BULLS ON PARADE
USF battles back, stuns Oregon in the Rose Bowl
Tuesday January 2, 2029 | 12:00 PM | Rose Bowl Stadium | Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California - The setting, the spread, and the expectations all pointed one way Tuesday afternoon at the Rose Bowl. Oregon entered as the favorite, a two touchdown favorite by most books, with the Ducks hovering around -14 on the spread and -280 on the money line. It made sense. They would be playing closer to home, the team was deeper on paper, they'd been here before and they came in carrying the weight of national confidence.
USF didn’t blink.
“I don't know if many people outside our locker room had any confidence in us.” USF head coach DJ Porter said during his postgame address. “But we had enough to go around!”
After falling behind early and trailing twice by two scores, the Bulls steadied themselves, leaned on execution and belief, and walked out of Pasadena with a 24–21 upset win that reshaped their season and reinforced the identity Coach DJ Porter has been building all year.
Oregon struck first in the second quarter, using option football and physical runs from quarterback David Sauer to grab control. A 29-yard Sauer keeper followed by a short Greg Burrell touchdown put the Ducks up 14–0, and the early narrative felt familiar with Oregon dictating tempo and USF searching for answers against a team that looked like the powerhouse the national media had made them out to be.
But Porter’s team never sagged.
After multiple fourth-down stops stalled early drives, USF finally found rhythm late in the half. A long, methodical march ended with Locklan Hewlett powering in from the one-yard line, cutting the deficit to 14–7 and stealing back some momentum. Even after a late interception on a shot play just before halftime, the Bulls jogged to the locker room believing they were still in it.
That belief was tested quickly after the break. Oregon capitalized on a blown coverage, marched 53 yards in one play, and Sauer punched it in again to make it 21–7 midway through the third quarter.
USF responded the way underdogs have to. With poise, patience, and precision.
Behind Hewlett’s calm command and a surge from the run game, the Bulls answered with a grinding touchdown drive capped by Connor Suggs’ one-yard plunge. Down 21–14, USF’s defense tightened, forcing punts and keeping the margin within reach.
The defining stretch came in the fourth quarter.
With 6:19 left, Hewlett engineered his best drive of the day, converting third downs and finishing with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Bridgewater, who put pressure on Oregon’s secondary all afternoon. The score tied the game at 21–21, and suddenly the pressure shifted squarely onto the favorite.
Moments later, the game turned.
On a third-and-eight near midfield, Oregon quarterback David Sauer never saw Bulls senior inside linebacker Eric Rance sliding underneath the route. Rance stepped in front of the pass for the interception, the play that flipped the Rose Bowl on its head.
USF took over at the Oregon 25 with 4:17 remaining and played it perfectly. Hewlett stood tall in the pocket on third down, delivering a strike to Jeremiah Stoneburner that set up first-and-goal. After being stopped short at the one, Porter trusted his freshman kicker.
Dom Bragg delivered in a pressure situation once again, drilling a 20-yard field goal with 1:53 left, giving USF its first lead of the game at 24–21.
Oregon had one final chance, but the Bulls’ defense finished the job. On fourth-and-six, a deep shot was broken up by junior corner Gavin Jenkins, sealing the upset and sending the USF sideline into celebration.
Statistically, the game underscored how USF earned it. The Bulls won the situational battles, 63% on third down, perfect in the red zone, and efficient when it mattered most. Hewlett finished 19-of-25 for 216 yards, becoming the program’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns, while Bridgewater posted a massive 9-catch, 137-yard performance.
Defensively, Rance led the way with 9 tackles, 3 TFLs, and the game-clinching interception, while Oregon was held to just 2-of-8 on third down and no passing touchdowns.
For Coach Porter, the win was a validation of culture as much as scheme.
USF got knocked back early, absorbed every punch from a favored opponent in a hostile setting, and never once dropped its head. The Bulls played clean, disciplined football, no penalties, no panic, and trusted their process until the moment arrived.
Now, after toppling Oregon on its own stage, USF waits to see what comes next, with the winner of the Orange Bowl between Michigan and Florida State looming.
The Bulls weren’t supposed to be here.
