College Football
UCF Knights “Rendezvous With the Stars” Space Game Ends in Victory Against Houston
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Today’s game marks the third annual #UCFinSPACE game honoring the University of Central Florida’s connection to the United States space program, located in central Florida at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The theme for today’s game, “Rendezvous With the Stars,” celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the successful Apollo 11 mission and historical moonwalk by Neil Armstrong.
UCF’s original unofficial mascot Citronaut and current mascot Knightro watch a half moon together in this year’s “Rendezvous With the Stars” game day poster. Image courtesy of UCF.
“Space Game” Attire Celebrates All Things Space
John Heisler reported in his article, “UCF Football Uniforms Have Become A ‘Thing’,” that today’s uniforms give UCF a reason to tribute its early years–the late 1960s when the original unofficial UCF mascot was the Citronaut, a nod to both the Florida citrus industry and to the university’s connection with NASA and the space program, which both began in 1963.
Helmet Design
Modeled after the dark and light side of the moon, each helmet, hand-painted by Schutt Sports, represents the dark and light sides of the moon. The “321” number found on the helmet’s front bumper represents the “countdown” and the Space Coast’s area code. The back of the helmet states: “One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.”
Jersey and Pants
The Knights’ constellation jersey highlighted the names of the different streets located on the Knights’ main campus. The Pegasus constellation replaced the regular pegasus logo normally located on the players’ shoulder. The design of the players’ pants had USA vertically shown in red, resembling the vertical red USA marking on the Apollo 11 rocket. An image of the “Citronaut” appears on the team’s jersey and pants. To learn more about UCF’s Space Game attire, visit http://www.UCFSpaceGame.com.
Today’s “Guest” Mascot
Citronaut, UCF’s first unofficial mascot, first appeared in the 1968-69 school catalog. The Citronaut mascot accompanied the official mascot, Knightro, to cheer on the home team Knights to victory over the Houston Cougars.
The Game
First Quarter
The UCF Knights (6-2, 3-1) showed a slow start at the beginning of today’s showdown with the Houston Cougars (3-5, 1-3). Houston scored the first touchdown of the game within the first three minutes by Car and kicker D. Witherspoon for a beginning score of 7-0, Houston. Witherspoon picked up a 45-yard field goal with 5:29 remaining for a 10-0 lead over the Knights. The Knights’ offense began to organize themselves and Williams completed a 6-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel. UCF’s kicker Barnas picked up the extra point for a score of 10-7, Houston. Both teams continued to battle it out and picked up another touchdown each by the end of the first quarter for a score of 17-14, Houston.
Second Quarter
UCF entered the second quarter organized and ready to show the fans their presence. Quarterback D. Gabriel kept possession of the ball for 22 yards into the end zone for a UCF touchdown and UCF’s first lead of the game with Barnas moving the score to 17-21. Houston’s Witherspoon earned the Cougars two field goals during this quarter: the first at 4:00 left of the quarter and the second as the clock counted down to halftime. These scores provided Huston with the lead 23-21 at halftime.
Third Quarter
The Knights regrouped during halftime and returned to the field determined to regain control. Five minutes into the quarter, running back B. Thompson scored a 47-yard touchdown and Barnas’s kick was good for the extra point (23-28 score), returning the lead to UCF. Wide Receiver T. Nixon completed a 34-yard pass from Gabriel for a touchdown with another extra point (23-35, Knights). With 40 seconds left on the clock for the third quarter, Thompson and Barnas earned the Knights one more touchdown (23-42), providing the Knights with a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
In the final three minutes of the game, Houston shrank the Knights’ lead to 29-42 with a touchdown, but was unsuccessfully in a 2-point conversion attempt. The final score for the “space game” was a two-point safety for the Knights (29-44), successfully sacking Houston in their end zone. This is the first safety UCF has earned since their August 31, 2017 match against FIU.
The UCF Knights won with a final score of 29-44 over the Houston Cougars.
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Sara-Beth Colón Jeffrey is the Education & Technology Associate Editor for Florida National News. | tech@floridanationalnews.com
Bulls overcome early deficit behind defensive touchdowns and a record-tying performance from C.J. Hicks.
TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The University of South Florida (USF) secured its sixth victory of the season Saturday, October 31, defeating the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 30–10 at Raymond James Stadium. The victory improved the Bulls’ record to 6–2 overall and 2–2 in American Conference play, making the program bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive season.
Defense Turns the Game Around
UAB opened the game with a 10–0 first-quarter lead, but South Florida responded with 30 unanswered points, highlighted by two defensive touchdowns.
Defensive end C.J. Hicks delivered one of the game’s most significant performances, recording four sacks to tie the USF single-game record. Two of those sacks forced fumbles that resulted in touchdowns.
Late in the second quarter, Hicks forced a fumble by UAB quarterback Ryder Burton, allowing USF defender Asani Redwood to recover the football and return it six yards for a touchdown. The play gave South Florida a 17–10 halftime lead.
Asani Redwood and UAB #71 UAB defensive lineman #71 attempts to tackle USF’s Asani Redwood during the October 31, 2026, matchup at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Photo by Nisey Spruill / Florida National News
Hicks created another scoring opportunity in the fourth quarter, forcing a second fumble that linebacker Grayson Howard recovered and returned 13 yards for a touchdown, extending USF’s lead to 27–10.
South Florida’s defense finished with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss, limiting UAB to just 177 total offensive yards, including 17 rushing yards.
Offensive Adjustments Provide Momentum
Following an injury to starting quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., sophomore Luke Kromenhoek entered the game and helped shift momentum in South Florida’s favor.
Luke Kromenhoek (#17) USF quarterback Luke Kromenhoek (#17) carries the football while facing pressure from a UAB defender during the Bulls’ 30–10 victory at Raymond James Stadium on October 31, 2026. Photo by Nisey Spruill / Florida National News
Kromenhoek finished with a career-high 92 rushing yards, including a 42-yard run that helped establish the Bulls’ offensive rhythm.
Running back Jason Collins Jr. added a six-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to tie the game at 10–10.
Kicker Nico Gramatica contributed three field goals, connecting from 31, 30 and 33 yards to help secure the victory.
Bowl Eligibility Marks Another Program Milestone
With its sixth win, South Florida secured bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season, matching the second-longest such streak in program history.
The accomplishment allows USF to qualify for postseason bowl consideration, although an official bowl invitation and destination have yet to be determined.
The victory also kept the Bulls competitive in the American Conference standings, with four regular-season games remaining following the UAB matchup.
Looking Ahead
USF will return to conference competition Friday, November 6, traveling to face East Carolina as the Bulls continue their pursuit of a stronger conference finish and a postseason bowl invitation.
Final Score: USF 30, UAB 10
– 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
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
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