USF Football Flashback: Bulls Make Epic Comeback at Army
September 14, 2026 | Football
Takeaways, highlights, notables, sights, sound bites and learning experiences from South Florida's 28-24 road victory against the Army Black Knights.
The Quick Read
* In his second game as head coach, South Florida's Brian Hartline displayed the nerves of a cat burglar. Or maybe it was pure guts. Disdaining a potential game-tying 55-yard field-goal attempt by long-range ace Nico Gramatica? Instead, on fourth-and-6, going for everything (and getting it!) with Michael Van Buren Jr.'s cold-blooded 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Porter with 19 seconds remaining? Who does that? Well, Brian Hartline, of course. The Bulls (2-0) scored a monumental victory against an Army team (1-1) that seemingly had it wrapped up with ESPN projections giving the Bulls a one percent chance of pulling out the win with just under five minutes to play.
* Another Hartline decision: Trailing 24-21 with 3:13 remaining, he opted for an onside kick attempt, but Army recovered. That rationale was that Army could very well run out the clock and an onside kick was USF's best shot at a final possession. It didn't work, but the Bulls defense turned up the heat and got the ball back in short order and with South Florida in a position to make a winning drive. A big reason why was South Florida had wisely preserved all three of its timeouts. That's always the mark of a winning organization.
* The Bulls needed patience against Army, especially in maddening moments while being limited to three offensive possessions in the first half or falling behind 24-14 with 4:59 remaining. Through all the adversity, the Bulls kept hope alive and were rewarded with an all-time victory.
* The early line on Van Buren: Cool cat. Leader. Playmaker.
* The early line on Porter: Catches everything. Precise route-runner. Consistent. Clutch.
* South Florida's retooled offensive line — with veteran Thomas Shrader moving from guard to center, then Coastal Carolina transfer Julius Tate being inserted at guard — came out firing by leading a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession. "Our five best players are going to play,'' Hartline said of the O-line adjustments.
* South Florida's defense was far from perfect, but it pulled together at the important moments. One of the biggest was early in the fourth quarter. Pressure from Hicks and Ashton Mosley caused Army QB Cale Hellums to misfire on a third-and-5 pass attempt to Brady Anderson from USF's 10-yard line. The Black Knights had to settle for a field goal. The Bulls withstood the loss of one of their leaders, LB Grayson "Pup'' Howard, who was injured early in the game against FIU and didn't appear against Army.
* Perhaps lost on South Florida's game-winning drive. Porter's fair catch of Army's punt placed it at the USF 4-yard line. But upfield, Army's Jake Rendina was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The 15-yard penalty allowed the Bulls to begin from their 19-yard line. Huge difference.
The Big Play
What else? Van Buren Jr.'s 38-yard touchdown pass to Porter — on fourth-and-6, no less — to win the game. With a cover-zero defense, Porter found himself one-on-one with cornerback Jaydan Mayes. Van Buren perfectly dropped the pass into Porter's waiting arms as he crossed the goal line. Van Buren-to-Porter. It should always have a spot among the most thrilling plays in South Florida football history.
Game Balls
* WR Joshua Porter, who had three catches for 67 yards (all on the game-winning drive). There was the 38-yard touchdown catch, of course, but there was also a 22-yard sliding grab on third-and-3.
* QB Michael Van Buren Jr., who accounted for all four touchdowns — runs of 18 and 24 yards, while throwing for scores of 7 (Bryson Rodgers) and 38 (Porter).
* The offensive line, highlighted by the shift of Thomas Shrader from guard to center, which helped the backs to 130 yards rushing while allowing zero sacks.
* Punter Luke Goater, who averaged 42.0-yards on four kicks, while placing three inside the 20-yard line.
* LB Zavier Hamilton, who had a 6-yard sack of Army QB Cale Hellums on third-and-9 at the South Florida 46-yard line, forcing a punt to set up the Bulls' game-winning drive.
* DB Ayden Jackson, who had a team-high and career-high 10 tackles.
Notable Numbers
0 — Number of South Florida turnovers in the first two games.
1 — Number of previous college games that South Florida's Thomas Shrader played at center (Florida State's opener in 2022). Shrader, normally a guard, started at center against Army as the offensive line was shuffled.
2-0 — South Florida's all-time record at Army (including a 28-0 win in 2003).
7 — Number of South Florida penalties in the first two games.
9 — Number of South Florida explosive plays (15 yards or greater) at Army – including the game winner – after getting zero in the opener against FIU.
16 — Number of tackles by South Florida's two-game tackle leader, safety Ayden Jackson. LBs Rodney Hill and Sam Robinson are next with 12 each.
