South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown hasn’t stepped onto the field for a regular season game since he suffered a lower leg injury last September against Tulane. He’ll make his long-awaited return on Thursday as the Bulls host No. 25 Boise State (ESPN, 5:30 p.m. ET) in a battle of Group of Five heavyweights.
In 2023, Brown became the first quarterback in USF history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season. He also set single-season programs records in passing yards (3,292), passing touchdowns (26), completions (276), completion percentage (64.6), total plays (630), and rushing attempts (203) and tied the program record with four 300-yard passing games.
He started the first five games last season before his leg was rolled up on during a sack against Tulane. The injury kept him out for the next seven games, but Brown did return for a couple of ceremonial snaps in the Hawaii Bowl.
The 6-foot-3, 232-pounder enters his senior year No. 5 in USF history in career passing yards (4,532), total yards (5,739), touchdown passes (33), completions (390), and pass attempts (609).
Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson called Brown one of the best football players the Broncos will face all season on either side of the ball during his first weekly press conference of the season on Monday.
“He gets a lot of credit in how he runs the ball, which he should, but he can make every throw, too,” Danielson said. “He’s an NFL quarterback. We will see him play on Sundays.”
Brown is a true dual-threat quarterback. He rushed for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 and has posted 1,257 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in three seasons at USF. He’s all too comfortable running the Bulls’ up-tempo system, and he’s playing behind an offensive line that is packed with savvy veterans.
Danielson also called USF’s offensive line one of the best units the Broncos will see all season.
Boise State-USF Betting Line
Boise State is a 6.5-point college football betting odds favorite, according to BetMGM. The Over/Under is 62.5 points, and the moneyline is at +200 for USF and is at -250 for Boise State.
The Broncos are 16-4 overall and 8-10-2 against the spread in their past 20 games as the favorite on the road. USF is 2-18 overall and 10-10 ATS in its past 20 games as the underdog at home.
Boise State is 1-1 in season-openers in the state of Florida. The Broncos beat Florida State, 36-31, in 2019. In 2021, they traveled to Orlando and fell to UCF, 36-31. Both games were affected by weather. Hurricane Dorian forced the opener against Florida State to be moved from Jacksonville to the Seminoles home stadium in Tallahassee. At UCF, kickoff was delayed nearly three hours because of lightning.
Boise State-USF on TV
The Boise State football team’s non-conference game at USF on Thursday will be televised on ESPN.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Boise State-USF Prediction
I predict Boise State wins 30-27.
Boise State officially enters the post Ashton Jeanty era on Thursday, but the Broncos shouldn’t miss a beat. They have readymade stars in the backfield in Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley, and they’re backed up by a pair of veterans in Malik Sherrod and Jambres Dubar, who is banged up. Quarterback Maddux Madsen isn’t the world beater that Brown is, but he’s efficient and he made some really impressive throws late last season. They’re all playing behind a veteran offensive line, led by potential first-round draft pick Kage Casey at left tackle.
Boise State’s defense is full of returning starters and impact transfers. Jayden Virgin-Morgan should take another step up after leading the team with 10 sacks in 2024. Linebacker Marco Notarainni is going to be a tackling machine again, and A’Marion McCoy is one of the best cornerbacks in the Mountain West.
Brown is going to get his. He might even gash Boise State enough early that the Bulls go into halftime with the lead, but the Broncos’ pass rush should eventually get home and the running game should take over late to lead them to a big win that could resonate well into the postseason.
A win will be huge for either team, but especially for Boise State, which should be favored in every other game this season except its trip to Notre Dame. A loss will be especially costly for USF, which goes on the road to Florida and Miami the next two weeks and could be 0-3 and essentially out of the College Football Playoff race before hosting South Carolina State on Sept. 20.
