College Football

UCF Knights 2016 Football Season Preview: Senior Spotlight

Published

10 years ago

August 22, 2016

ORLANDO (FNN SPORTS) - With Scott Frost at the helm, the UCF Knights have 8 seniors to watch for the 2016 season. Photo: Orlando Sentinel.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — Now that the UCF Knights have kicked off their Fall football camp, moving forward into camp and the beginning of the season, we’re already wary to look out for a new explosive passing system, but what should we look for in terms of players? Making a coaching change the way the Knights did, I would say it’s time for a senior spotlight. How have the seniors potentially adapted, and what can we hope to see out of them? As seniors, these boys were groomed for years in a completely different system than coach Frost will be implementing, so for starters, look closely for versatility, keep an eye on true athleticism, and give them some credit for the big turn around.

Kicking off our senior spotlight is starting quarterback Justin Holman. Holman has made growth over the two seasons he has started with UCF. In the team’s back-to-back championship, Holman humbly helped his team return to an AAC championship game in 2014. Sadly, in 2015, Holman lost many weapons to throw to and didn’t have much protection from the offensive line.

So what to expect from Holman this 2016 season? Expect a more composed quarterback. Someone who will have to confidently scramble if needed, and a quarterback with a quicker release to comply with his new system.

Next: Nick Patti. He came to UCF as a quarterback, but Coach O’Leary moved him to receiver. Patti was mainly known last season for his participation in the wild knight play.

What to expect from Patti in the 2016 season? Coach Frost has placed Patti back at quarterback, so we can assume that he will be used as a running quarterback potentially or maybe even still used at receiver for certain plays.

Moving down the line, we have tight end Cal Bloom, originally a groomed blocking tight end for UCF, and whom also helped his team on special teams. As the starting tight end last season, Bloom was a strong blocker for the team, but also had three contributing catches.

What to expect from Bloom in the 2016 season? Frost’s tight ends at Oregon were more of the receiving prototypes. After watching the 2016 spring game, Bloom had an impressive 74-yard catch, showing his versatility, so I think it’s fair to say that we will see Bloom still helping easily with blocking, but we should see many catches and some red zone plays from the big tight end.

Caleb Houston has been the team’s reliable punter for the past three seasons. Last year, after finishing with 2,874 yards, Houston was voted the All American Athletic Conference Second Team Punter. With that said, I’m sure we will see another consistent season from him!

On the defensive side of the ball, we start with defensive back Shaquill Griffin, who was helpful on secondary last year on the plays they were able to stop. Hopefully with a strong, more consistent defensive, we can expect to see more tackles and important shut downs from him.

Drico Johnson should be a familiar name. Senior defensive back Johnson, made big plays for UCF last season. Hopefully bringing the same energy, Johnson should lead his secondary in a more successful shut down season.

All in all on the offensive line, the line struggled with timing and chemistry. A line that was pieced together last year after losing many keys expectantly grew and jelled with one another to become more unified. Two Seniors to watch are Jason Rae and Chester Brown.

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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

3 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.