South Florida–UCF football rivalry

South Florida–UCF football rivalry

South Florida Bulls UCF Knights
First meeting	September 17, 2005 South Florida 31, UCF 14
Latest meeting	November 26, 2015 South Florida 44, UCF 3
Next meeting	November 2016
Statistics
Meetings total	7
All-time series	South Florida leads, 5–2
Longest win streak	South Florida, 4 (2005–08)
Current win streak	South Florida, 1 (2015)

The South Florida–UCF football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the University of Central Florida Knights and University of South Florida Bulls. It was played from 2005–08, and returned in 2013 as a yearly conference game hosted on Thanksgiving weekend, following UCF's entrance into the American Athletic Conference. South Florida currently leads the series 5–2. The game is sometimes known as the War on I–4 or the I–4 Corridor Clash.

Names

Starting when the schools first met on the gridiron in 2005, some writers dubbed the rivalry the "War on I–4". When the series resumed in 2013, administrators from both schools named it the "I–4 Corridor Clash". Both names refer to Interstate 4, an interstate highway that runs through both Orlando and Tampa in Central Florida.^[1][2] The moniker War on I-4 was instead reserved for the rivalry between the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators of the AFL.

Series history

Early plans

Discussions about scheduling a game between the Knights and Bulls began shortly after South Florida fielded its first NCAA Division I-AA team in 1997.^[3][4] Supporters suggested such a rivalry could help generate interest and revenue for both burgeoning teams. The prospect became more serious when the Bulls entered Division I-A in 2001 and was very popular among fans, but as it would be a non-conference series, difficulties arose. UCF had overbooked its future schedules and would have to break commitments.^[3] Meanwhile, South Florida officials worried that their young program stood to take in less revenue from a home-and-away series against UCF than it would with an additional home game on the schedule.^[5] Serious planning for a series did not commence until 2003.^[3]

First games (2005–2008)

By 2003, serious discussions resumed as both schools had joined conferences – South Florida joined Conference USA (C-USA) in 2001, while UCF joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 2002.^[3] That year, the schools' athletics directors met and agreed to schedule games for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.^[3][6] Subsequently, South Florida joined the Big East, an Automatic Qualifying conference, in 2005,^[7] while UCF joined C-USA the same year.^[8] The Bulls won both games, which both drew crowds over 45,000. The series was extended for 2007 and 2008 as part of an agreement with C-USA that the Bulls play a member of the conference annually for five years.^[6][9] South Florida won these games as well, including a 64–12 blowout in 2007. South Florida declined to schedule further games in the series, indicating it wished to pursue more competitive and high profile opponents and teams from outside Florida.^[10][11]

The two schools discussed scheduling more games over the next several years, including a failed proposal by South Florida to play at the Citrus Bowl in 2011.^[12][13][14]

Renewed series (2013–present)

Conference realignment shed new light on the rivalry in 2011, when UCF was admitted to the Big East Conference (later realigned as the American Athletic Conference).^[15][16] For the first time, both schools were part of the same conference, and the rivalry resumed as a regular conference match beginning with the 2013 season.^[17] The games have been scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend.^[18][19] In 2013, UCF pulled off a late 23–20 win against the Bulls in Orlando to earn its first victory against South Florida.^[20][21] In May 2014, The American announced that as of the 2015 season, both schools will be a member of the East Division.^[22]

Game results

Since 2005, the Bulls and Knights have played seven times. South Florida leads the series 5–2. The game has been played in two cities and three stadiums: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and the Citrus Bowl and Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida. South Florida leads the series in Tampa (2–1) and in Orlando (3–1).

South Florida victories

UCF victories

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score	Attendance
1	September 17, 2005	Tampa, FL	South Florida	31–14	45,139
2	September 16, 2006	Orlando, FL	South Florida	24–17	46,708
3	October 6, 2007	Tampa, FL	South Florida	64–12	65,948
4	September 6, 2008	Orlando, FL	South Florida	31–24^OT	46,805
5	November 29, 2013	Orlando, FL	UCF	23–20	45,952
6	November 28, 2014	Tampa, FL	UCF	16–0	36,963
7	November 26, 2015	Orlando, FL	South Florida	44–3	25,967
Series: South Florida leads 5–2

^[23]

Game notes

2005

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Knights 0 0 7 7 14 • Bulls 7 14 7 3 31 Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 45,139 Television network: FSN

A crowd of 45,139, second-largest (until that time) in South Florida's relatively brief football history, watched the Bulls build a 21–0 halftime lead on the strength of a relentless running attack that finished with 326 yards. Andre Hall ran for 155 yards and scored two touchdowns Saturday night to help South Florida beat UCF 31–14.

UCF was held to 45 yards rushing and was shut out until Joe Burnett returned a third-quarter punt 60 yards to the South Florida 4, setting up Steven Moffett's touchdown run on the next play. Moffett also threw a 9-yard TD pass to Brandon Marshall late in the fourth quarter.

One play after Hall nearly scored on a 17-yard run, Pat Julmiste added South Florida's last TD on 1-yard quarterback sneak late in the third quarter. Kyle Bronson added a fourth-quarter field goal to make it 31–7.

2006

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulls 7 0 3 14 24 Golden Knights 0 10 0 7 17 Location: Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL Game start: 2:30 p.m. Game attendance: 46,708 Television network: CBSSN

South Florida freshman quarterback Matt Grothe threw for 302 yards and ran for another 73, eclipsing Marquel Blackwell's 239-yard game against New Haven in 1999. Blackwell also had a 238-yard game that same year against Liberty. Meanwhile, Grothe now has the top three rushing games by a freshman quarterback in South Florida history, including his 73 yards. He had 82 rushing yards against Florida International and 58 in the season opener against McNeese State. Blackwell had held the record with 57 yards against Southwest Texas State in 1999.

