Top 10 Moments of 2010 Season: Number 9

With only 9 weeks until football season begins, I won't waste any time getting right to the next highest moment on this countdown.

Number 9: Opening Kickoff

On the surface, the moment leading to Maikon Bonani booting the opening kick against the Stony Brook Seawolves seems just as exciting as any ordinary kick. But this was so much more than the opening of a football season. This was the opening of an entirely new chapter of the history of South Florida athletics. For the first thirteen years of the Bulls' existence, they had been under the rule of coach Jim Leavitt. And while we Bulls fans were grateful to Leavitt for being the father of this program and building us from the ground, many believed it was time for a change. Now, the change had finally come. This year was the first year of coach Skip Holtz's reign as head coach of the USF football team, and Bulls fans near and far were dying to see how the new hire would fare in his first year as a head coach of a BCS program.

On September 4th, my friends and I spent basically the entire day tailgating. It was a night game, but we got to the stadium around noon. Nothing excited us more than the thought of bringing in the new age of USF football with a memorable day at the stadium. Then came that time. Time to go into the stadium. I never thought the time would come, but it was finally here. For the entire time leading up to kickoff, I remember the fans filing into the stands and the student section growing louder and louder. By the time the band entered the field, the anxiety was at a peak for me. This was the longest hour of my life. But, the team did end up taking the field and they tossed the coin. The adrenaline was pumping and students started pounding on chairs to simulate the stampede that was finally entering the field after an offseason that seemed eternal. Maikon Bonani set up and kicked the ball away, and the first season of the Skip Holtz era had officially begun. So on the surface, it just looks like any ordinary football season beginning, but to us, this was the beginning of a new life for Bulls Football.