Bryum Brown threw for 353 yards and accounted for five touchdowns and South Florida scored 27 straight points in a 48-18 victory over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday.
Hours before the game, an incident at the UAB football facility resulted in two Blazers players hospitalized in stable condition and another arrested and accused of stabbing them.
The Bulls trailed 10-7 after the first quarter but overcame 104 yards in penalties while taking a 34-10 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
The highlight of Brown's day was a 60-yard touchdown pass to Mudia Ruben that gave USF a 24-10 lead on the first play of the third quarter. The pair hooked up again in the fourth quarter on a 59-yard catch and run for a score.
The Bulls also scored on drives of 96 and 99 yards, respectively. The first long possession ended with Brown's 6-yard scoring toss to Wyatt Sullivan in the second quarter that put USF up 14-10. They didn't trail again.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls started from the 1-yard line and used 11 plays to set up a 2-yard run by Brown.
Brown had a 1-yard run for the Bulls' first touchdown after an interception by Fred Gaskin on the game's fourth play.
Brown's five total touchdowns matched his career high.
Nykahi Davenport added 117 yards rushing and had a short touchdown run for USF. The Bulls had 191 yards rushing and a total offense of 544 yards.
Reuben, a senior who had never had a 100-yard receiving game, had 174 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.
USF (8-3, 5-2 in the American Conference) closes out the regular season at home next Saturday against Rice (5-6, 2-5). The Bulls, once battling for a spot in the College Football Playoff, have already qualified for their third straight bowl appearance.
Jalen Kitna had 230 yards passing for the Blazers (3-8, 1-6) but he threw three interceptions. Iverson Hooks caught 10 passes for 146 yards.
An announced crowd of 16,376 attended the game at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
UAB player accused of stabbing teammates
UAB interim head coach Alex Mortensen said his team decided to play the game despite the stabbing incident, though several players opted to sit it out due to the incident. Mortensen said the team wanted to honor graduating seniors, but that counseling was made available to players.
The two wounded players, who have not been named by the university, were hospitalized in stable condition, Mortensen said.
The teammate suspected in the stabbing was in custody, the university said.
Daniel Mincey, an offensive lineman from Pompano Beach who transferred from Kentucky in May, was arrested and booked on charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder, according to Jefferson County Jail records. He was in custody and appeared to be the only UAB player arrested Saturday.
“I told Coach Mort I’ve got a ton of respect for him. The way he handled it was as professional as it comes,” Golesh said. “There’s nothing that can prepare you for a situation like that, and our hearts go out to that team and that program.”
Battie honored by Auburn 18 months after Sarasota shooting
About 100 miles to the southeast, Auburn University celebrated Senior Day, with the loudest cheers for Brian Battie, a transfer from USF who was severely injured in a Sarasota shooting that took the life of his brother, Tommie Battie IV, 18 months ago.
Battie and 19 others were honored before the Tigers’ win over Mercer at Jordan-Hare Stadium. As his name was announced, Battie walked with a cane out of a tunnel onto the field, where he greeted interim head coach DJ Durkin with a big embrace.
“It was pretty incredible,” Durkin said after the game. “I think the reaction of the crowd says it all. I think the look on his face says it all. ... To see him walking, and to come out there and be able to do that on his own, was really, really cool.”
Really nice moment as former Auburn RB Brian Battie, who was injured in a shooting last summer, is recognized on senior day pic.twitter.com/C5HVg2ZXwG
— Peter Rauterkus (@peter_rauterkus) November 22, 2025
Battle played football at Sarasota and Braden River high schools. He went on to USF, where his 1,936 all-purpose yards lead the nation. He transferred to Auburn in 2023.
The shooting took place in the early hours of Mary 18, 2024, while about 200 hundred people gathered in the parking lot of a strip center hookah lounge, police said. Battie was shot in the head and taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. His brother was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.
Darryl Bernard Brookins Jr. was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He remains held without bond and awaiting trial, according to Sarasota County court records.
