Written by Francisco Vera.
Bowl game season is in full effect, and the City of Orlando hosted its first of three bowl games on December 17th. The staffdna Cure Bowl held its 11th installment at Camping World Stadium as the Old Dominion Monarchs defeated the USF Bulls with the final score of 24-10.
Old Dominion came out swinging as they forced a Bulls three-and-out and returned their punt 48 yards, giving them great field position for their first drive. USF would quickly recover and force a turnover on downs to keep the game scoreless.
After another Bulls three-and-out, the Monarchs would move down the field, but a 19-yard sack inside the red zone would force a fumble that would be recovered by USF safety Fred Gaskin and returned 22 yards. This drive would culminate with kicker Nico Gramatica scoring the first three points of the game.
Old Dominion would respond by driving down the field, with quarterback Quinn Henicle rushing for six yards, scoring the first touchdown of the game, putting the Monarchs on top to cap off the first quarter.
After a 43-yard completion to receiver Christian Neptune, the Bulls would go deep into Old Dominion territory. Afterwards, they hit a stall and settled for their second field goal of the game. Gramatica would miss his first field goal of the game.
Halfway through the second quarter, after three consecutive drives that resulted in punts from both teams, USF would get back on the field, and receiver Jeremiah Koger would quickly score a 33-yard touchdown to put the Bulls up by three.
USF would quickly get the ball back after an Old Dominion three-and-out, but quarterback Gaston Moore would throw an interception, returning the ball to the Monarchs. After an ineffective fake field goal, the game went into halftime with the score of 10-7 in favor of the Bulls.
Returning from halftime, USF had the ball two minutes into the quarter. Moore would throw his second interception of the game, returning the ball to Old Dominion. Running back Trequan Jones rushed into the endzone, giving the Monarchs the lead.
As a response, the Bulls steadily moved down the field and would attempt a field goal to make it a one-point game. Gramatica would miss his second of the day, and the game remained in favor of Old Dominion.
A hit by USF corner De’Shawn Rucker on Henicle was ruled targeting, resulting in Rucker’s ejection. The Monarchs would get the ball at the Bulls’ nine-yard line, scoring a field goal that increased their lead.
A punt by Chase Leon would give the Monarchs the ball at the one-yard line for their first drive of the fourth quarter. This drive would be yet another three-and-out, and the Bulls would get the ball back. A huge hit on Gaston Moore would cause him to exit the game, and Locklan Hewlett would replace him.
A handful of penalties would force the Bulls to punt, and the Monarchs would do the same after their drive, but a muffed punt return by USF would give Old Dominion the ball. They would go for a field goal to ice the game, but missed, making it the fourth missed field goal of the game (two misses by each team).
With under four minutes to go, the Bulls attempted a fake punt that backfired. It all came down to the USF defense, and it appeared that a miracle was needed for them to remain in the game. The Monarchs would crush the Bulls’ hopes as Henicle would score a 51-yard rushing touchdown to ice the game.
Old Dominion would claim the staffdna Cure Bowl title for the 2025 college football season. The final score from Camping World Stadium was 24-10 in favor of the Monarchs, with quarterback Quinn Henicle getting the bowl’s MVP award.
