ORLANDO, NOV. 29, 2019 – USF got solid individual War on I-4 performances by underclassmen in a 34-7 setback at UCF that capped off the Bulls' 2019 season on Friday night.

Sophomore linebacker Antonio Grier (Atlanta) set a new personal best with a game-high 11 tackles (nine solo). USF (4-8, 2-6) also got a career-high 10 tackles from sophomore safety Vincent Davis (Jacksonville, Fla.), who made eight stops in the first half that saw UCF (9-3, 6-2) take a 24-0 lead.

Sophomore running back/receiver Johnny Ford (Miami) led the Bulls with 53 rushing yards (5.3 ypc) and scored the Bulls' lone touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

The 11^th installment of the War on I-4 series started as a close battle before UCF took control by halftime.

UCF scored a touchdown on the game-opening drive, but the USF defense settled in and held the Knights scoreless for the rest of the first quarter.

The Bulls kept it a one-score game early by forcing a punt and holding strong on a UCF drive that started at the USF 29 after a fumble, but resulted in only a missed field goal. Davis helped the USF defense deliver once again by stopping scrambling Dillon Gabriel for a 4-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 try at the Bulls' 34-yard line near the end of the opening quarter.

USF's defense ended up being on the field for 52 plays in the first half while UCF used a 17-point second quarter to take control of the game. Davis already set a new career high with eight tackles in the first half.

Following a UCF punt, Ford provided a second-half spark for the offense with a season long 39-yard run down to the Knights' 15-yard line. Six plays later, Ford got the Bulls on the scoreboard with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

Trailing 34-7, USF's offense used a no-quit approach to put together its longest scoring drive of the season. Quarterback Jordan McCloud (Tampa) led the Bulls on a 19-play, 83-yard drive down to the UCF 1 that took 9:26 off the clock, but a tipped pass led to the Knights' second interception of the game (third takeaway overall).

Friday marked the final USF game for a 17-member senior class that has been a part of four straight bowl game appearances and the winningest four-year stretch in program history (36-15 from 2015-18). Senior tight end Mitchell Wilcox (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) finished his USF career with 100 receptions and 1,326 receiving yards, which are good for 10^th on the Bulls' all-time list.

Junior punter Trent Schneider (Sydney, Australia) set USF single-season punting records with an average of 46.0 yards and 3,266 total yards punting.

Key Stats
539 – USF gave up 539 yards while the Bulls' defense was on the field for 82 plays.
24 – UCF seized the momentum by jumping out to a 24-0 lead by halftime.
3 – USF's offense was hampered by three turnovers.

Notables

• USF now has a 6-4 lead in its all-time series with UCF. The Knights have won the past three meetings.
• Junior Trent Schneider set USF single-season records for punting average (46.0 ypp) and total yards (3,266).
• Senior TE Mitchell Wilcox finished his USF career with 100 receptions, just four catches shy of a tie for 10^th on the Bulls' all-time list. Wilcox's 1,326 receiving yards rank 10^th in program history.
• Friday marked the final USF game for the Bulls' 17-member senior class that has been a part of four straight bowl game appearances and the winningest four-year stretch in USF history (36-15, 70.5%, from 2015-18). The senior class includes TE Mitchell Wilcox, RB Jordan Cronkrite, RT Marcus Norman, RG William Atterbury, QB Blake Barnett, DE Greg Reaves, DE Kirk Livingstone, LB Patrick Macon, S Devin Studstill, DE Darius Slade, WR Stanley Clerveaux, RB Trevon Sands, OL Hal Roberson, OL Matt Nelson, WR Kyle Trina, LB Nico Sawtelle, and LB Trent Shaw.

Quotable
Head coach Charlie Strong on the loss:
"You gotta be able to create plays and you gotta be able to make plays on offense, and we didn't do it. The defense played well early but when the defense holds them, we gotta be able to drive and capitalize. You can't turn it into a scoring match."

Strong on what has to be accomplished during USF's offseason:
"We gotta get ready to go into it. We have to get better. We know that we got enough here. We just gotta work on it and improve it, go out and recruit to add to the guys we already have. Then we'll be able to have something special."
 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22^nd season of football, and 19^th 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 150^th 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.
 
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