BOMBS OVER ORLANDO
USF puts up 62 behind Hewlett's historic performance
Saturday August 25, 2029 | 3:30 PM | Acrisure Bounce House | Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida - If there were any questions about what this version of South Florida could be in 2029, Locklan Hewlett answered all of them, emphatically, in just one afternoon.
Hewlett delivered a record-setting performance, throwing for 504 yards and eight touchdowns as USF overwhelmed UCF 62–17 in a season-opening statement in the War on I-4. From the moment the Bulls found their rhythm late in the first quarter, the game quickly turned into a showcase of one of the most explosive passing attacks in the country.
Hewlett's yardage and touchdown numbers each set not only school records but American Conference records as well.
After falling behind 7–0 early on a John Minter touchdown run, USF responded with precision and pace. Hewlett connected with Lamar Sweet on a 41-yard strike to tie the game, then hit him again just before the end of the quarter to give the Bulls a lead they would never relinquish.
From there, the onslaught began.
Hewlett spread the ball effortlessly across a deep receiving corps, carving up UCF’s defense at every level. Touchdowns to Lyle Dragos and Gerald Camarda in the second quarter stretched the lead, and by halftime, USF had firmly seized control despite a late UCF field goal.
The third quarter removed any remaining doubt.
Hewlett opened the half with a 60-yard touchdown to Sweet, his third of the day, before adding scoring passes to Steven Snead and Josh Barr. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Bulls had turned a rivalry game into a rout, adding another touchdown through Dalton Sahara and two field goals from Dom Bragg to cap a 62-point performance.
Hewlett’s final line, 35-of-56 for 504 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions, underscored just how dominant the performance was. He averaged 9.0 yards per attempt and commanded the offense with complete control, consistently identifying mismatches and delivering accurate throws downfield.
His connection with Sweet proved especially lethal. The senior receiver hauled in nine catches for 202 yards and three touchdowns, repeatedly beating coverage and turning short gains into explosive plays. Camarda added 109 yards, while Snead, Dragos, and Sahara each found the end zone as part of a balanced aerial attack that produced 550 passing yards.
While the passing game stole the spotlight, the ground attack showed flashes early before becoming less of a focal point. Connor Suggs opened the game effectively, averaging 6.7 yards per carry on 10 attempts, but appeared limited after a few early touches and was used sparingly as the game progressed. With the Bulls quickly gaining control the coaching staff elected to rest Suggs, using the rest of the RB depth chart the rest of the way.
Defensively, USF complemented the offensive explosion with timely stops and steady pressure. Armon Chambers led the way with nine tackles and a sack, while the unit held UCF to just 4.9 yards per play and forced a key interception by Matt Ansah. The Knights struggled to sustain drives, converting just 2-of-14 on third down.
UCF found modest success on the ground behind Minter, who scored twice, but the passing game never found traction. UCF QB Will Wilson, who appeared on the preseason Heisman watch list, threw for 206 yards but failed to produce a touchdown, and the Knights were unable to keep pace once the game tilted in USF’s favor.
By the final whistle, the numbers painted a picture of complete dominance. USF outgained UCF 677 to 391 in total offense and piled up 31 first downs, controlling both tempo and explosiveness throughout the afternoon.
More importantly, the performance sent a message.
In a rivalry game on the road, against a familiar opponent, South Florida didn’t just win, it overwhelmed. And behind Locklan Hewlett’s historic outing, the Bulls may have revealed the ceiling of an offense capable of reshaping expectations for the entire season.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UCF – John Minter 15-yard run (Timmy Foster kick), 6:17
USF – Lamar Sweet 41-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 2:42
USF – Lamar Sweet 3-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 0:14