2007

1 2 3 4 Total Knights 7 3 0 2 12 • #5 Bulls 12 17 14 21 64 Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game attendance: 65,948 Television network: ESPNU

The Bulls defeated the cross-state Knights 64–12 in front of a home crowd announced at 65,948. The Bulls held the Knights to just 145 total yards and Kevin Smith, who came in as the nation's leading rusher at 172 yards per game, to just 55 yards in one half of play, the only time during the season that a defense held Smith to under 100 yards. South Florida gained 543 total yards—over three times as much as UCF—while holding the ball three fewer minutes than the Knights. UCF scored their only offensive points—a Kyle Israel rush for a touchdown, and a field goal—in the first half. UCF and South Florida would also exchange safeties.

2008

1 2 3 4 OT Total • #17 Bulls 10 0 14 0 7 31 Knights 7 3 0 14 0 24 Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 46,805 Television network: ESPN2

In what was the final meeting of the War on I-4 for many years, the visiting Bulls downed the Knights 31–24 in a closely contested overtime battle. With UCF trailing 24-7 late in the 4th quarter, quarterback Michael Greco threw two touchdown passes in less than a minute, including passes of 13 yards to Corey Rabazinski and 31 yards to Rocky Ross, to tie the game at 24 with 1:40 remaining in regulation. South Florida won the game when they stopped UCF on a 4th and short in overtime.

2013

1 2 3 4 Total Bulls 3 3 7 7 20 • #17 Knights 3 10 3 7 23 Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL Game start: 8:00 p.m. Game attendance: 45,952 Television network: ESPN

UCF debuted their black helmets for the first and only time for this matchup (worn with gold jerseys and black pants). Despite turning the ball over five times, the Knights found a way to earn their first victory in the I-4 Corridor Clash against South Florida. Running back Storm Johnson fumbled the ball on UCF's first two drives, including a drop at the Bulls 10 yard line. Trailing with under five minutes left in regulation, QB Blake Bortles found WR Breshad Perriman for a 52–yard go-ahead touchdown reception. With 1:20 left in the fourth quarter and charging down the field, South Florida quarterback Mike White was intercepted by CB Jordan Ozerities, and he returned the ball 52 yards to the Bulls 37 yard line. The Knights ran out the clock for the victory.

2014

1 2 3 4 Total • Knights 0 14 2 0 16 Bulls 0 0 0 0 0 Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game attendance: 36,963 Television network: ESPN2

After a scoreless first quarter, Justin Holman led the Knights on a 17-play, 80 yard scoring drive to open the second quarter. The Knights held the Bulls offense to a three-and-out on the next series, which was followed by an 8-play, 73 yard scoring drive by UCF capped off by a 21-yard run from Rannell Hall. UCF held South Florida to 200 yards of total offense, 5 yards rushing, and forced three turnovers on downs. The Bulls missed a field goal and were not able to convert on three UCF turnovers.

2015

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulls 7 17 14 6 44 Knights 3 0 0 0 3 Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL Game start: 7:30 p.m. Game attendance: 25,967 Television network: ESPN

After scoring a field goal on their first drive, the Knights were shut out by the Bulls defense. The Bulls held UCF to 203 yards of total offense and caught two interceptions. Scoring 44 unanswered points and gaining 455 offensive yards, South Florida handed UCF their twelfth loss of the season, guaranteeing their second winless campaign since 2004. For the first time since 1995, UCF wore black jerseys and black pants. USF, on the other hand, completed one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in college football history to finish 8-4 after a 1-3 start.

References

1. Rick Brown (September 17, 2005). "It's First Nickname Saturday". The Ledger. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
2. Bruey, Christian (November 27, 2013). "Bru's Clues: Week 14 College Football Picks". www.wftv.com. WFTV. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
3. Pete Young (May 3, 2003). "USF-UCF comes to fruition". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
4. Mark Didtler and Jerry Greene (August 29, 1997). "Inevitable Debate Must Wait Until 2001". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
5. Mike Bianchi (May 5, 2001). "Hey Bulls: An I-4 War is Good for USF; UCF Medical Journal". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
6. Kyle Hightower (May 3, 2003). "Grid Lock: UCF Will Play USF". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
7. "Important Dates in USF Football History". University of South Florida Athletic Association. 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
8. Alan Schmadtke (November 5, 2003). "UCF, 4 Others Join C-USA". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
9. Greg Auman (August 16, 2006). "Schedule news, new commitment ...". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
10. Greg Auman (September 6, 2008). "Should USF play UCF every year?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
11. Greg Auman (April 29, 2011). "USF says no contracts proposed for football with UCF". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
12. "Report: O'Leary says USF-UCF rivalry rekindled". Tampa Bay Times. 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
13. "UCF officials say there is no contract yet for potential new series with USF". Orlando Sentinel. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
14. Greg Auman (January 12, 2012). "USF offered to play UCF in Citrus Bowl this fall". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
15. Iliana Limón (June 29, 2013). "Big East finally announces UCF is joining league". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
16. Paul Tenorio (December 7, 2011). "Aresco: UCF, USF rivalry 'a cornerstone' of American Athletic Conference". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
17. Mike Bianchi (December 7, 2011). "Finally, Big East gives UCF some much-needed good news". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
18. "Rivalry game is one USF can’t afford to lose". The Tampa Tribune. November 27, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
19. "UCF announces 2014 football schedule". WFTV. March 11, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
20. "No. 17 UCF survives scare from rival S. Florida". CBS Sports. November 29, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
21. "UCF Clinches 1st BCS Bid". ESPN. December 6, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
22. "American Announces Football Divisional Alignment For 2015". American Athletic Conference. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
23. http://www.ucfknights.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/ucf-m-footbl-archive.html