South Florida (1-2) rushed for 286 yards and its defense contained Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, but late game USF turnovers and miscues allowed No. 18 Florida (2-1) to escape with a 31-28 victory in a game that was much closer than most expected it would be Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Bulls running back/kick returner Brian Battie rushed for a career-best 150-yards on 17-carries and Gerry Bohanon ran for 102-yards on 15 attempts to lead the ground attack. Battie and Bohanon each scored a rushing touchdown. Xavier Weaver caught eight passes for 82 yards.

On third and 11 with 6:51 to play, Bohanon overthrew an open receiver and Tre’Vez Johnson made a diving interception at the Bulls 28. Four plays later and Trevor Etienne rand it in from the three to give Florida a 31-28 lead that they would not relinquish.

The Bulls final drive of the game started at their 30-yard line with five minutes on the clock. They converted two third downs to keep the drive going but on second and six from the Gators 19 a bad shotgun snap never got off the ground, went past Bohanon and Battie fell on the loose ball at the Gators 33 for a 14 yard loss.

Two plays later, a bad hold resulted in Spencer Shrader missing a 49-yard field goal attempt with 23 seconds to play.

BullsInsider.com was at the game and here is our Instant Analysis:

IT WAS OVER WHEN: Shrader missed a 49-yard field goal that could have tied the game with 23 seconds to play.

HE STOLE THE SHOW: Battie not only rushed for 150 yards, he had 93-yards in kickoff returns and seven receiving yards for a game high 250 all-purpose yards.

THE STAT DOESN’T LIE: The Bulls had 402 yards of offense and controlled the ball for 36:19.

WHAT A PLAY: Gators tailback Montrell Johnson took a handoff from Richardson and ran off the left edge and down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. It game Florida a 10-7 lead.

THE BOTTOM LINE: USF gave itself a chance to win its first road game against a ranked opponent since going into South Bend and defeating then No. 16 Notre Dame. Just when it appeared this game was headed for overtime, a bad snap on second down with 34-seconds left and a bad hold on a field goal attempt with 23 seconds to play ended the Bulls night. Up next, USF travels to Louisville for a noon tilt against the Cardinals next Saturday.