{"id":1817,"date":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spitting-ejection-south-florida-upset\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","slug":"spitting-ejection-south-florida-upset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spitting-ejection-south-florida-upset\/","title":{"rendered":"Spitting Ejection Fuels South Florida&#8217;s 18\u201316 Upset at Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>Lead: On Sept. 6, 2025 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (The Swamp), South Florida stunned No. 13 Florida 18\u201316 after a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection for Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett with 2:04 remaining shifted field position and set up USF\u2019s game-winning drive and Nico Gramatica\u2019s 20-yard kick as time expired.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>South Florida beat No. 13 Florida 18\u201316 on Sept. 6, 2025, at The Swamp.<\/li>\n<li>Florida DL Brendan Bett was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and ejected for spitting with 2:04 left.<\/li>\n<li>The penalty moved USF to its own 39; Byrum Brown completed a pass to Alvon Isaac for 29 yards to Florida\u2019s 32, setting up the final drive.<\/li>\n<li>USF QB Byrum Brown finished 23-for-36 for 263 yards and added 66 rushing yards; Florida QB DJ Lagway was 22-for-33 for 222 yards.<\/li>\n<li>This is USF\u2019s first win over Florida in four meetings and its first road victory over a ranked opponent since 2011.<\/li>\n<li>The result raises South Florida\u2019s profile and increases scrutiny on Florida\u2019s discipline and coaching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Verified Facts<\/h3>\n<p>South Florida (2\u20130) opened the 2025 season with a 34\u20137 win over then-No. 25 Boise State and followed with the upset in Gainesville, making the Bulls the only team in the FBS at that time with two ranked wins this season.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive sequence began after Florida committed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty assessed against defensive lineman Brendan Bett for spitting on an opposing lineman. Bett was ejected from the game with 2:04 remaining. The penalty placed USF at its own 39-yard line.<\/p>\n<p>On the following play, quarterback Byrum Brown found Alvon Isaac for a 29-yard gain to the Florida 32. USF then ran the ball to chew clock and moved into field-goal range; kicker Nico Gramatica converted a 20-yard attempt as time expired to secure the 18\u201316 final score.<\/p>\n<p>Statistically, USF outgained Florida 391\u2013355. Florida converted only 4 of 12 third-down opportunities. DJ Lagway completed 22 of 33 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Brown\u2019s 263 air yards and 66 rushing yards made him the game\u2019s most productive player.<\/p>\n<h3>Context &#038; Impact<\/h3>\n<p>For South Florida and coach Alex Golesh, the win extends early-season momentum and strengthens Golesh\u2019s growing reputation\u2014he went 7\u20136 in each of his first two seasons at USF and is increasingly linked to higher-profile openings if the Bulls continue to win.<\/p>\n<p>For Florida and coach Billy Napier, the loss intensifies pressure. Napier\u2019s record at Florida stands at 20\u201320 after this defeat; questions about discipline and in-game decision-making have re-emerged following late miscues that swung a tight contest.<\/p>\n<p>The upset also has possible College Football Playoff implications: USF\u2019s willingness to schedule and beat ranked teams on the road will draw attention from the selection committee if the Bulls sustain this level of play through a rugged early schedule that includes a trip to No. 5 Miami next week.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond standings and coaching chatter, the incident highlights player conduct under high stakes and how a single penalty can directly decide a game between closely matched teams.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I haven\u2019t had that conversation with him yet&#8230; we\u2019ll take a good look at it, but it\u2019s unacceptable. When a guy does something like that, he\u2019s compromising the team,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Billy Napier, Florida head coach<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: Why spitting draws an ejection<\/summary>\n<p>Spitting on an opponent is classified as unsportsmanlike conduct under NCAA rules. Officials can assess a 15-yard penalty and eject a player when the act is deemed flagrant or intentional. Ejections remove the player from the remainder of the contest and can trigger further team or league discipline.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h3>Unconfirmed<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether Bett\u2019s action was intentional or the result of a provocation remains under investigation.<\/li>\n<li>Formal team or NCAA discipline beyond the in-game ejection had not been announced immediately after the game.<\/li>\n<li>Any direct connection between this incident and separate recent professional ejections (e.g., the Jalen Carter matter) is speculative and unproven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p>South Florida\u2019s 18\u201316 upset at Florida hinged on a moment of indiscipline and a sharp late drive by Byrum Brown and the Bulls\u2019 offense. The result boosts USF\u2019s national profile and compounds scrutiny on Florida\u2019s coaching and player discipline. Expect follow-up reporting on any additional sanctions and on how both programs respond in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<h3>Sources<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Athletic (Joe Rexrode)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gousfbulls.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USF Athletics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/floridagators.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Florida Gators Athletics<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead: On Sept. 6, 2025 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (The Swamp), South Florida stunned No. 13 Florida 18\u201316 after a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection for Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett with 2:04 remaining shifted field position and set up USF\u2019s game-winning drive and Nico Gramatica\u2019s 20-yard kick as time expired. Key Takeaways South &#8230; <a title=\"Spitting Ejection Fuels South Florida&#8217;s 18\u201316 Upset at Florida\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spitting-ejection-south-florida-upset\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Spitting Ejection Fuels South Florida&#8217;s 18\u201316 Upset at Florida\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Spitting Ejection Fuels USF's 18\u201316 Upset at Florida | Newsroom","rank_math_description":"A 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection for Florida\u2019s Brendan Bett with 2:04 left set up South Florida\u2019s final drive and Nico Gramatica\u2019s 20-yard kick, handing USF an 18\u201316 upset.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"South Florida,Florida Gators,spitting penalty,upset,Byrum Brown","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}