South Florida–UCF rivalry

Founded in 1956 and 1963, respectively, the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida are located 82.6 miles (132.9 km) apart from each other.[lower-alpha 1] The schools' distance, combined with their athletic programs concurrent establishment and rise to NCAA Division I helped create a natural rivalry between the two schools. The first meeting between the Florida Technical University Knights of the Pegasus (UCF)[5] and the University of South Florida Golden Brahman was in 1972 in a basketball game in Tampa. The Golden Brahman won this game, 115–96.[6] Since that time, the schools have played each other in 9 other sports.[6]

War on I-4 Trophy

On September 21, 2016, both schools announced the official recognition of the “War On I-4” rivalry series. The schools compete each school year in 14 sports for bragging rights, with each sports team's record counting equally toward a final tally for each program. The winner each year will take possession of a large trophy shaped like the iconic I-4 road sign, which will be displayed on their campus for the following year. The winner of the annual Thanksgiving weekend, football clash will also receive a similarly shaped "War On I-4" trophy.[3][4]

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.[15][16] 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.[15] 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.[17] Serious planning for a series did not commence until 2003.[15]

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.[15] That year, the schools' athletics directors met and agreed to schedule games for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.[15][18] Subsequently, South Florida joined the Big East, an Automatic Qualifying conference, in 2005,[19] while UCF joined C-USA the same year.[20] 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.[18][21] 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.[22][23] During the series hiatus South Florida would go on to schedule prestigious opponents such as Wofford, Western Kentucky, Charleston Southern, Stony Brook, Florida Atlantic, Ball State, Florida A&M, UTEP, Chattanooga and Nevada.

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.[24][25][26] In addition, a possible head-to-head match-up at the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl failed to materialize. Bowl and city officials decided against pitting the two nearby schools, as they preferred at least one distant team so that more out-of-town fans would book hotel rooms in the area.[27] UCF instead faced Rutgers in the game.

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).[28][29] 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.[30] The games have been scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend.[31][32] In 2013, UCF pulled off a late 23–20 win against the Bulls in Orlando to earn its first victory against South Florida.[33][34] In May 2014, The American announced that beginning with the 2015 season - when the conference formally split into divisions - both schools would be a member of the newly-created East Division.[35] Therefore, the two teams would henceforth be scheduled to play one another every season, rotating the home field annually.

In 2015, the game was played on Thanksgiving night, and in 2016, the game was played on the Saturday of that week. However, in most years it has instead been scheduled for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

Since 2005, the Bulls and Knights have played eleven times. South Florida leads the series 6–5. The game has been played in two cities and three stadiums: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and Camping World Stadium and Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida. South Florida leads the series in Tampa (3–2) while tied with UCF in Orlando (3–3).

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.

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.

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.

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 24–10 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.

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.

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. This was the first time that South Florida had been shut out at home.

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. This was the first, and to-date, only time the game has been held on Thanksgiving night.

The 2016 game was the first official War on I-4 football game and both teams entered the game having already secured bowl eligibility (UCF was 6–5 and USF was 9–2), for the first time since the 2007 meeting. Following the game, USF was ranked in both the AP and Coaches poll.

The 13th-ranked Knights welcomed the 22nd-ranked Bulls (9–1) to Spectrum Stadium with the winner of the game claiming the American Athletic Conference East Division title and a spot in the 2017 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game. The game was the first ranked match-up in the rivalry.[37][38] The game quickly turned into an offensive shootout, with a total of 1,186 yards of offense from both teams, including a school record 605 yards from USF quarterback Quinton Flowers.[39] The game came down to the wire, with UCF taking an eight-point lead (following an earlier missed PAT from USF) with 2:21 left in the game.[40] USF then tied the game with an 83-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion with 1:41 left.[40] On the ensuing kickoff, UCF's Mike Hughes returned the kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown,[41][42] giving the Knights a 49–42 lead, with 1:28 left.[40] The Bulls attempted to strike back, but Bulls tight end Mitchell Wilcox fumbled on the UCF 45 yard line, following a 10-yard catch, and UCF linebacker Chequan Burkett recovered to seal the game.[39][43] The game was called one of the best of the season.[44][45][46]

The Knights defeated the Bulls 38–10, however, the game was marred by the devastating, season-ending injury to starting quarterback McKenzie Milton. Twice in the first half the Knights stopped the Bulls when they went for it on 4th down. Milton led the Knights on a 97-yard drive capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis, and a 7–0 lead. Early in the second quarter, facing a 3rd & 7 at the USF 30, McKenzie Milton scrambled to the right and was upended after a diving tackle by Mazzi Wilkins. Milton suffered a "traumatic" knee injury,[49] and was carted off the field and brought to Tampa General Hospital for surgery. After a lengthy delay, the game resumed with Matthew Wright kicking a 42-yard field goal for a 10–0 lead.

