FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -South Florida's highest ranking in school history was nearly short-lived. Benjamin Williams ran for 186 yards and four touchdowns, Matt Grothe added 120 yards rushing and a score and the No. 6 Bulls held off fellow upstart Florida Atlantic 35-23 on Saturday. South Florida (5-0) committed four turnovers for the second straight game. But Williams and Grothe did enough to overcome the mistakes. Williams had a 10-yard scoring run to break a 7-7 tie in the third quarter. Grothe made it 21-14 with a spinning, juking, tackle-breaking 32-yard run two possessions later. Williams' second one was even better. He spun out of one tackle, broke two more and scampered 54 yards to make it 28-17 with about 10 minutes remaining. But Florida Atlantic (3-3) didn't quit in its first game against a top-10 opponent. Rusty Smith hooked up with DiIvory Edgecomb for a 47-yard strike, cutting the lead to 28-23 with 6:42 to play. The Owls missed the 2-point conversion. FAU forced two punts in the closing minutes, but couldn't put together a potential game-winning drive. Williams added a 9-yard run with 29 seconds remaining to seal the victory. It came after FAU failed to convert a fourth-down pass. South Florida may have expected a letdown after its 21-13 victory over then-No. 5 West Virginia eight days ago. But few could have seen a near meltdown coming. Then again, Howard Schnellenberger has spent the last seven years building his FAU program in the mold of Jim Leavitt's team, which has been around 11 seasons. Both relative newcomers are certainly closing the gap on Florida, Florida State and Miami. South Florida's latest win came with two key injuries. Defensive end George Selvie, who entered the game leading the nation in sacks, had one on the first series. But he was hurt a short time later and played sparingly the rest of the way. And running back Jamar Taylor sprained his left ankle and did not return. Williams and Grothe picked up the slack. Williams' yardage, touchdowns and 25 carries all were career highs. Grothe ran 14 times, and completed 17 of 27 passes for 122 yards with an interception. Smith was 23-of-47 passing for 259 yards for FAU. He had three TD passes and an interception. Grothe escaped two defenders on third-and-9, rolled right and found Amari Jackson for a 29-yard gain. The Bulls scored two plays later on Williams' 6-yard TD run, taking a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. FAU evened the score just before the half, taking advantage of Corey Small's interception. Small stepped in front of Grothe's pass and returned it to the 11-yard line. The drive nearly stalled, but on third down from the 12, Smith found Cortez Gent in the front corner of the end zone with 44 seconds to play. The Bulls had two other turnovers, both fumbles, and FAU looked poised to turn them into points. But Warley Leroy missed field goal after each one. Leroy missed a third, too. He was wide left from 36, 42 and 45 yards. He got a huge ovation as his extra point sailed through the uprights to tie the game.