USF 30, UAB 10: Bulls Turn a Halloween Hole Into a Defensive Horror Show

_coverage presented by Bud Light_

A spooky start, a much better ending

For a while, Halloween at Raymond James Stadium looked like the wrong kind of scary. UAB owned the first quarter, USF had nothing on the scoreboard, and the Bulls were staring at a 10-0 hole.

Then South Florida took over the scoring. Completely.

The Bulls beat the Blazers 30-10 on October 31, closing with 30 unanswered points and holding UAB scoreless across the final three quarters. This wasn’t an offensive fireworks show dressed up as a football game. USF finished with 237 total yards and just 46 passing yards. The winning formula was considerably meaner: run the ball, squeeze the opponent, and turn defensive disruption into touchdowns.

For Tampa Bay fans, that’s a perfectly acceptable Halloween treat. Just don’t mistake the final margin for an afternoon that started comfortably.

How it happened: UAB’s early punch didn’t last

Ro. Robinson II opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run at 10:58 of the first quarter. J. Delange’s extra point and subsequent 30-yard field goal at 3:49 gave UAB its 10-0 advantage.

That was the entirety of the Blazers’ scoring. Their quarter-by-quarter line reads 10, 0, 0, 0. Brutal reading if you traveled with UAB; beautiful reading if you wore green and gold.

USF finally got moving on the scoreboard through N. Gramatica’s 31-yard field goal with 5:03 left in the second quarter. J. Collins Jr. followed with a 6-yard touchdown run at :47, and Gramatica’s kick tied it at 10.

Then came the snap that changed the halftime conversation. At :37, the scoring log records C.J. Hicks sacking R. Burton for an 11-yard loss on a play that produced a 6-yard fumble-return touchdown for USF. The extra point made it 17-10 Bulls.

From tied to leading before anybody could settle down. You can trace that swing in ESPN’s game coverage, but the scoreboard tells the story cleanly: USF won the second quarter 17-0.

Player of the night: Hicks brought the trouble

C.J. Hicks finished with four sacks. That number deserves its own moment, especially because his name appears on both sack plays that became USF defensive touchdowns.

The second arrived with 12:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. Hicks dropped Burton for a 6-yard loss, and the play ended with a 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Gramatica’s extra point pushed the lead to 27-10.

The supplied scoring descriptions are tangled about the fumble-return credits, so there’s no need to pretend they clearly identify the scorers. What’s clear is the damage: two defensive touchdowns, both on plays featuring Hicks sacks. That’s scoreboard-changing disruption, not empty box-score decoration.

Grayson Howard added eight tackles. Across the field, UAB’s Marlin Dean registered 2.5 sacks and Jeremiah Jordan had 11 tackles. The Blazers had defensive production, too. USF simply got the much bigger scoring payoff.

Stat of the game: 17 rushing yards

UAB finished with 17 rushing yards on 33 attempts, averaging 0.5 yards per rush. That is an awfully narrow path to sustaining an offense.

The key numbers underline how this game tilted:

• USF rushed for 191 yards on 43 attempts, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
• UAB managed 177 total yards and 10 first downs.
• The Bulls converted 6 of 15 third downs; the Blazers went 4 of 16.
• Luke Kromenhoek ran 15 times for 92 yards and completed 7 of 10 passes for 39 yards.

Kromenhoek’s legs supplied the substance his passing line didn’t. D.J. Crowther’s receiving contribution was one catch for 19 yards, while UAB’s CJ Smith caught two passes for 53. Burton finished 13-of-27 for 149 yards.

Nobody needs to sell this as a polished passing showcase. USF found a different route, and it worked.

What it means: enjoy the defense, keep the perspective

Gramatica added a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 33-yarder with 1:36 left in the fourth to complete the 30-10 result. His scoring helped turn the defensive surge into a comfortable final margin.

The honest takeaway: USF’s defense delivered a huge day, while 13 first downs and 46 passing yards leave room for offensive improvement. Winning convincingly doesn’t require pretending everything was flawless.

Keep up with more USF coverage from Pinellas Podcast as the Bulls move forward.

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