The USF football team will be without quarterback Byrum Brown for at least one more game. The star junior's foot injury did not allow him to return to the field in Week 11 against Navy. As such, the team will keep backup Bryce Archie in the starting lineup.
The team confirmed that Archie will make his fourth consecutive start in Week 11 on game day morning, per Brett McMurphy of The Action Network. Archie has gone 2-1 as a starter in the previous three games and enters the matchup with Navy having won his last two.
Archie, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, is not the athlete that Brown is. However, he has surpassed 200 passing yards in each of his three previous starts. He has thrown four touchdowns in the last two weeks while leading USF to 79 combined points in those games.
Archie's first win with USF was not without its issues as he was forced to navigate adversity. Two of his teammates were caught on camera fighting on the sidelines in a now-viral Week 8 clip. The Bulls managed to get past the viral incident en route to a 35-35 win over UAB to end a three-game losing streak.
Brown has not played since going down in the team's 45-10 loss to Tulane on Sept. 28. The quarterback was hit in the left leg, causing him to later be considered week-to-week. With three games remaining on USF's schedule after Week 11, it is unclear if he will return at any point in the 2024 season.
Should Brown be out for the rest of the season, it is also unknown if he will return to the team as a senior in 2025. Brown entered his junior year as one of the most dynamic mid-major quarterbacks with over 4,000 yards of total offense in 2023. In the current transfer portal era, no player is ever guaranteed to return to a school. Mid-majors are especially vulnerable and frequently see star players explore external options.
USF faces Navy without Byrum Brown
While Archie has thrived in Brown's absence, he will face his stiffest test as USF's starting quarterback against Navy. The Midshipmen are 6-2 on the year and enter the game as slight betting favorites.
Since a 6-0 start to the year, Navy has dropped their last two games against Notre Dame and Rice. They maintain a third-place standing in the American Athletic Conference, behind rival Army and Tulane. Despite their upset loss to Rice in Week 10, the Midshipmen seek a rebound week against USF without Brown under center.
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