Louk's Closer Look: Bulls Wrap Up 2019 Season With War on I-4

Louk's Closer Look: Bulls Wrap Up 2019 Season With War on I-4

NEXT GAME: USF (4-7, 2-5) at UCF (8-3, 5-2)
DAY/TIME: Friday/8 p.m.
LOCATION: Spectrum Stadium, Orlando
TV/RADIO: ESPN/USF Radio Network: Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM & Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 6-4. Bulla are 3-2 in Orlando.
PURCHASE TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF)   UCF  (PDF)
 
 
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
 
TAMPA, NOV. 27, 2019 - The 2019 USF football season comes to a close Friday in Orlando with the annual War on I-4 game against UCF.  Although there will be no bowl game for the Bulls this year, there are still some things to accomplish as the 23rd season of USF football wraps up.
 
Here's a little background on the series and a bit of history on our pals to the east:
 
  • Greg ReavesThis will be the 11th game in the series.  USF leads, 6-4, but the Knights have won four times in the last six meetings.
  • UCF football started in 1979. The Knights were in the Mid-American Conference from 2002 to 2004, and Conference USA from 2005 to 2012.  They were independent from their beginnings up to 2001, playing in four different classifications of college football during that time.
  • UCF's first game was Sept. 22, 1979; a win over St. Leo.  The Knights started their existence as a Division III program.  They moved to Division II in 1982.
  • With two interceptions last week against Memphis, the Bulls now have 24 takeaways.  That ranks third nationally.
  • The largest margin of victory in the War on I-4 series is 52, set by USF in a 64-12 win in 2007.  Many of the meetings have been much closer, with four games decided by a touchdown or less.
  • Mitchell WilcoxTight end Mitchell Wilcox, who will be playing his final game as a Bull, needs two catches to hit the 100 mark for his career.
  • UCF has had its ups and downs… the Knights won the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, but have also endured three winless seasons in their history, the most recent in 2015.
  • USF punter Trent Schneider is averaging 45.9 yards per kick. The single-season record for USF is 44.4, set by Mattias Ciabatti in 2014.
  • The Bulls are 3-2 all-time in Orlando against the Knights.
  • The Bulls are 1-1 on Nov. 29, with a win over Memphis in 2003, and a loss to UCF in 2013. 
  • This will be USF's 24th game on a Friday.  The Bulls are 11-12 all-time on Fridays.  For the record, USF has played at least one game on every day of the week except Tuesday.
 
Friday's game will be on ESPN at 8 p.m.  We begin radio coverage at 6 p.m. exclusively on USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart radio app.  Radio coverage on WDAE 95.3 FM and 620 AM begins at 7 p.m.
 
This is it for the 2019 season.  Starting Saturday, we'll be looking ahead to spring ball, and eventually a Sept. 5 date in Austin against Texas. Horns Up!
 
 
 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-4 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
 
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
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