers were shut out over the final three quarters. Until UAB finds a way to win outside its own stadium, a .500 record is about what its road form deserves.