South Florida scores twice in fourth to escape Bowling Green 14-6

South Florida spent three quarters trailing Bowling Green in a low-scoring game Saturday, then found two rushing touchdowns in the fourth to win 14-6 at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. Luke Kromenhoek crossed from two yards out with 12:07 remaining to put the Bulls ahead for the first time. D.J. Crowther added a one-yard touchdown with 5:34 left, and South Florida's defense stopped the Falcons on downs after a long final drive. The result kept USF unbeaten at 4-0, but it came through a comeback rather than an easy offensive afternoon.

Bowling Green controlled the scoreboard until the final period. Travis Kenner made a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter and another from 28 yards in the second. The Falcons led 6-0 at halftime and carried that advantage through a scoreless third quarter. They gained just 207 yards and did not reach the end zone, yet the defensive work was enough to keep South Florida behind for most of the game.

South Florida's offense had its own difficulties. The Bulls finished with 214 total yards, only 52 passing, and two turnovers. They converted three of 10 third downs and scored neither a touchdown nor a field goal before the fourth. Bowling Green's Myles Bradley was credited with 4.5 sacks in ESPN's final player leaders, a sign of the pressure the Falcons generated. The Bulls' late points came from the ground game rather than a sudden passing breakthrough.

Crowther supplied 143 rushing yards on 23 carries and the second touchdown, accounting for most of USF's 162 rushing yards. Michael Van Buren Jr. completed seven of 11 passes for 52 yards. Kromenhoek's two-yard run finished a six-play, 44-yard drive early in the fourth. After Bowling Green punted, the Bulls went 72 yards in six plays, with Crowther's one-yard run extending the lead to eight. That second drive created the separation South Florida had lacked all day.

Bowling Green still had one extended opportunity. Starting with 5:29 left, the Falcons moved 66 yards in 15 plays but turned the ball over on downs with 37 seconds remaining. Jay Kastantin finished 16 of 28 for 122 yards. Austyn Dendy had 48 rushing yards on 18 carries, and Winn Sharp caught five passes for 56. The Falcons possessed the ball for 32:34, more than five minutes longer than South Florida, but their only points were Kenner's two first-half kicks.

The Falcons fell to 0-4 on homecoming and now move toward conference play after their final nonconference test, as Bowling Green's game-week report framed the matchup. South Florida's 4-0 mark is intact, but the game showed how thin a margin the Bulls faced before Crowther and the fourth-quarter ground game supplied two decisive drives.