Darriel Mack Jr. took over at quarterback, and despite the pall cast over the game, the Knights rallied behind him to soundly defeat the Bulls. Mack threw for 81 yards in substitute, but it was the running game that took over in the second half. Greg McCrae rushed 181 yards on 16 carries, and three touchdowns. The Knights ended with 391 yard rushing, with Taj McGowan adding a touchdown in the fourth quarter.[50]

The Knights took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in twelve plays, including four third-down conversions. Gabriel Davis made a leaping catch near the back of the endzone from Dillon Gabriel for the game's first touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Adrian Killins Jr. blasted for a 35-yard touchdown run to put UCF up 14–0. Gabriel and Davis connected for a second touchdown pass and a 21–0 lead. With under a minute remaining in the half, tempers flared as four players - two on each team - received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. As Killins was being tackled, he grabbed the facemask of USF defensive back Nick Roberts, triggering a big scuffle. The incident came after another pregame skirmish during warm-ups. Officials quickly broke things up, and a few moments later, Dylan Barnas kicked a 50-yard field goal. UCF led 24–0 at halftime.

Darriel Mack Jr. took snaps at quarterback in the second half, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Trailing 34–7, the Bulls drove into Knights territory midway through the fourth quarter. With 5:10 remaining in regulation, facing 4th & Goal at the UCF 3 yard line, Bulls quarterback Jordan McCloud was intercepted by Eriq Gilyard at the 5 yard line. UCF ran out the clock and secured the victory.[53]

The two schools began competing against one another in men's basketball during the 1971–1972 season and have met thirty-three times to date. The Bulls currently hold a 22–17 edge over the Knights, however two Knights' victories were vacated due to NCAA sanctions. The 2013–2014 season marked the first time the schools would compete in the same conference, with UCF holding a 11–2 series lead in American Athletic Conference play. USF and UCF both hold the longest win streaks in the series with the Bulls having won nine consecutive games against their rivals from 1994-2007, while the Knights have won nine straight from 2016-2020.

[54][55]

[#] – UCF's victories in 2008 and 2010 were vacated due to NCAA sanctions

(N) – neutral site locations

The schools claim two different basketball records and results, due to when they declare the first meeting occurred. According to USF, they lead the women's basketball series 25–9, with the first meeting occurring on January 20, 1973, with a USF 41–30 win in Tampa.[58] According to UCF and the official War on I-4 website, the first meeting occurred on January 12, 1978, with a USF 81–70 win in Tampa, resulting in a 22–6 USF lead in the series.[59] USF had not lost a game in the series since the 1980–81 season until UCF beat the #22 USF on February 14, 2017, which was UCF's first victory in Tampa.[60][61][62]

^A 2018 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

The two schools claim different records in Men's Soccer, due to when they declare the first meeting occurred. Unlike other sports, UCF and the official War on I-4 website claim the first meeting occurred earlier than USF does. According to UCF and the official War on I-4 website,[6] the first meeting occurred in 1975, with USF winning 4–1, giving USF a 25–7–4 lead. However, according to USF, the first meeting did not occur until USF's 2–1 win on September 26, 1979 in Tampa, giving USF a 22–7–3 lead.[78][79][80]

^A2010 NCAA Tournament
^B2011 NCAA Tournament
^C2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament

Unlike Men's Soccer, the two schools claim the same records in Women's Soccer. The first meeting occurred in 1998 with USF winning 4–0 at home in Tampa. UCF currently leads the series 11–4–4.[81][82][83][84][85]

^A2013 American Athletic Conference Tournament
^B2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament
^C2017 American Athletic Conference Tournament