USF vs Army opened with the kind of sharp passing that can tilt a college game early. Michael Van Buren Jr. finished five straight completions with 5:22 left in the first quarter, then found Bryson Rodgers on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 11:06 remaining to put South Florida on the board.
Army answered in the second quarter. Cale Hellums completed five consecutive passes with 11:54 left in the period and capped the sequence with a 24-yard touchdown throw to Zach Mundell, giving Army West Point the kind of response that kept the first half moving fast and stayed with the game’s first scoring rhythm.
That exchange mattered because it was not just about early points. It showed two offenses finding clean throws when they needed them most, and it fit the shape of the matchup: Army West Point entered with a 6-of-10 mark on third down, good for 60% and sixth in the league, while South Florida had gone 5 of 14, or 42.9%, on third down and sat 87th in the league. Army was also perfect on fourth down this season at 2 of 2, a small sample but a meaningful edge in a game where drive extension can decide whether a first-half possession ends in a punt or a touchdown.
South Florida’s first-quarter strike carried extra weight because it was the Bulls’ first opening-drive touchdown since Nov. 29, 2025, against Rice. That makes the Rodgers catch more than a single scoring play; it was a sign that Michael Van Buren Jr. and the offense could start with purpose instead of waiting to settle in.
The unanswered part was the one every reader wanted next: whether that early passing burst would hold once Army’s efficiency on the money downs met South Florida’s need to catch up. The first half gave both teams a touchdown through the air, but the deeper test would be who kept finishing drives after the initial exchange.
