Final Stats | Game Notes | USF Quotes | ODU Quotes
ORLANDO, Fla. (CureBowl.com) – Newly installed starter Quinn Henicle ran for two touchdowns, including a victory-clinching 51-yard dash, leading Old Dominion to a hard-fought 24-10 triumph over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium.
The Monarchs (10-3) capped the second 10-win season in school history by playing through imperfection and keeping the defensive pressure on a South Florida offense missing several key pieces.
Old Dominon came away with five turnovers and held USF (9-4) to 333 yards. It also finished the season on a six-game winning streak.
ODU safety Jerome Carter set a single-season interception record (six) after stealing two passes against USF, the last of which set up Henicle’s game-clinching scamper.
“It means everything,” said Henicle, who was named the game’s MVP. “My teammates helped me out so much. I didn’t play my best game, but they helped me out. We got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
Henicle was installed as ODU’s starter after season-long starter Colton Joseph entered the transfer portal. He ran for 107 yards on 24 carries and completed only 11-of-25 passes for 127 yards.
“I missed some easy throws. I had to fix it,” he said. “Luckily, we bounced back.”
The freshman quarterback sealed matters for the Monarchs in the final three minutes. First, he delivered a third-down conversion with a tough 16-yard run. On the next play, he faked a handoff, kept the ball, and bolted through the heart of USF’s defense.
He went 51 yards untouched to the end zone.
“That’s why I play football, for moments like that,” Henicle said “I couldn’t dream of a better scenario.”
It was more of a nightmare for USF, whose prolific offense all missed its starting quarterback and also its head coach. Byrum Brown decided to sit out the bowl game as he weighs whether to return to school in Tampa or another program in 2026. Golesh exited after the regular season to take over the program at Auburn.
Behind backup quarterback Gaston Moore, the Bulls threw four interceptions, missed a pair of field goals, muffed a punt and turned the ball over on downs after spurning an early field goal attempt.
Moore was 20-for-20 passing for 236 yards and a touchdown. He had the Bulls ahead 10-7 at halftime, but they never scored again. Moore also left the game with an apparent head injury early in the fourth quarter.
In stepped Locklan Hewlett. He was 7-of-12 passing for 45 yards and an interception and was no match for a motivated Monarchs defense.
A USF offense that averaged 501 yards during the season gained only 333 against Old Dominion – and only 52 on the ground. The Bulls’ 10 points were the fewest they scored this season. They had average 51.8 points a game in the previous nine games.
“This team prepared like champions all year,” said Old Dominion Head Coach Ricky Rahne, whose school is 2-2 in bowl games. “To have a trophy to look at and to have a ring to look at to remember it by is important. Bowls are important. This isn’t the NFL. This is college.”
After putting USF ahead 3-0 with a 28-yard field goal, the Bulls’ usually reliable kicker, Nico Gramatica, missed field goal attempts of 46 and 38 yards, both when the game was tight.
The Monarchs responded immediately, driving 75 yards in 10 plays. Henicle ran six yards for a score and a 7-3 lead.
Moore found Jeremiah Koger for a 31-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter, and the Bulls took that 10-7 lead into halftime.
But on their first possession of the second half, Carter intercepted a pass by Moore at the USF 25. Running back Trequan Jones cashed in that turnover with a 22-yard touchdown run.
It put the Monarchs ahead 14-10, and they never trailed again.
Devin Roche helped them control the ball in the second half, and he finished with 100 yards on 19 carries.
The Bulls trailed only 17-10 with 10 minutes to play with Old Dominion punting. Christian Neptune muffed Ian Brandt’s punt at USF’s 38, and long-snapper Brendan Durkin recovered on the spot.
“That’s what I’m always looking for, make a tackle or come up with the ball,” Durkin said.
Photos courtesy of JFS Media
2025 STAFFDNA CURE BOWL NOTES
Capping Off a Historic Season
With the win, Old Dominion finished the season with a 10-3 record. This is the team’s second 10-win season, since it moved to FBS in 2014, and the fourth in program history. Old Dominion had 10 wins in 2011 and 11 wins in 2012, as an FCS program.
