By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA – It took only eight seconds for the No. 22 Bulls to let the nation know there would be no letdown following a signature win in South Bend and a loss of a loved one shortly after.

Mark Joyce matched the fastest score in USF football history with a 17-yard fumble return on the game's opening kickoff and the Bulls rolled to a 37-7 victory over Ball State in their home opener Saturday night before a crowd of 45,113 at Raymond James Stadium.

Amazingly enough, everything seemed to be clicking for USF (2-0) on a night it honored longtime Bull Lee Roy Selmon, who passed away last Sunday. The team attended Selmon's memorial on Friday, which made it hard to know how the Bulls would respond come game time.

“It had all the makings of a letdown. It had all the makings of coming out here and playing a little bit flat,” USF head coach Skip Holtz said. “I think it speaks volumes for these players, the senior leadership, the way so many guys have stepped up.”

B.J. Daniels definitely did on the way to posting career highs in passing yards (359), completions (28) and attempts (39).

“He's comfortable in the offense and it's really showing with what he's doing,” Holtz said. “… He's having fun out there.”

USF paid tribute to Selmon, its former athletic director who made football possible at the school, with a moving pregame video that ignited the crowd. The school's marching band's lineup spelled out “LRS” during a show before kickoff on the field that sported two “63” logos – Selmon's number during his Hall of Fame career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We said we were going to play this game for him,” Daniels said.

Selmon, who worked for USF since 1993, would have been proud of the way the Bulls came out charging with his old number on their helmets and initials on their green jerseys.

Mike Jeune, with the help of Armando Sanchez, popped the ball out of Ball State kick returner Phil Dudley's hands on the game's first play and Joyce marched to the end zone to tie the program's quickest scoring record of 8 seconds set back in 2007 against Louisville.

“Kind of a nice feeling to have that in your hip pocket as a coach,” Holtz said.

Point production was far from finished in the first half for USF, which has outscored its opponents, 46-0, in the first two quarters this season.

Maikon Bonani, who made three field goals against Notre Dame, tacked three more onto his season total to help the Bulls jump out to a 30-0 lead at the break.

Bonani's first came from 31 yards out and put USF up, 10-0, late in the first quarter. He added a 24-yarder with 13:51 left in the second quarter the Bulls' offense started to heat up in the red zone afterward.

Demetris Murray's 2-yard touchdown run about four minutes later capped off an 80-yard drive. Murray led all rushers at the half with 46 yards on 12 carries.

Bonani's 38-yarder made it 23-0 with 5:03 remaining in the second quarter and Daniels got USF back into the end zone less than three minutes later with a 20-yard strike to Victor Marc.

Daniels almost had a career game in two quarters Saturday. His 289 pass yards were three more than his single-game high last season and he was efficient in the process, completing 24 of 31 attempts.

Daniels started off the second half 15 yards shy of his career best set in 2009 against Louisville.

Credit the USF defense for allowing Daniels the opportunity to produce often. The Bulls gave up just 76 yards of offense in the first half, while USF gained 386 on 53 plays (22 more than the Cardinals).

Ball State punted a total of six times in the half and gave away a fumble recovered by Jon Lejiste at the Cardinals' 31 with 58 seconds to go before the break.

USF had a chance to pump its lead up to 33 points before heading to the locker room, but Bonani's 33-yard attempt was blocked with 1 second remaining.

Daniels eclipsed his career high in passing yards in the opening drive of the second half and briefly exited the game with the Bulls still ahead, 30-0.

The redshirt junior returned later in the third quarter and ignited a six-play drive with a 24-yard strike to Marc. Newcomer Darrell Scott rushed for 41 yards during the march down the field and scored from 1 yard out as USF took a 37-0 lead with 1:56 left in the period.

Scott, who sat out all of last season after transferring from Colorado, led all posted a game-high 82 yards on 11 carries.

USF's shutout bid was spoiled early in the fourth quarter when Jahwan Edwards got Ball State on the scoreboard with a 13-yard touchdown run. The Cardinals punted seven times and made no trips into the red zone before the score.

The Bulls are back at Raymond James Stadium for their next game Saturday, Sept. 17 against Florida A&M at 7 p.m. You can purchase tickets online at GoUSFBulls.com

GAME NOTES:

- The Bulls have outscored their opponents, 46-0, in the first half this season. 

- Saturday's game marked the second straight contest the Bulls have had multiple takeaways.

- With three fumble recoveries, USF has now forced eight turnovers in its first two games.

- USF had 10 players catch a pass in tonight's game.

- S Mark Joyce's fumble return on the opening kickoff tied the record for the fastest score in USF history. USF did the same thing against Louisville in 8 seconds back in 2007.

- B.J. Daniels set career highs in completions (28), attempts (39) and yards (359) on the night, despite playing only two series in the second half.

- WR Victor Marc recorded his first-career touchdown reception on a 20-yard pass from Daniels in the second quarter.

- RB Darrell Scott scored the first touchdown of his USF career on a 1-yard run with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter.

- WR Terrence Mitchell caught the first pass of his career and finished the game with seven catches for 60 yards.

- DE Claude Davis had two sacks Saturday after getting one against Notre Dame last week.

- P Justin Brockhaus-Kann averaged 45.8 yards per punt on four attempts, including a long of 50.

- PK Maikon Bonani added three more field goals and has converted 6-of-9 attempts on the season.