The War on I-4 (college football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  |
|
|---|---|
| USF | UCF |
| (3) | (0) |
| 2005 2006 2007 |
|
The War on I-4 is name given to the annual intercollegiate American football game between the University of South Florida Bulls and the University of Central Florida Knights that started in 2005. The name is derived from the fact that both universities are located near I-4 and are separated by less than 80 miles. All three of the games have been won by USF. The future of the game is in doubt because USF has not expressed interest in renewing the game after the deal expires after the 2008 game.
Contents |
[edit] Previous results
USF victories are shaded ██ green. UCF victories shaded in ██ gold.
| Date Played | USF | UCF | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2005 | USF | 31 | UCF | 14 | Raymond James Stadium |
| September 16, 2006 | USF | 24 | UCF | 17 | Citrus Bowl |
| October 13, 2007 | USF | 64 | UCF | 12 | Raymond James Stadium |
| September 6, 2008 | USF | 0 | UCF | 0 | Bright House Networks Stadium |
[edit] UCF subtle victory
Fans and alumni of the Orlando school had been pushing for a series between the teams ever since South Florida launched its program from scratch eleven years ago (in 1997), arguing that it made sense because of the proximity of the campuses and the prospect of drawing large crowds each year. The Bulls resisted the overtures. However, with USF's departure from Conference USA to the Big East Conference, a series was negotiated as part of USF's exit agreement with Conference USA.
[edit] 2005
Andre Hall ran for 155 yards and scored two touchdowns Saturday night to help South Florida beat Central Florida 31-14.
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.
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.
[edit] 2006
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
| Golden Knights | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
USF 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 USF history, including his 73 yards today. 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.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
06:52 USF - Marcus Edwards 7 yd pass from Matt Grothe (Mike Benzer kick), 7 plays-79 yards 3:33, USF 7 - UCF 0
2nd Quarter
06:07 UCF - Michael Torres 22 yd field goal, 16 plays-79 yards 6:29, USF 7 - UCF 3
02:15 UCF - W. Thornton 37 yd pass from Steven Moffett (Michael Torres kick), 5 plays-85 yards 2:06, USF 7 - UCF 10
3rd Quarter
00:00 USF - Mike Benzer 30 yd field goal, 7 plays-37 yards 3:27, USF 10 - UCF 10
4th Quarter
11:05 USF - Benjamin Williams 2 yd pass from Matt Grothe (Mike Benzer kick), 5 plays-48 yards 2:08, USF 17 - UCF 10
07:14 UCF - Blake Carter 31 yd blocked punt return (Michael Torres kick), , USF 17 - UCF 17
03:20 USF - Ean Randolph 27 yd pass from Matt Grothe (Mike Benzer kick), 9 plays-90 yards 3:38, USF 24 - UCF 17
[edit] 2007
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| #5 Bulls | 12 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 64 |
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 USF would also exchange safeties.
|
|||||||||||||||||
