USF Bulls Football was coming off a big win at Notre Dame and they were ranked 22 in the AP Polls for the home opener againts Ball State.  This home game opener at Raymond James Stadium brought thousands of fans to tailgate prior to the game and many of the games attendance stayed for a fireworks show at the conclusion of the game.

If you could not make the game, it was aired on ESPN3.  Since USF uses the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stadium, you could see that the endzones were painted with Buccaneers and the USF logo was in the flag on the 50-yard line.  A great touch for the field was the tribut to Lee Roy Selmon by painting "63" on the field to commemorate what he has done for this community.

The game was a great showing with USF winning the coin toss and deferring only to force a fumble on the kickoff and run it back for a touchdown to start the game 7-0.  This also tied the USF record for the quickest score by scoring in 8 seconds of the game.  The defense continued to dominate with turnovers and shutting out Ball State Cardinals until the 4th quarter.  USF starters put on a great game on both offense and defense through the 4th quarter when the second string players got to make their appearance.  The team stats looked good with 33 first downs, 519 total yards, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 touchdowns, and 3 field goals by Bonani.

On offense, BJ Daniels put on a great show with 28 of 39 passes completed, 359 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.  Running back Darrell Scott played a great game with 85 yards on 12 carries with a long of a 31 yard run and a touchdown.   On the receiving end, Victor Marc had 81 yards with 4 catches and a long of 24 yards and a touchdown.  

This game was definitely a great home start to the USF season and a great continuation from the win in Notre Dame.  The fireworks at the conclusion of the game was an added bonus to help kick off the season.  With some teams ranked higher than USF in the AP Polls losing today and USF having a dominating win, USF should move up in the polls.  Make sure to check out the USF 2011 football schedule for the dates of other home games and you can get your tickets on 813area as well.  You can also see USF Football photos in the 813area photo gallery.  Lets hope this continues throughout the season and USF can make this a season to remember!!  Lets go USF Bulls!