Florida Gators football helmet.

Florida football let a potential win against South Florida slip from its hands on Saturday, Sept. 6 — with a little saliva helping loosen the grip.

A 20-yard field goal from Nico Gramatica as time expired delivered the Bulls an 18-16 victory against the No. 15-ranked Gators on Sept. 6 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. It marked the first time Florida has ever lost to South Florida.

The winning kick was the final play of an eight-play, 87-yard drive that took just 2:25 off the clock. The Bulls didn't even have to work particularly hard for some of those yards.

On a first-and-10 from his team's own 24-yard line and with 2:07 remaining, South Florida running back Alvon Isaac was stuffed for no gain. After Isaac was brought to the turf, Gators defensive lineman Brendan Bett and Bulls offensive lineman Cole Skinner got into an altercation, standing face-to-face with their facemasks bumping up against each other.

The standoff ended in dramatic fashion, with Bett spitting in Skinner's face as an official right next to them.

Bett, a Baylor transfer in his first season with the Gators, was flagged for a flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct and was ejected from the game.

As a result, South Florida gained 15 yards and got a first down, moving it up to its own 39. It capitalized, too, with quarterback Byrum Brown connecting with Isaac for a 29-yard gain to the Gators' 32, putting the Bulls in field goal range.

Bett's costly penalty was the second penalty for Florida on that drive, as Gators defensive back Dijon Johnson had been flagged for pass interference the previous play.

With the loss, Florida dropped to 1-1 in its fourth season under embattled coach Billy Napier while South Florida improved to 2-0. With victories over Boise State and Florida, both of which were ranked at the time of the game, the Bulls have put themselves in an enviable early position in the race for the designated College Football Playoff spot reserved for the highest-ranked team from outside the Power Four conferences.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida football's Brendan Bett ejected for spitting on USF player in loss to Bulls

Reporting by Craig Meyer, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect