Bulls struggle, lose QB Moore to injury in 24-10 defeat to Old Dominion in Cure Bowl

In a battle of backup quarterbacks, Old Dominion defeated South Florida 24-10 in the Cure Bowl on Wednesday at Orlando's Camping World Stadium.

USF's Gaston Moore, a sixth-year senior, made the first start of his college career but didn't finish the game because of injury. He was replaced by Locklan Hewlett early in the fourth quarter after his head struck the turf during a low tackle.

Meantime, ODU redshirt freshman Quinn Henicle rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Monarchs to their 10th victory of the season. Henicle was starting for Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, who is entering the transfer portal.

ALSO READ: USF QB 'Gas Pipe' Moore gets his first and last college start in Orlando's Cure Bowl

South Florida came into the game with the No. 2-ranked offense the Football Bowl Subdivision. However, playing without record-setting quarterback Byrum Brown, who opted out, and departed head coach Alex Golesh, the Bulls' fast-break offense struggled to sustain drives.

"A lot of things didn’t go our way today," said USF interim head coach Kevin Patrick. "We obviously could have played a lot better. But the love we have for these guys, and they have for each other, is probably the biggest thing we got out of this year. They did a hell of a job."

USF, which finished the season 9-4, made a share of miscues that led to the defeat. They included two missed field goals, four interceptions, a muffed punt return, a targeting penalty, and two personal fouls after the play Moore was injured.

One of the personal fouls was on Patrick, who said after the game, "I have no comment on that play or several other ones."

The 30 yards in penalties essentially nullified a 20-yard reception by JeyQuan Smith in the red zone. It backed up the Bulls to the ODU 44 with 12:34 to play. Hewlett replaced Moore, who never returned.

Henicle, who completed 11 of 25 for 127 yards, ran 24 times for Old Dominion (10-3) and clinched the victory with a 51-yard touchdown run on a third-down play with 2:32 remaining in the game.

USF jumped in front on Nico Gramatica's 28-yard field goal before Henicle scored on a 6-yard run with 42 seconds left to put Old Dominion up 7-3 after one quarter.

ALSO READ: USF quarterback Byrum Brown opts out of Cure Bowl but will 'coach' on sidelines

Moore threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Koger midway through the second to give the Bulls a 10-7 lead at halftime.

"There are 11 guys on the field every play, and we all affect the outcome," said Patrick. "It doesn’t fall on one guy. We can all look at what we could have done better. I’m proud of Gaston, proud of Locklin, and proud of this team. Tough times and adversity are where greatness is born."

Jerome Carter picked off Moore on South Florida's first possession of the third quarter and returned it 26 yards to the the Bulls' 25-yard line. Trequan Jones turned a third-and-7 rush into a 22-yard touchdown and the Monarchs took a 14-10 lead.

Nathaniel Eichner added a 24-yard field goal for a seven-point advantage heading to the fourth quarter. Aiding the drive was a targeting call on USF's De'Shawn Rucker, who lowered his head and forced a Henicle fumble that the Bulls' Michael Williams II recovered.

The targeting penalty was not called until after an automatic replay review. Rucker was ejected, and the Monarchs retained the ball at the USF 9 after the 15-yard penalty was added to Henicle's 11-yard run.

USF punter Chase Leon threw an interception on a fake punt and the Monarchs took over at their own 28 after they were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play. Henicle 51-yard dash came three plays later to set the final margin.

Moore completed 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and two interceptions. Hewlett finished 7-for-12 for 45 yards with one interception.

"Gaston, he’s a class-act guy. He’s someone we trust and rally behind," Patrick said. "We had 100 percent faith in him — the entire offense, the entire team. He’s a grinder who shows up every day. He wasn’t perfect, but I couldn’t be more proud of how he stepped up and led. No matter how the game went, he didn’t blink. He came back to the huddle, dapped everyone up, and told us to keep going. He’s unbreakable, and we’re thankful for him."

USF's Christian Neptune had 10 catches for 102 yards.

ODU's Devin Roche finished with 100 yards on 19 rushes as the Monarchs piled up 255 yards on the ground. USF totaled on 54 yards rushing on 35 attempts.

Patrick, the Bulls' defensive line coach, was named to lead the team in the bowl after Golesh accepted the head coaching job at Auburn this month. Several USF assistants joined Golesh, leaving the Bulls' staff shorthanded.

"I’m proud of these guys," Patrick said. "That’s what I want to talk about — the men and women who stayed and fought through this. That speaks volumes about our culture and the future. Great people, hardworking people, coming together and fighting through adversity."

ALSO READ: New USF coach Hartline shares vision, says he's ready to connect with players and community

Brown, who became the 12th player in FBS to run for 1,000 yards and pass for 3,000 yards in a season, was with the Bulls in a coaching role on the sideline.

Before the game, Brown was named one of three Comeback Players of the Year in a vote by a panel of Associated Press college football writers and sports information directors. Brown missed the final eight games of the 2024 season with a broken leg. He will be honored Jan. 8 during the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.