Game notes
- Time and date: Wednesday, December 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Camping World Stadium — Orlando, FL
- Spread: South Florida (-3)
- Over/under: 53.5
- All-time series: No previous matchups
- Old Dominion last bowl: 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl, 38-35 loss to WKU
- South Florida last bowl: 2024 Hawaii Bowl, 41-39 win over San Jose State
- 2024 Cure Bowl matchup: Ohio 30, Jacksonville State 27
Setting the scene
There is no history that connects South Florida and Old Dominion. But the two share one commonality — both teams’ last bowl games were extremely chaotic “you had to be there” moments, where any viewers knew their exact location watching the events unfold. Old Dominion squandered a 28-0 lead in the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl vs. WKU, dropping an overtime thriller in the greatest bowl comeback of the 2020s. South Florida outlasted San Jose State in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl in five overtimes, making it the first
5OT postseason game in college football history.
Now the teams conclude their seasons in Orlando, and they were both wildly successful years. South Florida and Old Dominion enter with identical 9-3 records, as the Bulls eye their first 10-win season since 2017 and the Monarchs look for their first 10-win season since 2016.
It’s the 11th annual StaffDNA Cure Bowl.
Old Dominion Monarchs outlook
Old Dominion (9-3, 6-2 Sun Belt) finally broke through for its first winning season under head coach Ricky Rahne. It’s only the Monarchs second year above .500 since debuting at the FBS level in 2014 and first in nine years.
Old Dominion kept things quite balanced along the way, cultivating the nation’s 29th-ranked scoring offense and 21st-ranked scoring defense en route to its successful campaign. The Monarchs are 15th in yards per game, and plenty of that can be credited to star dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph. However, even though the transfer portal does not open until January, Joseph is missing this game due to intent to transfer. Without the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Old Dominion turns to Quinn Henicle for his second career start.
Henicle started the 2024 season finale at Arkansas State and delivered a 40-32 upset win behind 206 rushing yards and two touchdowns — demonstrating his capabilities as a scrambler. He also threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts that game. But filling in for a 1,000-yard rusher in Joseph, expect a lot of Henicle on the ground to lead Old Dominion’s 7th-ranked rushing offense. Trequan Jones (Sun Belt-best 7.6 yards per carry) and Devin Roche are the running backs also contributing to ODU’s ground presence, and the tandem combines for 1,266 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Monarchs may not be as aerial-heavy with Henicle leading the way, but there’s a trio of capable receivers to assist the young quarterback. Tre Brown made waves all season as a downfield playmaker, generating a team-high 751 yards on 20.3 yards per reception. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Ja’Cory Thomas were the most frequented targets though, each posting over 600 yards and combining for 11 of the team’s 21 receiving touchdowns. Putting it all together, the offense scored 45+ four times this year and eclipsed 20 points on every team but current No. 1 Indiana.
On the other side, the Monarchs were quite stout as the Sun Belt’s second-best yards per game defense. They warranted one All-Sun Belt selection in each position group, with Kris Trinidad at defensive end, Jeremy Mack at outside linebacker, and Jerome Carter at free safety all receiving recognition. Carter is an unmistakable presence on the back end of the nation’s 23rd-best pass defense, ranking atop the Monarchs in tackles while picking off a team-best four passes. Mack excels as the team’s top backfield invader, collecting ODU-bests in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (10) in his third season on campus. Trinidad also assisted in this facet, tallying 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in a vastly improved front.
This defense generates turnovers at a high rate, tying for 24th in the FBS with 20 takeaways. Yet, the Monarchs still own a negative turnover differential thanks to 23 giveaways by the offense — ranking bottom 10 in the country. Old Dominion’s three losses were all turnover-filled frenzies where they lost the collective turnover battle 11-2. Thus in wins, the Monarchs were a +6. One other concern has been their shaky kicking game which is 14-of-23 on field goals this season. However, Nathanial Eichner stepped in this November to bring some stability, and he’s been 6-of-8 so far, albeit with a long of 32.
