When the bowl pairings were released, the Cure Bowl, which will be played Wednesday in Orlando, had what looked like a great matchup between two of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.
The thought of South Florida’s Byrum Brown going up against Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph added some real spice to the game.
Of course, what so often happens now in bowl games, neither quarterback will play.
Joseph has entered the transfer portal. Brown remains with the team, but CEO of USF Athletics Rob Higgins announced that Brown, in a mutual agreement, won’t play in the game but would help the coaching staff.
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New South Florida head coach Brian Hartline will obviously attempt to keep Brown for next year, but Power Four opportunities should be plentiful. Brown has one year of eligibility remaining.
On another front, defensive line coach Kevin Patrick, who was named USF’s interim coach when Alex Golesh was hired by Auburn, will guide the Bulls in the Cure Bowl.
Both quarterbacks passed for more than 2,500 yards and rushed for more than 1,000.
Brown completed 66.2% of his passes for 3,158 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 scores.
Joseph completed 59.7% of his passes for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Both schools have confirmed that the backup quarterbacks will be the starters in the bowl game. It is two quarterbacks at the opposite end of the career spectrum.
ODU redshirt freshman Quinn Henicle is near the beginning of his career, while sixth-year redshirt senior Gaston Moore will be playing his final game for USF.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Henicle will be making his second collegiate start. Last season, he preserved his redshirt year by appearing in just three games. Yet with Joseph sidelined by an injury, Henicle started the season finale, a 40-32 win at Arkansas State.
In that game, Henicle completed 9 of 12 passes for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Keeping the dual-quarterback spirit, he rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He scored in a 92-yard run on the Monarchs’ first play from scrimmage and later added a 1-yard scoring run.
With Henicle behind center, ODU outgained Arkansas State 549-410.
This season, Henicle has appeared in eight games, completing 6 of 15 passes for 57 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He has rushed for 102 yards on 20 carries with no touchdowns.
According to an ODU spokesperson, the Monarchs are expected to have the rest of their regulars in the lineup, which should certainly aid Henicle.
The 6-2, 212-pound Moore began his college career at Central Florida in 2020 but didn’t see any action.
He then transferred to Tennessee, where he stayed through the 2024 season. Over his four years at Tennessee, Moore appeared in 14 games.
He saw his most extensive action with the Volunteers in 2024, appearing in six games and completing 16 of 27 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Moore earned his undergraduate degree in supply chain management from Tennessee in May 2024.
This season as Brown’s backup, Moore has appeared in seven games and completed 14 of 20 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 12 yards on seven carries.
His best effort came in a loss to Miami where Moore completed 4 of 5 passes for 18 yards.
While this won’t be the quarterback matchup as originally hoped for, Henicle will attempt to show that the result in his other collegiate start wasn’t a fluke, and Moore is looking to go out on a high note in his final collegiate game.
