Old Dominion muzzles South Florida, 24-10, to lift the Cure Bowl

Old Dominion finished the job in Orlando, beating South Florida 24-10 on December 17 at Camping World Stadium, a result built on a punishing ground game and a defense that took the ball away. Redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Henicle ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns and added 127 yards through the air, while the Monarchs defense produced four interceptions, including one on a fake punt, to close the door on the Bulls. The win delivered a 10-3 record, which matches the best season in program history, and denied South Florida a long sought 10th victory.

Game snapshot

Old Dominion leaned into what traveled all season, the run. The Monarchs piled up 255 rushing yards and controlled the tempo after halftime, turning a 10-7 deficit into a steady, two score finish. Henicle’s 51 yard sprint with 2:32 remaining, on a third down keeper, provided the final separation. South Florida’s offense, which spent the fall lighting up scoreboards, found little room on the ground and had to live through the air, which invited mistakes that Old Dominion’s secondary and pass rush converted into extra chances.

Turning points

• A third quarter interception by Jerome Carter flipped field position, Old Dominion turned the takeaway into Trequan Jones’s 22 yard touchdown run for a 14-10 lead
• Nathaniel Eichner’s 24 yard field goal late in the third quarter stretched the margin to seven, which allowed Old Dominion to keep the ball on the ground and shorten the game
• A fourth quarter fake punt by South Florida backfired, the pass was intercepted, Old Dominion scored three plays later on Henicle’s long keeper to settle the outcome

Old Dominion won because it trusted its identity, ran with conviction, and made South Florida play from behind, which turned the Bulls’ speed into hurry rather than menace

How Old Dominion won it

Quarterback on the move, backs in rhythm

Henicle carried 24 times, slipping through first contact and keeping the ball on key downs, which turned third downs into field position and clock control. Devin Roche complemented him with 100 rushing yards on 19 carries, and Jones provided the go ahead touchdown run. The design was simple, inside runs early, quarterback keepers to the edge once the Bulls widened, then downhill again when safeties crept up.

Defense that hunted the ball

The Monarchs produced four interceptions and four sacks, pressing South Florida’s receivers at the line and winning enough pass rush snaps to hurry throws. The upshot, South Florida managed only 52 rushing yards, an astonishing contrast for an offense that arrived with top shelf season numbers. Those stops fueled a 17-0 second half.

South Florida’s perspective

Backup behind center, familiar scheme, tougher outcome

With starting quarterback Byrum Brown sitting out, senior Gaston Moore made his first collegiate start. Moore was sharp early, he hit a 31 yard touchdown to Jeremiah Koger before halftime and finished 20 of 28 for 236 yards, but the turnovers proved costly. A special teams gamble, the fake punt pass that was intercepted, compounded the problem. The Bulls defense generated some negative plays in the first half, including a strip sack, yet could not get Old Dominion behind the chains once the Monarchs fully committed to the run.

Coaching transition context

South Florida played under interim coach Kevin Patrick after Alex Golesh accepted the Auburn job in late November. The Bulls entered with a chance at a third straight bowl win and their first 10 win season since 2017, strong markers for a program on the rise. The performance in Orlando was not a collapse, it was a night when their usual explosiveness met a patient opponent that tackled well and limited yards after contact.

Key numbers

What it means

For Old Dominion

A 10-3 finish, a trophy, and a blueprint that holds up in tight games. Ricky Rahne gets his first bowl victory at ODU, which matters in recruiting rooms as much as it does in the record book. The defensive surge to end the season, four picks and four sacks in the finale, offers proof that the back seven’s closing speed and the front’s depth can carry into the spring.

For South Florida

A productive season stalled one step from a milestone, yet the broader arc remains. With staff decisions ahead and Brown’s future to be sorted, the Bulls still return a style that attracts playmakers and a defense that created game changing plays all fall. The offseason priority is clear, reinforce the offensive line, secure the quarterback room, and clean up special teams risk in high leverage spots.

The pregame read vs. the result

South Florida entered as a slight favorite, which reflected the Bulls’ elite season long yardage and scoring profile. Once the ball kicked, the match tilted to the traits that tend to travel, efficient runs on early downs, a defense that took the ball, and a quarterback who could win third down with his legs. That is how a game framed as a track meet turned into Old Dominion’s kind of finish.

The last word

Old Dominion did not need to be fancy in Orlando, it only needed to be itself. The Monarchs were steady on first down, physical on defense, and ruthless when the chance to finish arrived. South Florida will see plenty of this tape in the offseason, because it shows how quickly a high octane plan can be rerouted by an opponent that tackles well and refuses to blink.