South Florida Bulls outlook
South Florida (9-3, 6-2 American) controlled its own destiny for the College Football Playoff until a stunning shootout loss at Navy on Nov. 15. The Bulls barely missed out on their first American Conference Championship Game appearance, but they performed well enough to get their coach poached by Auburn shortly after.
Alex Golesh nearly completed three seasons with the program, restoring the Bulls to winning ways. Before Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline takes the reins, defensive line coach Kevin Patrick will serve as the interim for the Cure Bowl.
Another notable absence is star quarterback Byrum Brown. As he mulls over his decision to enter the transfer portal, stay at USF, or test the waters of the NFL, the quarterback is opting out of the remainder of the season. However, he remains present in practices in more of a coaching role, and he’s preparing sixth-year senior quarterback Gaston Moore for his first and last collegiate start. The former UCF and Tennessee transfer (playing under Golesh at all three stops) has thrown 64 passes and three touchdowns, but he’s never been QB1 for a contest until now. He’ll be the director of South Florida’s hyper-speed offense, which should remain in place for at least one more game with the rest of Golesh’s staff in tact.
Moore may not provide the dual-threat abilities of Brown, who rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, but the run game still offers explosive options. Nykahi Davenport and Sam Franklin average 6.6 and 6.4 yards per rush, respectively, and neither is a stranger to breakaway rushing touchdowns. Without Brown designed runs, they should see a slight uptick in production Wednesday evening in Orlando.
South Florida’s skill position stardom runs deep. The Bulls possess several big-play receiving options, and they’re big targets that thrive on size mismatches. Keshaun Singleton is closing in on 1,000 yards with 877 on the season, and he presents a team-best eight touchdowns heading into the finale. Jeremiah Koger and Mudia Reuben are other standout options in the receiving corps, totaling 12 touchdowns and 70 catches in a great year for this offense.
USF is second in the FBS in both points (43.0) and yards (502) per game, boasting top 20 ranks in both the run and pass. The Bulls’ offense was always sharp in the Golesh era, but the defense’s rise is what drove the team into contention status this year. USF built their trenches up and became one of the most physical teams in the American Conference — allowing their fewest points per game since 2015.
South Florida became known for its endeavors on the turnover front, and the Bulls are eighth in the FBS with 24 takeaways on the year. Plenty of these takeaways can be credited to the dominant linebacker duo of Mac Harris and Jhalyn Shuler, who combine for three interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns. They are the team’s top two tacklers with 100 and 95 stops, respectively, and their omnipresent playmaking makes life easier for the rest of the defense.
The Bulls see the occasional coverage lapse with the 120th-ranked passing defense, but that doesn’t mean they lack stars in the secondary. Nickel cornerback Jarvis Lee makes his presence felt all over the field, totaling 3.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as a frequent blitzer. The secondary ended the year a bit banged up, but Fred Gaskin and De’Shawn Rucker are other components in the group that can lock down Old Dominion’s passing attack.
Prediction
It’s a bummer neither team is at full strength for a game of this magnitude, especially because Colton Joseph and Byrum Brown are two of the most fun quarterbacks to watch in college football. Both are 1,000-yard rushers and talented passers that fully deserve the “dual-threat” label. But Quinn Henicle and Gaston Moore receive opportunities to make themselves program legends Wednesday night in Orlando.
They new quarterbacks will receive nice boosts from loaded skill position groups, and this one should take on a somewhat high-scoring nature. However, South Florida presents the more physical defense, and the Mac Harris and Jhalyn Shuler duo is the reason the Bulls come up with extra stops in Tampa. South Florida makes it three bowl wins in three years, claiming 10 wins for the first time in 2017. And if the Bulls are fortunate enough, a winning effort will grant them a season-ending ranking.
Prediction: South Florida 42, Old Dominion 37
