USF Bulls beat Florida International Panthers 19-9: Style points can wait

USF takes the win, not the beauty contest

The USF Bulls beat the Florida International Panthers 19-9 at home on 2026-09-05. Frame the result. Maybe leave the offensive totals out of the picture.

This was not a game for anyone demanding fireworks with every possession. South Florida finished with 208 total yards, while FIU piled up 381. The Panthers had more first downs and more passing yards, too. Wonderful. They can put those on a coaster. USF gets the win.

For Bulls fans watching in St. Pete, Clearwater, Dunedin or out by the beaches, this was an afternoon’s worth of bar-stool debate packed into a box score: how much should the yardage gap bother you when the scoreboard says your team handled business?

Enough to discuss. Not enough to hand the victory back.

Gramatica supplied the punctuation

N. Gramatica gave USF its early scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the opening period and a 53-yarder in the second. While the offense worked on making a bigger impression, the kicking game kept the receipt printer running.

FIU answered in the third period with R. Czeremcha’s 29-yard field goal. USF scored nothing in that period, leaving the Bulls with work to do rather than permission to coast.

Then came the fourth-quarter separation. D.J. Crowther scored on a 1-yard run, with Gramatica adding the kick. Gramatica also connected from 30 and 29 yards in the final period. South Florida put up 13 points in the fourth; FIU managed 6.

There’s your difference between spending the closing stretch arguing about the offense and spending it arguing about the offense after a win. Same conversation, considerably better mood.

The Bulls didn’t suddenly turn this into an offensive showcase. They did put their biggest scoring period exactly where it belonged: at the finish.

Take the result, keep the questions

Van Buren’s passing line tells you this wasn’t an aerial exhibition. Collins supplied 59 yards on the ground, and Branch’s 47 receiving yards gave USF a contribution through the air. Useful production, but nobody needs to pretend the Bulls overwhelmed FIU between the goal lines.

Kohl’s line captures the other side of the argument. The Panthers moved the ball through the air, but those 2 interceptions belong in the discussion alongside the 301 passing yards. A busy stat sheet is not automatically a winning one.

That’s the takeaway for the next tailgate, whether the conversation starts in Dunedin or follows a Clearwater crew across the bay: appreciate the finish without airbrushing the rest. USF has a home victory to enjoy and an offensive performance worth picking over. Both things can be true. Sports talk survives another day.

Dig into the full game log, check the USF schedule for what’s next, and follow more Bulls coverage on Pinellas Podcast.

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