Photo by Arianna Howell | The Crow’s Nest
By Isabella Perez
On Sept. 5, 2026, the University of South Florida Bulls started their 30th season with a 19-9 win against the FIU Panthers, marking the first win under new head coach Brian Hartline.
As USF looks to open their first ever on-campus stadium for the 2027 season, the Bulls played their last season opener at Raymond James Stadium with a crowd of 41,847 spectators marking the second-largest opening game attendance record for USF since 2021.
Photo by Arianna Howell | The Crow’s Nest
The first points of the game came from returning kicker Nico Gramatica, who connected on a 37-yard field goal to close out the first quarter, bringing the score to 3-0.
While the Bulls fell short in total yards with 208 to FIU’s 381, the team capitalized on Gramatica’s kicking. Five minutes into the second quarter, the junior completed a 53-yard field goal (his sixth career kick of 50-plus yards) giving the Bulls a 6-0 lead over the Panthers.
“You try to go out there every time and make every kick. So, it is nice to go out there and be able to trust the unit, be able to go and operate,” said Gramatica. “… The offense gets us in field goal range. The defense makes stops or picks. And it’s also EQ (emotional quotient), coaches, everything. It’s everyone working together to try to get the job done.”
Although USF’s offense lacked explosive playmaking, FIU’s defense was unable to force a turnover on the Bulls.
“The defense did a really good job bending, not breaking,” said head coach Brian Hartline. “… We have to make sure we can sustain having, you know, longer drives rather than just relying on just always a big play. You know, that’s not always winning football. You put your defense in a bad spot. So, we got to make sure we stay a little more consistent on offense.”
Photo by Arianna Howell | The Crow’s Nest
The Bulls’ defensive efforts maintained control of the game even through the team’s offensive struggles, partly due to key interceptions from Tavin Ward and Tayvion Beasley.
“I think Israel Boyce was on it and the ball just kind of went through the receivers’ hands and fell straight into my lap, so I was smiling about it the whole time,” said Ward of his turnover.
Following Beasley’s turnover, the Bulls completed a 35-yard drive ending with running back D.J. Crowther’s 1-yard touchdown run, giving USF its first and only touchdown of the night.
“He did a great job just, you know, keeping his pads down and moving forward for us,” said quarterback Michael Van Buren of Crowther’s performance. “That’s just something he has consistently been doing throughout camp, throughout spring. So, you know, that’s just what I expected from him and, you know, I’m proud of him.”
Photo by Arianna Howell | The Crow’s Nest
After a drive stalled near the red zone, the Bulls settled for a field goal, and Gramatica once again increased the lead with a 30-yard kick, making the score 16-3.
Once again, Gramatica expanded the Bulls’ lead over the Panthers, closing out the game with a 29-yard field goal. Gramatica, who is currently on the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, scored 13 points on Saturday.
“I honestly don’t try to pay attention to anything out of that,” said Gramatica of his nomination. “I just try to go out and just do my job every kick.”
USF is starting its conference play on the road this week, taking on Army on Sept. 12 in West Point, New York. The game will take place at noon and will air live on CBS Sports Network. The game will also be available through radio broadcast on the USF Bulls app.