Interceptions Galore
Old Dominion recorded a total of four interceptions in the game. This set a new record for most combined interceptions by a single team in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. The previous record was two, which had been done by five different teams.
History in More Ways than One
Old Dominion’s Jerome Carter recorded two interceptions in the game. This made him the first player in StaffDNA Cure Bowl history to record two interceptions.
Carter’s two interceptions also brought his season total up to six, which set a a new school record for most interceptions in a season. He passed Eriq Lewis, who recorded five interceptions in the 2009 season.
Carter’s second interception came during a fake punt attempt by USF late in the fourth quarter. This made Carter the first player in StaffDNA Cure Bowl history to record an interception on a fake punt attempt.
A New Record
Old Dominion’s Jeremy Mack Jr. recorded 10 solo tackles. This set a new record for most solo tackles in a StaffDNA Cure Bowl game. Mack Jr. surpassed Zachery Harris of Tulane, who record eight solo tackles in the 2018 edition of the game.
Going Yard
Both Quinn Henicle and Devin Roche rushed for at least 100 yards (100 yards form Roche and 107 for Henicle). This marks only the third time in the history of the StaffDNA Cure Bowl that there were multiple players who rushed for at least 100 yards. The StaffDNA Cure Bowl saw multiple 100-yard rushers in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the game.
Coin Toss
The 11th-annual StaffDNA Cure Bowl saw some notable guests assist with the pre-game coin toss. StaffDNA CEO Sheldon Arora and CFO Jenny Hanlon, as well as the First Lady of Florida Casey DeSantis, a breast cancer survivor, were there at the 50-yard line to help start the game.
Brining Teams Together to Find a Cure
Over the 10-year history of the StaffDNA Cure Bowl, over $6.35 million has been raised for cancer research. The University of Central Florida’s cancer assassin — Dr. Annette Khaled — benefits directly from the proceeds of the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. Khaled leads the UCF College of Medicine Cancer Research Division. The StaffDNA Cure Bowl and Orlando Sports Foundation have raised more than $3.5 million to directly support Khaled’s research.
Recognizing Strength
Prior to the game, the Owens Corning March 2 Cure Parade at the T-Mobile Fiber Fan Fest was held. The parade pays tribute to the courage and strength of cancer survivors. This year over 120 cancer survivors were honored through their participation in the parade.
About StaffDNA®
StaffDNA created the industry’s first Digital Marketplace for Healthcare Careers®. This innovative digital platform improves healthcare hiring through a superior process, empowering both healthcare professionals and facilities. Nursing, allied, therapy, physician, and advanced practice professionals can now see fully transparent pay and job details for temporary, staff, and per diem contracts and find the jobs they love. The platform also makes hiring more efficient for facilities by allowing them to communicate directly with candidates who qualify for open positions. StaffDNA has won over 50 national, regional and local awards for being a Best Place to Work, having a World Changing Idea, being one of the Fastest-growing Private Companies and more. To learn more, visit http://www.staffdna.com or call (888) 998-7323. The StaffDNA app is available to download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
About the StaffDNA Cure Bowl
The StaffDNA Cure Bowl is more than a game. It is a platform to raise awareness for cancer research and recognize those that are fighting cancer or have survived cancer. Funds raised from the StaffDNA Cure Bowl directly benefit cancer research organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Since 2015, the bowl has helped raise a collective $6.35 million to benefit cancer research. To learn more, visit CureBowl.com
About the Orlando Sports Foundation
The Orlando Sports Foundation (OSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for cancer research. The OSF holds several events throughout the year, including the Cure Bowl, which is an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) college football bowl game played each December.
With the combined support of Central Floridians, loyal sports fans, and strategic partners, the OSF is further dedicated and committed to serving the challenges of cancer awareness and elimination, by invigorating the Central Florida athletic community thru its Cure All Stars events, supporting youth organizations with standards of benevolence, integrity, and moral excellence.
The OSF works with our stakeholders to involve the entire community to join us in our quest to bring teams together to find a cure for cancer. The OSF focuses on research because we all know we will have to continue to manage the problem until we solve it. We focus our efforts on cancer because it touches so many lives worldwide, cancer does not discriminate. Together, we can tackle this. Click here to donate.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
Follow ESPN Events on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube pages.
