USF stunned No. 13 Florida with an 18-16 upset Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, sealed by Nico Gramatica’s 20-yard field goal as time expired. Gramatica, the son of former NFL kicker Martin Gramatica, capped a 12-play drive that sent the Bulls storming the field in celebration.
The decisive march was aided by two costly Florida penalties — a pass interference on second-and-10 and the ejection of defensive lineman Brendan Bett for spitting on an opponent. USF capitalized, draining the clock before setting up Gramatica’s winning kick.
USF had a chance to kick a go-ahead field goal on the previous drive, but Gramatica’s 58-yard attempt was short. He redeemed himself minutes later with the game-winner to secure the upset.
Florida led 9-3 late in the first half, but USF responded with 12 unanswered points to move ahead 15-9 late in the third quarter. Quarterback DJ Lagway briefly swung the game back in Florida’s favor, finding Eugene Wilson III for a 9-yard touchdown with 12:29 remaining. Lagway finished 22 of 33 for 222 yards and one score, but the Gators’ offense sputtered down the stretch.
The Gators closed as an 18.5-point favorite against the Bulls.
USF, fresh off a Week 1 victory against Boise State, now owns two statement wins to open the season and could emerge as a contender for one of the Group of Six’s automatic College Football Playoff bids. The Bulls now have two ranked wins on their résumé, and this win was the program’s first win on the road against a ranked opponent since beating Notre Dame in 2011.
For Florida, the loss is a harsh reality check after last week’s 55-0 rout of Long Island, with LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M looming on the schedule. Expectations for coach Billy Napier were high coming into the 2025 campaign after Florida finished 8-5 with a brutal schedule last season.
Napier is now 20-20 during his tenure in Gainesville.
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