Second Quarter
USF – Lyle Dragos 4-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 6:04
USF – Gerald Camarda 58-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 4:37
UCF – Timmy Foster 44-yard field goal, 0:00
Third Quarter
USF – Lamar Sweet 60-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 8:33
UCF – John Minter 2-yard run (Timmy Foster kick), 4:52
USF – Steven Snead 10-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 3:50
USF – Josh Barr 14-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 0:00
Fourth Quarter
USF – Dalton Sahara 15-yard pass from Locklan Hewlett (Dom Bragg kick), 4:26
USF – Dom Bragg 43-yard field goal, 3:17
USF – Dom Bragg 29-yard field goal, 0:22
USF Stat Leaders
Passing
L. Hewlett – 35/56, 504 Yds, 8 TD, 0 INT, 62%, 9.0 YPA
J. Brantley – 2/9, 46 Yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 22%, 5.1 YPA
Rushing
C. Suggs – 10 Car, 67 Yds, 6.7 Avg
N. Daniel – 3 Car, 33 Yds, 11.0 Avg, 1 Fum
S. Snead – 4 Car, 19 Yds, 4.7 Avg
E. York – 5 Car, 7 Yds, 1.4 Avg
G. Shembo – 2 Car, 7 Yds, 3.5 Avg
L. Hewlett – 2 Car, -6 Yds, -3.0 Avg
Receiving
L. Sweet – 9 Rec, 202 Yds, 22.4 Avg, 3 TD
G. Camarda – 6 Rec, 109 Yds, 18.1 Avg, 1 TD
S. Snead – 5 Rec, 71 Yds, 14.2 Avg, 1 TD
L. Dragos – 6 Rec, 61 Yds, 10.1 Avg, 1 TD
D. Sahara – 4 Rec, 43 Yds, 10.7 Avg, 1 TD
M. Roldan – 1 Rec, 42 Yds, 42.0 Avg
J. Barr – 1 Rec, 14 Yds, 14.0 Avg, 1 TD
D. Smith – 1 Rec, 4 Yds
N. Daniel – 1 Rec, 2 Yds
C. Suggs – 3 Rec, 2 Yds
Defense
A. Chambers – 9 Tkl (7 Solo, 2 Ast), 1 TFL, 1.0 Sack
T. Bennett – 7 Tkl
D. Nowell – 7 Tkl
G. Jenkins – 5 Tkl
R. Livings – 5 Tkl, 1 TFL, 1.0 Sack
J. Harris – 4 Tkl, 1 TFL, 0.5 Sack
J. Bean – 4 Tkl
N. Jones – 4 Tkl
M. Ansah – 3 Tkl, 1 INT (17 Yds)
J. Hatch – 3 Tkl
D. Igbinoghene – 3 Tkl
T. Peppers – 2 Tkl, 1 TFL, 0.5 Sack
R. Spielman – 2 Tkl
Special Teams
D. Bragg – 2/2 FG (Long 43), 8/8 XP
D. McSurdy – 2 Punts, 110 Yds, 55.0 Avg (43.5 Net)
R. Boireau – 2 KR, 61 Yds (30.5 Avg)
E. York – 4 PR, 58 Yds (14.5 Avg)
UCF Stat Leaders
Passing
W. Wilson – 17/32, 206 Yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 53%, 6.4 YPA
C. Geer – 3/3, 38 Yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 100%, 12.6 YPA
K. Holly – 2/11, 34 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 18%, 3.0 YPA
N. Gaskin – 2/2, 16 Yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 100%, 8.0 YPA
Rushing
J. Minter – 11 Car, 60 Yds, 5.4 Avg, 2 TD
W. Wilson – 13 Car, 20 Yds, 1.5 Avg
F. Carter – 3 Car, 6 Yds, 2.0 Avg
C. Geer – 1 Car, 4 Yds, 4.0 Avg
K. Holly – 2 Car, 3 Yds, 1.5 Avg
N. Gaskin – 1 Car, 2 Yds, 2.0 Avg
E. Fiedler – 1 Car, 2 Yds, 2.0 Avg
Receiving
J. Baggett – 6 Rec, 81 Yds, 13.5 Avg
J. Minter – 4 Rec, 55 Yds, 13.7 Avg
D. Vinson – 3 Rec, 50 Yds, 16.6 Avg
P. Mitrione – 3 Rec, 38 Yds, 12.6 Avg
K. Hurns – 3 Rec, 26 Yds, 8.6 Avg
E. Fiedler – 3 Rec, 25 Yds, 8.3 Avg
K. Dysert – 1 Rec, 16 Yds, 16.0 Avg
F. Carter – 1 Rec, 3 Yds, 3.0 Avg
Defense
M. Boone – 13 Tkl (8 Solo, 5 Ast), 2 TFL
T. Williams – 13 Tkl (4 Solo, 9 Ast), 1 TFL
C. Hicks – 8 Tkl
T. Pounds – 7 Tkl
D. Worrilow – 7 Tkl
K. Moon – 5 Tkl
J. Incognito – 5 Tkl
M. Vernon – 4 Tkl, 1 TFL
N. Rimpf – 3 Tkl, 2 TFL, 0.5 Sack
E. Nesbit – 2 Tkl
T. Hill – 2 Tkl
Q. Ellington – 2 Tkl
T. Tinker – 2 Tkl, 1 TFL
R. McAddley – 2 Tkl, 0.5 Sack
Special Teams
T. Foster – 1/2 FG (Long 44), 2/2 XP
J. Dykes – 8 Punts, 339 Yds, 42.3 Avg (35.2 Net), 1 In 20
C. Jackson – 3 KR, 87 Yds (29.0 Avg)
M. Kurtz – 1 PR, 23 Yds (23.0 Avg)
| Category | UCF | USF |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 17 | 62 |
| First Downs | 20 | 31 |
| Total Offense | 391 | 677 |
| Total Plays | 80 | 91 |
| Yards Per Play | 4.9 | 7.4 |
| Rush | Yards | TD | 32 | 97 | 2 | 26 | 127 | 0 |
| Yards Per Rush | 3.0 | 4.9 |
| Comp | Att | TD | 24 | 48 | 0 | 37 | 65 | 8 |
| Yards Per Pass | 6.1 | 8.5 |
| Passing Yards | 294 | 550 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 2 | 14 (14%) | 7 | 17 (41%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 1 | 3 (33%) | 3 | 6 (50%) |
| 2 Pt Conv. | 0 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD | FG | % | 2 | 0 | 66% | 5 | 1 | 75% |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| PR Yards | 23 | 58 |
| KR Yards | 107 | 61 |
| Total Yards | 521 | 796 |
| Punts (Avg) | 8 (42.4)</td] | 2 (55.0)</td] |
| Penalties | 1 | 15 | 1 | 5 |
UCF
