College Football

Auburn Defeats UCF 3-2 To Win The Battle for Bowl Week Title

Published

9 years ago

December 30, 2017

ATLANTA, Ga. (FNN SPORTS) – Auburn defeated UCF 3-2 to clinch this year’s Battle for Bowl Week competition, along with the coveted Battle for Bowl Week Championship Belt. The Tigers were named Battle For Bowl Week Champions with a down to the wire victory in the Faceoff tiebreaker event after the teams were tied 2-2 following the first four contests.

General images during the College Football Hall of Fame Dinner, December 29, 2017, in Atlanta. Auburn will face UCF in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on January 1, 2018. (Paul Abell via Abell Images for Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl)

Before the teams take the field on New Year’s Day, players from UCF and Auburn tested their skills off the gridiron, going head-to-head in contests ranging from go-kart racing to trivia and shooting hoops, with the winner taking home the coveted Battle for Bowl Week Championship Belt.

The winner of the Battle for Bowl Week has gone on to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in six of the last seven games and is undefeated in non-Semifinal years.

This year’s Battle for Bowl Week competitions and results:

December 27^th 2017:
Competition #1
Andretti Indoor Karting
Each team will participate in go-kart racing at Andretti Indoor Karting. Team members will be given the opportunity to test their driving skills as part of the competition for this event. The average lap time for each team will be totaled and the team with the quickest average time will be declared the winner for this event.

Winner: UCF

December 28^th 2017:
Competition #2
Basketball Challenge
Five members of each team will participate in a Basketball Challenge in their respective team hotel for the highest score. Each player will receive their own 45 second round to shoot from various locations around the hoop, with each place being worth a different point total. Highest cumulative team score will determine the overall team winner for this event.

Winner: Auburn

December 29^th 2017:
Competition #3
Drop It Like It’s Hot
Four members of each team will participate in this game. Teams are shown multiple choice questions and have 15 seconds to discuss. They are then allotted a fixed amount of points they can wager on each answer. One-by-one incorrect answers drop off the screen along with any points they wagered on that answer. The team with the most points at end of the game wins.

Winner: Auburn

Competition #4
Football Feud
Four offensive players, four defensive players and two assistant coaches from both teams will square off in a football version of the popular game show “Family Feud.” Each team will attempt to name the top answers to questions asked. Football Feud is a two round game. The team with the highest score at the end of the two rounds (or a tie-breaker) will be declared the winner for this event.

Winner: UCF

Tiebreaker Event: Faceoff
All players from both teams participate in a single-elimination competition where players are asked to face in one direction or another based upon their answer to a series of trivia questions. The team with the last remaining player is named the winner of the event.

Winner: Auburn

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Central Florida News

USF Comes Up Short at UTSA as Late Touchdown Seals 31-24 Loss

Published

2 weeks ago

October 9, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — USF running back D.J. Crowther (5) crosses the goal line on a 15-yard touchdown run to open the scoring against UTSA Thursday night at the Alamodome. Photo by Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics.

South Florida held an early advantage and reclaimed the lead late, but UTSA’s second-half execution proved to be the difference Thursday night at the Alamodome.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida gave itself a chance to steal a road win Thursday night, but UTSA answered when it mattered most, defeating the Bulls 31-24 at the Alamodome.

USF struck first behind D.J. Crowther, who broke through for a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Bulls an early advantage. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. helped keep South Florida’s offense moving throughout the night as the Bulls continued to respond whenever UTSA threatened to take control.

USF stayed within reach from start to finish, but the second half belonged to a UTSA offense that consistently found a way to finish drives.

UTSA Finds Its Rhythm

Running back A’Marion Peterson became the difference-maker for the Roadrunners, finishing with 92 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

UTSA scored on every second-half possession, gradually shifting momentum away from a USF team that continued to battle offensively. The Roadrunners leaned heavily on their ground game while keeping the Bulls from building any sustained separation.

(more…)

Central Florida News

Temple Hands USF First Loss, 17-13

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

Cameron Seldon races toward the sideline as Temple defenders force him out of bounds. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

Bulls move to 4-1 as Hartline turns attention toward corrections and the week ahead

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida’s unbeaten start ended Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium as Temple defeated the Bulls 17-13. USF struck first behind a Nico Gramatica field goal but went into halftime trailing 10-3 before finding momentum after the break.

USF responded in the third quarter as D.J. Crowther’s one-yard touchdown tied the game at 10.

USF and Temple battle at the line of scrimmage. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

The Bulls’ defense added a key stop when No. 1 C.J. Hicks recovered a Temple fumble in the end zone. Gramatica later connected from 49 yards to give USF a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead. Temple answered with the defining possession of the night, driving 96 yards before quarterback No. 13 Ajani Sheppard scored on a 34-yard run to put the Owls ahead for good.

Temple’s 96-yard fourth-quarter drive became the turning point in the 17-13 finish.

Joshua Porter sprints for catch with Adrian Laing closing in for Temple. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

USF was unable to answer late, dropping to 4-1. Following the game, head coach Brian Hartline focused on returning to the film, correcting the mistakes that surfaced and making sure the Bulls use the loss to improve heading into the next week.

FINAL: Temple 17, USF 13

Up Next: USF travels to San Antonio to face UTSA on Thursday night.

– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com

Central Florida News

USF Saves Its Best Work for the Fourth in 14-6 Win Over Bowling Green

Published

4 weeks ago

September 29, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

The Bulls erase a six-point deficit and leave Ohio 4-0 for the first time since 2018.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (FNN SPORTS) — The first three quarters belonged to a low-scoring game. The fourth belonged to South Florida.

Bowling Green entered the final quarter ahead 6-0, but USF’s defense had kept the margin small enough for one possession to change the direction of the game. Three quiet quarters did not decide this one. The final quarter did.

That opportunity came after a fourth-down stop near midfield.

USF Head Coach Brian Hartline reviewing play. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News.

D.J. Crowther helped move the Bulls downfield, and Luke Kromenhoek finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run to put USF ahead 7-6.

Crowther was back at the center of the next scoring drive, ending a 72-yard possession with a one-yard touchdown. He finished the afternoon with 143 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Bowling Green’s final drive reached USF territory, but Asani Redwood recorded a late sack before the Falcons came up two yards short on fourth-and-16.

USF walked away with the 14-6 win and its first 4-0 start since 2018.