No one was injured. Everyone had a great time. And the competition itself was back-and-forth with twists, turns and big plays galore. 

Sunday's USF Football Spring Game presented by LifeLink, complete with an enthusiastic gathering of 3,878 fans at sun-splashed Corbett Stadium, was judged a success by Bulls head coach Brian Hartline. 

"I'm really proud when you consider where we were three months ago to where we are now,'' Hartline said. "We have a long way to go. But I think we should do a good job of assessing what we did well. We've got to continue that and then we have to enhance the things we didn't do as well.'' 

The green-clad offense defeated the white-clad defense 39-34 with a modified rules format that allowed the defense to score points for causing a turnover, making a fourth-down stop or forcing a three-and-out. 

No official statistics were kept but running back was the most impressive-looking position. Jason Collins Jr., D.J. Crowther, plus holdovers Chase Garnett and Connor Mathews had multiple big plays. Hartline said effective running "can change the energy of a game.'' While praising the production of his backs, Hartline also expressed pride in the running-back room's off-field performance (3.3 grade-point average).

Meanwhile, wide receiver Cam Seldon and tight end Kade Caton each scored on pass plays. Caton, Wyatt Sullivan and Evan Dangler each made an impact at tight end, which is expected to be an important position in Hartline's offense.

"I was a big fan of Brian Hartline and what he did at Ohio State (as offensive coordinator),'' Sullivan said. "I felt like they really utilized the tight ends, so I am looking forward to (those possibilities).''

Holdover cornerback Jair Murphy had the defensive highlight with a diving interception, while the defense overall applied effective pressure. The aggressive approach of defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge has been appreciated by the players.

 "I like what I see so far,'' defensive end Michael Williams II said. "Since he (Aldridge) got here, he has been on me and he has been on all of us. Honestly, since he got here, I can say that our defense has improved tremendously.''

Hartline said he needs to see more overall consistency, particularly on the offensive line. As for the expected quarterback duel between Michael Van Buren Jr. and Luke Kromenhoek? Stay tuned, Hartline said.

"There will be a quarterback battle for a while,'' Hartline said. "That being said, they're both doing a great job. I think the most encouraging part is that they're encouraging each other. So as far as today went, I think the ball wasn't put in jeopardy too often.

 "I think the decision-making seemed pretty good and we did a good job of protecting the football. That's number one. I think I feel these guys trying to lead a little bit, which is a good sign. Other than that, I still encourage these guys to continue to get better. From their standards and where they want to be and where they hold themselves, they still feel like they have a long way to go, which is great.''

Hartline and his staff will immediately jump into exit interviews with all players. That's designed to get feedback that carries into the next wave of conditioning with strength coach Antonio Turner, plus preparations for fall training camp. 

Most of May will revolve around recruiting, official visits and further enhancing relationships with high-school coaches and players.

While awaiting fall camp and the countdown to the Sept. 5 season-opener against Florida International University, avid USF football fans will likely dive into Sunday's spring-game performance, looking for clues on potential standouts and depth-chart implications. 

But it's difficult to put the puzzle pieces together this early, especially when Hartline said the play-calling had a vanilla flavor. Coaches didn't want to show much or reveal anything too detailed.

"It's super early in this process,'' Hartline said. "Frankly, there probably wasn't a position group where we didn't have tremendous growth (from the beginning of spring). I'm excited by all the groups. I feel like everyone has improved. We'll see which units can separate themselves through the summer.''

Hartline offered a pointed spring-game evaluation of his own. 

He loved the fan support.

"The most exciting part, at least for me, was the (fan) turnout,'' Hartline said. "I mean, it was awesome. The fans came out. Bulls Nation came out. It was a blast out there — from vendors to food to excitement to a buzz to the music playing. It was a great time and I can't thank Bulls Nation enough.''

–#GoBulls–