Quarterback Brendon Lewis connected with Cortez Braham Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown with 1:07 remaining to give Memphis a come-from-behind 34-31 victory over No. 18 South Florida on Saturday.
USF kicker Nico Gramatica missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired to preserve Memphis' victory.
“I just wanted to make sure the fans stayed for all four quarters,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said with a laugh.
Memphis trailed 31-17 entering the fourth quarter, but a 13-yard run by Greg Desrosiers Jr. early in the period and a 28-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic pulled Memphis (7-1, 3-1 American Athletic Conference) within 31-26. That set the stage for the winning drive by Memphis, including the 2-point conversion.
Lewis, who finished with 307 yards passing, threw a fade route to Braham on the right side of the end zone for the winning score.
“I'd seen that it was one-on-one with me and the (defensive back), and I had a feel B. Lewis was going to come to me,” Braham said. “It was just winning my one-on-one and doing what I needed to do.”
Lewis added: "The defense, I don’t know what they were thinking. They left (the defensive back) one-on-one on an island, and Tez did what he does.”
But Memphis still had to endure a final minute of the Bulls driving down the field and getting in range for Gramatica, whose kick sailed wide left.
“I'm disappointed we didn't score,” USF coach Alex Golesh said. "But the only thing going through my mind is where we are going to go in overtime with our first play.
“There ain't a kicker in the country I'd rather have than (Gramatica) in our locker room.”
USF quarterback Byrum Brown accounted for three touchdowns and 390 yards of total offense.
Brown rushed for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns and threw for 269 yards, including a scoring pass of 5 yards to Jeremiah Koger as the Bulls (6-2, 3-1), had their four-game winning streak snapped. Sam Franklin added a 73-yard touchdown run in the second half.
Brown used his versatility to lead the Bulls offense. His lone mistake of the first half was an interception by Memphis' Everett Roussaw Jr. that set up a 19-yard scoring run by Frank Pleasant. That was the only offensive success generated by Memphis until the closing minute of the half when Lewis connected with Braham for a 5-yard touchdown.
For the Bulls, it was their first conference loss of the season, but Golesh said they are in the process of building a culture. While he didn't want to lose, he said the game and the season thus far is part of USF's growth.
“We've never looked ahead. We've never talked about a conference championship,” Golesh said. “It's never been about anything past who we are playing. It's never been about anything other than trying to be the very best version of ourselves.”
After a bye next weekend, USF hosts Texas-San Antonio on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
