USF Athletics

The War on I-4 Rivalry Revisited

November 22, 2018

NEXT GAME: No. 8/9 UCF (10-0, 7-0 in AAC) at USF (7-4, 3-4 in AAC)
DAY/TIME: Friday/4:15 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: ESPN
RADIO: 820-AM, 98.3-FM, Bulls Unlimited
FOLLOW: Live stats | Twitter
GAME NOTES: USF | UCF
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com


 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, NOV. 22, 2018 – Bragging rights and a massive rivalry game trophy will be up for grabs when USF hosts UCF in the 10^th installment of the War on I-4 series Friday at Raymond James Stadium.

"We don't have to have a speech for this game," senior defensive back Ronnie Hoggins said. "It's the team out east we're playing and we look forward to this game."

USF will be looking to get the 160-pound War on I-4 trophy back on campus after coming up short in last year's epic battle in Orlando. Aside from pride, the Bulls can dash No. 8/9 UCF's national title dreams if they can snap the Knights' impressive undefeated streak that's up to a nation-leading 23 games.

"It would mean a lot, especially for this program just to mess up their season," said senior defensive end Josh Black.

Hoggins and Black will be two of 18 seniors honored before Friday's 4:15 p.m. kickoff at Ray Jay. This senior class has won a program record 36 games in their USF careers, including two victories over UCF in the past three years.

USF has a 6-3 lead in its all-time series with UCF and the Bulls are poised to bring home another big win in front of what's expected to be a very large and loud crowd.

"(There's) going to be a lot of ups and downs in that game, but you've just got to stay the course and stayed focused on the task at hand, and good things will happen," Hoggins said.

USF fans will be bringing the noise with  "Horns Up" Dunkin' ThunderStix being distributed prior to the game. The first 5,000 students to arrive in student section will receive ThunderStix. Get to Ray Jay early because the first 5,000 fans through the gates also will receive free ThunderStix.

Prior to the highly anticipated kickoff, let's take a look back at memorable performances and standout achievements from the first nine War on I-4 episodes.

Game 1: USF 31, UCF 14
Sept. 17, 2005 - Tampa
Andre Hall rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns to help boost the Bulls to a victory before a crowd of 45,139 at Raymond James Stadium. Ricky Ponton and Pat Julmiste added touchdown runs while USF's defense limited UCF to only 45 rushing yards. Read more about the game HERE.



Game 2:  USF 24, UCF 17
Sept. 16, 2006 - Orlando
The first heart-pounding finish of the series featured a big stop by the Bulls. Defensive end Chris Robinson sacked UCF quarterback Steven Moffett on a fourth-and-6 from the USF 10 with 22 seconds remaining to secure the win for USF in Orlando. Freshman Matt Grothe threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score on a 27-yard pass to Ean Randolph on third-and-14 with 3:20 remaining. Grothe had two crucial runs of 26 and 13 yards on the game-winning drive and led the Bulls with 73 rushing yards. Check out the game recap HERE.



Game 3: No. 5 USF 64, UCF 12
Oct. 13, 2007 - Tampa
"They took it to us today,'' UCF head coach George O'Leary said, and he was definitely right after watching the fifth-ranked Bulls force three turnovers in the first quarter and outscore the Knights, 35-2, in the second half. The rowdy crowd of 65,948 at Raymond James Stadium watched George Selvie, the nation's sack leader at the time, post four tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. UCF's Kevin Smith started the day averaging 172 rushing yards, but was limited to only 55 yards on 18 carries before watching most of the second half from the bench. Matt Grothe continued to produce against the Knights with two touchdown passes and a pair of scoring runs while USF outgained UCF, 542-145. Read the game recap HERE.


Game 4: No. 17 USF 31, UCF 24, OT
Sept. 6, 2008 - Orlando
Matt Grothe threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, including a 25-yarder to Taurus Johnson that made the difference in the dramatic overtime win. Johnson finished with six receptions for 143 yards to help the Bulls improve to 4-0 against the Knights before a crowd of 46,805 in Orlando. Check out the game recap HERE.



Game 5: No. 17 UCF 23, USF 20
Nov. 29, 2013 - Orlando
Senior back Marcus Shaw's 1-yard touchdown run spotted USF a 20-16 lead early in the fourth quarter before host UCF pulled ahead with a touchdown pass by Blake Bortles with 4:50 remaining. USF forced five turnovers and held an opponent to less than 300 yards for the third consecutive game. Read the game recap HERE.


 
Game 6: UCF 16, USF 0
Nov. 28, 2014 - Tampa
USF defense pitched a shutout in the second half, but the Bulls weren't able to cash in on three turnovers in a loss to the Knights at Raymond James Stadium. UCF was held to 131 yards after the break and safety Jamie Byrd got the takeaway train rolling with an interception early in the third quarter. Defensive end Demetrius Hill and linebacker Nigel Harris followed with fumble recoveries. Marlon Mack became the third Bull and first USF freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. View the recap HERE.


 
Game 7: USF 44, UCF 3
Nov. 26, 2015 - Orlando
The Bulls bounced back against the Knights in a huge way. Quinton Flowers threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores while Marlon Mack gained 102 yards on the ground in Orlando. USF's defense limited UCF to 203 total yards (87 rushing) and kept the Knights off the scoreboard for the final three quarters. Auggie Sanchez became the 10^th USF player to register 100 tackles in a season and the first Bull to accomplish the feat since Kion Wilson in 2009. Read the recap HERE.


 
Game 8: USF 48, UCF 31
Nov. 26, 2016 - Tampa
USF rushed for 351 yards and five touchdowns on the way to reaching 10 wins for the first time in program history. Quinton Flowers set the program's new season rushing record after producing 152 yards and two scores on the ground. USF had two 100-yard rushers for the fifth time that season, as Marlon Mack finished with a game-high 155 yards after breaking off touchdown runs from 43 and 56 yards out. USF's defense forced three turnovers, starting with a 22-yard fumble recovery return by Juwuan Brown for a touchdown in the first quarter.  Interceptions by Auggie Sanchez and Nate Godwin helped create a 10-point swing by the Bulls after UCF faced a 31-24 deficit in the fourth quarter. Read the recap HERE.


 
Game 9: No. 12 UCF 49, No. 19 USF 42
Nov. 24, 2017 - Orlando 
Quinton Flowers shattered school records with 605 yards of total offense and 503 passing yards in a thriller in Orlando that was deemed the top regular season college game of 2017 by numerous media outlets. Flowers tied his career high with four touchdown passes and five total touchdowns accounted for. His final scoring toss of 83 yards to Darnell Salomon with 1:41 remaining set up USF's two-point conversion to tie the game. Mike Hughes' 95-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff decided the instant classic. Tyre McCants had a monster performance, setting the school record with 227 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine catches. McCants' 47-yard touchdown reception while dragging a UCF defender in the first quarter set the tone for an explosive game that featured 1,186 total yards of offense. Read the game recap HERE.

 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
 
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