TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida proved Friday night that last year’s 24-19 upset of West Virginia was no fluke.

The 18th-ranked Bulls turned the trick again, dealing the No. 5-ranked Mountaineers a 21-13 defeat in the Big East opener for both schools.

A record crowd of 57,018 packed Raymond James Stadium to see amazing USF (4-0, 1-0) establish itself as an early contender for the conference championship.

Thousands of fans stormed the field to celebrate with the Bulls as soon as time ticked out.

WVU quarterback Patrick White sat out the entire second half after suffering a bruised thigh with 1:49 left in the first half.

The triumph might well elevate the Bulls into the Top 10 of the national rankings. The Mountaineers (4-1, 0-1) almost certainly will tumble several spots in both major polls.

West Virginia simply did not perform well this hot night. It certainly did not look like a team that ranked 10th in total offense, ninth in scoring offense and second in rushing offense.

Of course, the USF defense undoubtedly deserves much of the credit for that.

USF coach Jim Leavitt said, “This was a big win for us, no question. I don’t know how big.

“Our defense played as well as you can play. It was hard to simulate White in practice.

“That stop on their last drive was huge. If they had scored, they would have needed a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime.

“On offense, we did some good things. But we bogged down at times.

“We’ll kind enjoy this for awhile.”

A disappointed WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said, “Our execution on offense was about as bad you can play. We’re very disappointed.

“We had six turnovers and just couldn’t put things together. You’ve got to give them some credit.”

The Bulls managed a 21-13 margin in first downs, but the Mountaineers finished with 437 yards in total offense on 86 plays while USF had only 274 on just 58 plays.

White completed 12 of 18 passes for 100 yards and added 36 yards rushing on nine keeper plays before being injured.

Backup quarterback Jarrett Brown was 11 of 20 for 149 yards and one touchdown. That came on his nine-yard pass to Darius Reynaud with 5:17 left in the game.

All-America tailback Steve Slaton was held to 54 yards on 13 carries. Brown was WVU’s top rusher with 61 yards on 15 attempts.

USF quarterback Matt Grothe completed 11 of 20 passes for 135 yards and was intercepted twice. He passed 55 yards to Carlton Mitchell for a touchdown.

Tailback Jamar Taylor, who scored on a 19-yard run in the third quarter, was USF’s leading rusher. Mike Ford was next with 42 yards on five carries.

Dorrell Jalloh (5-87) and Reynaud (5-47-1) paced the Mountaineer receiving corps. Benjamin Williams (3-23) and Amari Jackson (3-15) were the winners’ top pass-catchers.

Both teams had difficulty holding onto the ball.

In all there were 10 turnovers — two interceptions and two lost fumbles by the Bulls and three interceptions and three lost fumbles by WVU.

Nate Allen’s interception of Brown in the end zone killed a Brown-led drive late in the third quarter.

The Mountaineers still had a chance to pull out the nod. But their last-gasp drive died at the USF 40 on downs with 48 seconds left on the clock.

Eight of the turnovers marred the first half. WVU had intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles, while USF showed one interception and three fumble recoveries.

Ben Moffitt intercepted White’s pass and returned 26 yards to score the game’s first touchdown with 1:13 left in the first quarter.

Delbert Alvarado, who had missed an earlier 47-yard field goal attempt, kicked the extra point.

South Florida scored again early in the second quarter when Grothe, surrounded by several would-be tacklers, found Mitchell for 55 yards and its second score.

Alvarado kicked the 14th point.

One of at least three bad WVU snaps came on third-and-goal at the USF two-yard line and stalled an impressive drive.

That lost 17 yards and WVU had to settle for McAfee’s 36-yard field goal with just three second left in the half.

White had been shaken up badly on an 18-yard keeper play that brought a first down at the 17 on that great scoring opportunity.

Brown took over at quarterback then.

The Bulls had outplayed the Mountaineers up to at that juncture.

First downs were a staggering 14-3 and total offense 180-81. WVU had an 81-65 edge in rushing.

South Florida took the second-half kickoff at the 26 and marched 74 yards for its third touchdown. That came on Janer Taylor’s 19-yard run with 4:46 elapsed. Now the score stood 21-3.

With Brown at quarterback, the Mountaineers took the ensuing kickoff at their 20 and drove all the way to the USF 16. But they again had to settle for a field goal — this one by McAfee from 35 yards.

It whittled the deficit to 21-6 with 5:54 to go and that was still the score at quarter’s end.

West Virginia finally scored a touchdown with 5:45 left in the gam. It came on Brown’s nine-yard pass to Reynaud, capping an 85-yard, 12-play drive. Brown’s 20-yard pass to Wes Lyons on fourth-and-14 was the key play, advancing the ball to the 16.

McAfee converted, and the score was USF 21, WVU 13 with 5:45 remaining in the contest.

WVU plays at Syracuse next Saturday.

USF, meanwhile, will play at Florida Atlantic.

“It’s a huge statement win,” Moffitt said. “It’s something we’ve got to do to put this program where it’s supposed to go.”

It’s a pattern they’re establishing. The Bulls upset Louisville at home two years ago and knocked WVU out of contention for a BCS bowl berth with a 24-19 upset at Morgantown last November. They posted a 26-23 overtime victory at Auburn earlier this month.

“It’s a good win for us but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I really don’t,” said Leavitt “We’ve got to improve in a lot of ways. I just want to focus in on trying to get ready for FAU.”