USF football opens its 30th season with a victory over FIU

TAMPA, FLA. (SEPT. 5, 2026) - South Florida opened its 30^th season of football and first under head coach Brian Hartline with a 19-9 victory over FIU Saturday in a rocking Raymond James Stadium.

A crowd of 41,847, including 9,873 students, cheered as the Bulls made Hartline the fifth Bulls head coach to win their debut. The crowd marked the Bulls' largest home-opening crowd since 2021 (Florida, 64,692), the seventh largest home opening crowd in program history, and the third-best in the last 15 years.

Hartline led 62 new Bulls and 19 new starters onto the field as the South Florida extended its home winning streak to eight games .

Quarterback Michael Van Buren became the 12^th Bulls quarterback to win their debut and the 17^th different quarterback to open a season for the Bulls. He started the game connecting on his first five passes before finishing 11-of-18 for 100 yards passing and running for seven yards. Most importantly, he led a Bulls offense that committed no turnovers in the first game with nine new starters.

carried the Bulls' scoring on the day posting a career-best tying 13 points while hitting a career-best four made field goals. One of those was a 53-yarder that marked his program record sixth of 50-plus yards. He also extended his made field goal streak to 11, the fourth-longest in program history.

The Bulls opened the scoring with a 37-yard Gramatica field goal in the closing seconds of the first quarter.

FIU went for it on a 4^th-and-2 at the USF48 early in the second quarter and Bulls defensive back made a big solo stop, dropping the Panther running back for a two-yard loss and setting the Bulls up at the 50-yard line. Five plays later, Gramatica connected on a 53-yard field goal to give South Florida a 6-0 lead.

FIU closed the gap to 6-3 converting a 41-yard field goal with 9:04 to play in the third quarter.

Late in the third quarter, Bulls defensive back jumped what appeared to be a wide receiver screen and returned the interception 25 yards to the FIU35. Running back logged a pair of 10-yard runs and Van Buren hit for a 12-yard gain as the Bulls worked to the FIU1. Crowther then moved behind the Bulls big offensive line to find the endzone for the first time on the season, scoring on a 1-yard run to make it 13-6 with 13:07 to play.

On FIU's ensuing possession, quarterback JJ Kohl fumbled on a 2-yard run and Fortenberry recovered at the FIU36. Runs by Jason Collins moved USF to the FIU8, but the Bulls settled for a 30-yard Gramatica field goal and a 16-3 lead.

Gramatica added another 29-yard field goal with 1:44 to play. An FIU touchdown in the closing seconds made the final margin 19-9.

KEY STATS
• The Bulls collected three turnovers on the night and did not turn the ball over once, improving to 17-2 in the last four seasons when getting two turnovers or more.
• The Bulls defense allowed just 80 FIU rushing yards and saw eight of FIU's 11 drives end in a turnover, punt, or turnover on downs.
• USF committed just four penalties for 30 yards while FIU had eight penalties or 50 yards.

NOTABLES
• RB - ran for 42 yards and a 1-yard touchdown.
• DB - got a big third quarter interception - the third of his career, but first in three seasons - to set up a touchdown. He added a career-best four tackles.
• K - made four field goals on the day, including a 53-yarder which marked the sixth of 50-plus yard field goal of his career, extending his USF record for 50-yard field goals. His four field goals made were a new career best and his 13 points scored tied a career best.

UP NEXT

South Florida will head to West Point, N.Y. for the earliest conference opener in program history when the Bulls take on Army next Saturday in a noon kickoff. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and can be heard on Q105 FM and Bulls Unlimited digital radio.

Get Your Tickets Today!
Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email [email protected] to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the South Florida Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.

About South Florida Football
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30^th season in 2026.

In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027.

The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. The Bulls spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings during the 2007 season.