South Florida wasted no time turning Thursday night into a track meet. The Bulls opened with a pick-six just eight seconds in, tied for the fastest touchdown in program history, and never looked back, hanging 45 first-half points on UTSA en route to a 55-23 win.

USF moves to 7-2 (4-1 AAC) and keeps its conference title push very much alive.

Byrum Brown was surgical and explosive. The senior completed 14-of-15 for 239 yards and two touchdowns, then added 109 yards and a score on the ground, extending his streak to five straight games with 200-plus passing, 80-plus rushing, and a rushing TD.

His lone rushing touchdown came on a savvy shift from sneak look to an outside keeper that left the Roadrunners flat-footed.

The defense matched the offense stride for stride. USF piled up a season-high six sacks and turned opportunism into points, first on a 40-yard pick-six by senior safety Tavin Ward (his first career TD), then on an 85-yard scoop-and-score in the opening quarter.

Junior corner Jarvis Lee logged two sacks and forced the early fumble that went to the house. UTSA finished with 60 rushing yards lost and only 132 gained, never recovering from USF’s 14-0 blitz out of the gate.

UTSA briefly steadied with a field goal, but three USF rushing touchdowns put the game out of reach before halftime. Ward’s impact went beyond the scoreline with three solo tackles and a TFL, while the front seven harassed QB Owen McCown all night.

Next up, USF travels to Annapolis to face Navy on Nov. 15 at noon ET on ESPN2. If Thursday was any indication, the Bulls are peaking at the right time, and bringing both fireworks and fury to November.