USF Bulls Stunned by Temple, 17-13, as Late Collapse Ends Perfect Start

USF’s fast start to the Brian Hartline era finally met its first roadblock Saturday night, and it came in the most painful fashion possible.

The Bulls surrendered a 96-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes and fell to Temple, 17-13, at Raymond James Stadium, ending USF’s four-game unbeaten start and snapping a nine-game home winning streak. The announced crowd of 36,349 watched the Bulls rally from a 10-3 halftime deficit, take the lead in the fourth quarter and then watch it disappear in a matter of minutes.

The defeat dropped USF to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while Temple improved to 2-3 and 1-1.

For much of the night, the Bulls looked capable of escaping with another close victory. Instead, the same offensive inconsistencies that had appeared during last week’s narrow win at Bowling Green resurfaced at the worst possible time.

USF managed only 108 yards and five first downs in the opening half. The Bulls converted just one of six third downs during the first 30 minutes, while penalties repeatedly stalled promising possessions.

Nico Gramatica gave USF the early advantage, drilling a 35-yard field goal after the Bulls moved inside the Temple 20 on their opening possession.

Temple answered with a 34-yard Carl Hardin field goal early in the second quarter, and the Owls then took advantage of their best sustained drive of the half.

Quarterback Ajani Sheppard found JoJo Bermudez for a 24-yard touchdown with 45 seconds remaining before halftime, giving Temple a 10-3 advantage at the break. Sheppard would prove to be the decisive player of the night.

USF also missed an opportunity when Gramatica’s 52-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left.

The third quarter brought a much-needed offensive turnaround. USF opened the second half with a methodical 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that consumed 6:27. Michael Van Buren Jr. connected with Josh Porter, D.J. Crowther, Bryson Rodgers and Cam Seldon during the possession before Jason Collins Jr. ripped off a 21-yard run to the Temple 1.

Crowther finished the job from there, powering into the end zone from one yard out to tie the game at 10.

The Bulls’ defense then delivered one of the game’s biggest plays. Temple appeared poised to answer immediately, moving deep into USF territory behind a 29-yard completion to Jayce Freeman and a 34-yard run by Hunter Smith. Sheppard then broke loose for 14 yards and reached the USF 1 before Zavier Hamilton and Amarion Fortenberry combined to knock the ball loose.

C.J. Hicks recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback, preserving the tie. Hicks finished with seven tackles, while linebacker Pup Howard led USF with a career-best nine. The defense had given the Bulls another opportunity.

USF finally moved in front early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls put together another long possession, driving 49 yards on 12 plays before Gramatica calmly connected on a 49-yard field goal with 12:51 remaining. Suddenly, USF was ahead 13-10.

With the defense having played well for most of the night, the Bulls appeared to have the game where they wanted it. Then came Temple’s defining possession.

Temple took over at its own 4-yard line with 8:32 remaining. What followed was the drive that changed the game.

The Owls marched 96 yards in 10 plays, taking 5:24 off the clock. A pass-interference penalty helped Temple escape an early third-down situation, and Sheppard and Freeman converted another important third down before the Owls reached USF territory.

Then, on third-and-7, Sheppard found an opening and exploded up the middle. He went 34 yards for the touchdown. Temple had gone 96 yards, and with 3:08 remaining the Owls had reclaimed the lead, 17-13.

It was Sheppard’s second touchdown of the evening. He finished with 87 rushing yards on 14 carries and completed 9 of 14 passes for 92 yards.

The Bulls had opportunities. USF moved into Temple territory on its next possession but could not convert a fourth-and-8, turning the ball over on downs. The defense forced Temple to punt, giving Van Buren and the offense one final opportunity with 51 seconds remaining.

But the comeback ended when Mudia Reuben fumbled after a 22-yard reception, with Asa Locks recovering to seal the Temple victory. Van Buren finished 17-of-32 for 205 yards. Crowther, who had rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his previous two games, was held to 68 yards on 23 carries, although his one-yard touchdown was crucial in the Bulls’ comeback attempt.

USF finished with 319 total yards. Temple, meanwhile, ran for 182 yards, with Sheppard leading the way and Smith adding 69. The Owls held USF to only 108 yards in the first half.

For Hartline, the loss was less about one disastrous play and more about a collection of problems that finally caught up with the Bulls.

Afterward, the first-year USF head coach described the defeat as being caused by “a lot of self-inflicted wounds.” He specifically pointed to execution problems, alignment mistakes, dropped passes and a lack of discipline that produced penalties capable of killing drives.

Hartline also acknowledged that the problems weren’t necessarily new. “The issues were always there, and they’re finally starting to kick us in the butt.” Despite the defeat, Hartline said the team’s work ethic and practice habits remain strong, adding that “everything’s under review.”

That assessment is significant because USF had already struggled to generate offense against Bowling Green the previous week. The Bulls escaped that game 14-6 despite being held scoreless through three quarters, but the same slow offensive starts proved much more costly against Temple.

Sheppard’s performance was the difference, but Temple’s defense deserves equal credit. The Owls held USF to three points in the first half, forced the Bulls into difficult third-down situations and ultimately stopped both of USF’s final meaningful possessions. Temple linebacker Curly Ordonez, who recorded a team-high 10 tackles in his home state, summed up the defensive mentality after the game. Following an earlier fourth-down stop, the Owls were prepared to do it again when USF got another opportunity.

“Let’s go do it again.” They did.

Temple’s final defensive stand was followed by the fumble recovery that ended the game.

The defeat doesn’t erase what USF accomplished during the first month of the season. But it does expose some issues that the Bulls now have to address quickly.

USF’s defense once again kept the team in position to win. Temple produced only 274 total yards, and the Bulls forced a potentially game-changing fumble in the end zone.

The offense, however, managed only 13 points and again spent too much of the afternoon — and in this case, evening — trying to find its footing.

The Bulls also lost the field-position battle late. Temple began its winning possession at its own 4-yard line and still drove the entire length of the field for the touchdown.

And after taking a 13-10 lead, USF couldn’t finish.

For a team that had built its identity around resilience and late-game execution, that was the most disappointing part of the night.

The loss also ended USF’s nine-game home winning streak, the second-longest in program history. Now comes the response.

USF travels to face UTSA on Thursday night at the Alamodome in a nationally televised American Conference matchup. After opening the season 4-0, the Bulls suddenly have to prove that Temple was a setback rather than the beginning of a trend.

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USF vs. Temple — By the Numbers

Category	Temple	USF
Final	17	13
1st Quarter	0	3
2nd Quarter	10	0
3rd Quarter	0	7
4th Quarter	7	3
Total Offense	274	319
Rushing	182	—
Passing	92	205
First-Half Yards	113	108
Record	2-3, 1-1	4-1, 1-1

USF leaders: Michael Van Buren Jr., 17-of-32, 205 yards; D.J. Crowther, 23 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD; Cameron Seldon, 53 receiving yards; Pup Howard, 9 tackles; C.J. Hicks, 7 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Temple leaders: Ajani Sheppard, 9-of-14, 92 yards passing, 87 rushing yards, 2 total TDs; Hunter Smith, 69 rushing yards; Jayce Freeman, 39 receiving yards; Curly Ordonez, 10 tackles.

Bottom line: USF had the lead, the home crowd and the momentum late. Temple simply made the final plays — and the Bulls didn’t.