Photo by Irena Mesa | The Crow’s Nest
By Dominic Feo
The University of South Florida ended its regular season with a 52-3 win over Rice University on Nov. 29. The senior day win at Raymond James Stadium was not only the last for the team’s soon-to-be graduates but also head coach Alex Golesh who accepted a job with Auburn University the following day.
It may also have been the curtain call for star quarterback Byrum Brown, who became the 12th quarterback in Division One college football history with over 3000 passing and 1000 rushing yards in one season.
The senior has one more year of eligibility, but it is unclear if he will spend it at USF or follow Golesh to Auburn.
Brown finished the night with 379 combined yards and five total touchdowns.
“He’ll definitely be an NFL quarterback when he feels like it’s time… he possesses the mental and the physical traits that you would need to be an NFL quarterback,” said Golesh during the post-game press conference.
Six of Brown’s 16 completions were caught by wide receiver Keshaun Singleton for 125 yards. Singleton has now amassed the third most yards by a USF receiver in a single season (877).
Singleton ended both of USF’s first two drives with touchdowns of 5 and 47 yards respectively.
USF scored 14 more points in the second quarter. Receiver Mudia Reuben caught his second 60-yard touchdown in as many weeks, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run by Nykahi Davenport.
The Owls only points were from a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. From there, USF piled on points until reaching over 50 for the fifth time this season.
USF’s sweetest points scored, however, may have been the last of the season.
With eight minutes remaining in the fourth, former walk-on senior wide receiver Christian Helms caught a pass from backup quarterback Gaston Moore at the goal line. Helms fought through defenders, reaching the endzone to turn his first career catch into his first touchdown in his final game.
It was the finale for many seniors, including linebacker Mac Harris who finished his final collegiate game at Raymond James with his 100th tackle of the season.
“It was more so just about how we play defense that means the most to me,” Harris said. “100 tackles is definitely a cool stat I’ll be able to tell my kids later down the road, but I’m just proud of how we played as a defense.”
USF’s first nine-win season since 2017 was also USF’s first season without a home loss since 2002. The Bulls will have the opportunity to put its win column in double digits once the team’s bowl destination is announced in the coming weeks.
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Written by: Dominic Feo on December 4, 2025.
Last revised by: Julia Ferrara