They are now and they’ve earned every ounce of it.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
ORE – David Sauer 29-yard run (Dylan Archibald kick), 8:21
ORE – Greg Burrell 5-yard run (Dylan Archibald kick), 2:44
USF – Locklan Hewlett 1-yard run (Dom Bragg kick), 1:02
Third Quarter
ORE – David Sauer 1-yard run (Dylan Archibald kick), 6:32
USF – Connor Suggs 1-yard run (Dom Bragg kick), 4:14
Fourth Quarter
USF – Jordyn Bridgewater 5-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 6:19
USF – Dom Bragg 20-yard field goal, 1:53
USF Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Hewlett – 19/25, 216 Yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 76.0%, 8.6 YPA
Rushing
C. Suggs – 14 Car, 64 Yds, 4.5 Avg, 1 TD
S. Snead – 7 Car, 28 Yds, 4.0 Avg
G. Shembo – 8 Car, 19 Yds, 2.3 Avg
L. Hewlett – 2 Car, -1 Yds, -0.5 Avg, 1 TD
Receiving
J. Bridgewater – 9 Rec, 137 Yds, 15.2 Avg, 1 TD
J. Stoneburner – 4 Rec, 49 Yds, 12.2 Avg
G. Camarda – 4 Rec, 21 Yds, 5.2 Avg
S. Snead – 2 Rec, 9 Yds, 4.5 Avg
Defense
E. Rance – 9 Tkl (6 Solo, 3 Ast), 3 TFL, 1 INT
D. Igbinoghene – 6 Tkl
V. Woodward III – 5 Tkl, 1 TFL
C. Keys – 5 Tkl
K. Brents – 4 Tkl
Special Teams
D. Bragg – 1/1 FG (Long 20), 3/3 XP
D. McSurdy – 1 Punt, 52 Yds, 52.0 Avg
E. York – 2 KR, 32 Yds
Oregon Stat Leaders
Passing
D. Sauer – 20/28, 187 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 71.4%, 6.6 YPA
Rushing
D. Bray – 6 Car, 49 Yds, 8.1 Avg
D. Sauer – 3 Car, 30 Yds, 10.0 Avg, 2 TD
G. Burrell – 6 Car, 11 Yds, 1.8 Avg, 1 TD
Receiving
J. Erving – 5 Rec, 74 Yds, 14.8 Avg
D. Mitchell – 7 Rec, 55 Yds, 7.8 Avg
K. Sweet – 4 Rec, 32 Yds, 8.0 Avg
K. Holliday – 1 Rec, 11 Yds, 11.0 Avg
G. Burrell – 1 Rec, 6 Yds, 6.0 Avg
D. Bray – 1 Rec, 5 Yds, 5.0 Avg
L. Seumalo – 1 Rec, 4 Yds, 4.0 Avg
Defense
Z. Rainey-Sale – 16 Tkl (6 Solo, 10 Ast), 3 TFL
L. Duhon – 11 Tkl (2 Solo, 9 Ast), 1 TFL
D. Williams – 8 Tkl (4 Solo, 4 Ast), 1 TFL
T. McNutt – 7 Tkl (1 Solo, 6 Ast)
Special Teams
D. Archibald – 0/1 FG, 3/3 XP
J. Ramirez – 2 Punts, 54 Yds, 27.0 Avg
W. Harris – 1 KR, 20 Yds, 20.0 Avg
T. McCracken – 2 KR, 37 Yds, 18.5 Avg; 1 PR, 15 Yds
| Category | USF | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 24 | 21 |
| First Downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total Offense | 325 | 277 |
| Total Plays | 57 | 43 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.7 | 6.4 |
| Rush | Yards | TD | 32 | 109 | 2 | 15 | 90 | 3 |
| Yards Per Rush | 3.4 | 6.0 |
| Comp | Att | TD | 19 | 25 | 1 | 20 | 28 | 0 |
| Yards Per Pass | 8.6 | 6.7 |
| Passing Yards | 216 | 187 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 7 | 11 (63%) | 2 | 8 (25%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 0 | 2 (0%) | 1 | 2 (50%) |
| 2 Pt Conv. | 0 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD | FG | % | 3 | 1 | 100% | 2 | 0 | 66% |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| PR Yards | 0 | 15 |
| KR Yards | 32 | 57 |
| Total Yards | 357 | 349 |
| Punts (Avg) | 1 (52.0) | 2 (27.0) |
| Penalties | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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