24 — Longest running play of the season, a 24-yard touchdown by QB Michael Van Buren.
99.9 — Victory probability percentage (according to ESPN Analytics) for Army in the closing minute of Saturday's game.
369 — Total yards for South Florida at Army (after the Bulls opened with 208 against FIU).
Quotable
"He was built for moments like these. I was screaming. I was yelling. There were moments when I wanted to cover my eyes and not even look. Then I was finally able to sit down and breathe.''
— Monique Walker, Michael Van Buren's mother.
"It was a great call by the coaches. They believed in me and had trust in me. I had faith in my receiver to go out and make the play. They (Army) brought cover zero (defensive coverage) and, you know, that's all she wrote.''
— Michael Van Buren on the game-winning play.
"In that situation, I didn't like the length of the kick (potential 55-yard field-goal attempt). For a game-winner, to not give our guys an opportunity to go win the game, they've earned it. They're out there because we trust them. We just wanted to come up with the right call. We had an opportunity to coach them up on the call after the time out. And the guys executed.''
— Brian Hartline on the game-winning play.
"I feel like it was the talk we had at halftime. The leaders really just stepped up. We took ownership for the stuff that we messed up on. We all looked at each other and looked in the mirror as well. We had to flip what happened in first half. We had to bounce back.''
— DE C.J. Hicks on playing better defense in the second half after surrendering Army touchdown drives of 92 and 90 yards.
"Maybe there was a point at which you feel like your back's up against the wall and you gotta rise, you gotta rely on your training. We don't talk about rising to the occasion. You just make sure you do what you do. Like I'm not shocked JP (Porter) made that play. I'm not shocked Zay (Zavier Hamilton) made that play. He has been doing that in practice. So just be your average. Be who you are and let the moment take care of itself.''
— Brian Hartline.
"I expect Mike to continue to get better, and I think that a lot of what you saw was why he ended up winning this starting job. He's got some gamer in him. Still a lot of opportunities to grow. He understands that the issues are always there. The production doesn't wipe out the issues. (He knows) even if I was productive, maybe my read was wrong. He has come a long way.''
— Brian Hartline on Michael Van Buren.
"I think the world of JP, and I don't just make up things (to say). He maximizes his skill set. He maximizes his ability. He has a lot of years left in college. I can't wait to continue to grow with him. He's consistent. I love his body language, his route concepts, his great hands. We're not shocked. He's out there for a reason. There's a reason why he's one of our starting wideouts because he's a really consistent individual and he made a lot of plays through camp.''
— Brian Hartline on Josh Porter.
"Man, I saw the ball in the air, so I knew the rest of my brothers did their job. So, I just knew I had to do mine and finish the play for them.''
— Josh Porter on his game-winning catch.
"This is just a testament to the work we put in this offseason. You know, getting scars with each other, going through the hard with Coach AT (Antonio Turner, strength and conditioning) and his staff. It really brought us together. Just to be able to play complementary football, that's what it's all about.''
— Michael Van Buren.
"It's really big. I feel like beating a service academy was big as well. No team has won the (American) conference championship without beating a service academy. This is a big step in that direction. But at the end of the day, we still have to go and defeat teams for the rest of the season and take it week by week and stay focused.''
— C.J. Hicks on the importance of going 2-0.
The List
For the fifth time in program history, the South Florida Bulls won a road game after erasing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter:
South Florida 32, Nevada 31 (9/8/12) — Bulls trailed 31-20 in the final three minutes, getting two long TD passes from QB B.J. Daniels, including a 56-yarder to WR Andre Davis with 38 seconds remaining.
South Florida 14, SMU 13 (11/15/14) — Bulls trailed 13-0 in fourth quarter, winning on Mike White's TD pass to Andre Davis with four seconds remaining.
South Florida 25, Illinois 19 (9/15/18) — Bulls trailed 19-7 entering the fourth quarter at Chicago's Soldier Field, then had an 18-point blitz.
South Florida 25, Tulsa 24 (10/12/18) — Bulls trailed 24-10 in fourth quarter, winning on Coby Weiss' final-play field goal.
South Florida 28, Army 24 (9/12/26) — Bulls trailed 24-14 with 4:59 remaining, then got the game-winner when QB Michael Van Buren hit WR Joshua Porter for a 38-yard TD on fourth-and-6.
Next Up: Delaware State
The Bulls host Football Championship Subdivision member Delaware State on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium. The Hornets (2-1) are coming off a 21-6 victory against Bowie State. The Delaware State head coach is former NFL WR DeSean Jackson, who knows Ray-Jay well after spending two seasons (2017-18) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
