UCF vs. USF Football: War on I-4 Preview with former Bulls QB Matt Grothe ⚔🐂🏈

all right and uh welcome to the ucfsports.com preview of this Saturday's war on I-4 between the UCF Knights and South Florida Bulls I'm incredibly honored this afternoon to be joined by former South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe uh thank you for joining me Matt yeah thanks for having me yeah yeah well first of all uh before we kind of dive into this rivalry in this game I'm just kind of curious to hear more about you know your background of coming to South Florida I know you're one of the best you know quarterbacks in Polk County History where what you played at what Lake Gibson High School and one of the top players in the country uh what was your recruitment like um obviously you went to South Florida was that a school you decided on pretty early did you have some other schools in the mix what kind of LED you uh to to go to USF yeah it there were some other uh schools involved um actually Penn State was was one of the ones that I was kind of thinking about too but um they wanted me um more so for to play defensive back and really and uh yeah and just uh growing up my first season ever playing football and I was seven years old I came out and first game I ever played in uh lost 36 to nothing and then uh we ended up playing that team we got a lot better as the year went on and ended up playing that team in in our in our little league Super Bowl and beat him in overtime and after that game um a guy I'll never forget and Kenny strong told me you know I'm always going to be a quarterback knowing anybody ever tell you you're not going to beat one so that kind of always just stuck with me uh with that whole process and then you know USF came along and sent me an offer um uh in the middle of my junior year and um shortly after the state game um coach Burnham Wally Burnham was was was my my recruiter and I I fell in love with him and uh he uh he was at the at the State game and we ended up losing the Armwood uh too but after that uh it was basically you know I formally committed and and said that I'm I'm done this is where I want to go this is where I should be and this is where I want to be so yeah it's pretty soon it's pretty easy so you get the USF what in 2005. did you play a little bit that first year was it Pat Jones was that is that the quarterback at the time or yeah yeah um I came in redshirted my freshman year okay and then um because remember that next year you pretty much came in you you got the starting job pretty early on in the season right yeah and it was it was actually uh kind of an unexpected because going into um when I was Redford freshman we they had brought in a quarterback uh that was from a Juco big kid six four six five Carlton Hill uh okay I don't know if that name rings a bell or not a little bit and he came in and so was that the guy they expected to sort of be the starter were they not really thinking you were going to develop that early on oh 100 there was actually uh one point in my freshman year um on The Scouting team it was a a coach that was only there for my redshirt freshman year but I remember him uh she kind of jumping my a little bit um on The Scouting team because uh you know I'm not one to to let you know especially when you're on the scout team you want to try to show off as much as you can and uh you know I remember him saying you know hey you're not playing and you probably won't be playing for a long time here so so calm it down a little bit and that kind of stuck with me too and then we we get done with the end of the my redshirt freshman year and and get in the summer spring and summer and and started doing really well and then um Carlton ended up actually uh transferring out and then going into my Richard freshman year um yeah coaches the coaches felt like me and Pat were pretty even but obviously with him being a senior he was going to get to nod and he was going to play the first half of the first game and I was going to play the second half of the first game and um some things happen early in the second quarter and um it was kind of uh One play and the rest was history my first play in the game I threw a touchdown pass and it was kind of just uh that was yeah and you're you're the Big East freshman of the year I mean yeah it was like gangbusters from there because uh yeah I remember you got jogging my memory but I remember you kind of came out of nowhere into you know one of the top young quarterbacks in college football That season but uh but but the war on I-4 now you were here you were here because you were red shirting the very first meeting between the two teams in 2005. and that time time period and it's kind of funny because we've gone through this a couple times UCF was coming off a winless season uh we had with losing streak that dated back to late 03 and I think USF represented maybe the final loss of that streak in o5 that would have been maybe the 17th straight loss of memory serves do do you kind of remember those early that early days like how did how you guys view the game I know we'll get to 07 in a few minutes it was definitely odd at that point but what do you remember about those early matchups and maybe I guess didn't you start against UCF and 06 in the Citrus Bowl yep I did that was actually the hottest game I think I've ever played in it was like a it was like a two or a 230 kickoff and um I want to say they ran out of water or something happened in the stands and people were falling out like flies and I just remember when that came ended I was like thank God get me off this field because it's too hot out here but but yeah I mean even even my freshman year when I wasn't my redshirt freshman year when I wasn't playing um it was always kind of a big deal I mean I I think when you're obviously it's called the war on I-4 for a reason we're you know we're 90 miles away from each other and and uh um anytime you can have a good rivalry with with somebody that's um close like that especially in the State of Florida um it's a big deal and and obviously it just kept going on and over the years you know obviously we got the the the first few games under our belt and then it's kind of been manual show the last decade or so but um you know it it's not never I'm definitely disappointed that it's got to end but I I honestly don't think that this is the last time that neither do I that will see it I mean once those realignments come in you know 2026 I I feel like it's going to be that um that four big super conferences where you got 16 to 20 teams in each conference and and uh I have a feeling that we'll both make our way into the same one come that that span yeah and those early years it was UCF always wanted this game with South Florida they wanted to make an annual matchup and the teams were you know competing with each other you know probably when you were you know early in high school you know they both wanted to get into the Big East you know in that first comment I'm talking about free alignment now that was some of the first realignment over 20 years ago now and it was South Florida got the nod and kind of left UCF behind and and Jim Levitt always thought he he never thought it was in their program's best interest to play UCF and if memory serves the two schools were kind of forced to play as part of the exit agreement with South Florida left Conference USA and they had to play another Conference USA team which you know UCF slid in there and kind of took USF Spa but do you remember Jim Levitt and did he did he talk about this this matchup and this rivalry and you know obviously you want to win every game but do you remember anything he said about UCF was it is this is it a game that really fired him up oh yeah especially um later on in my career I mean 0708 and even uh even now but he was always like when we would get our our books at the beginning of the year right before the season started when Camp started it like we would have a set of goals and and one of those 10 goals and there were always you know beat UCF so um I I don't know obviously I don't know how or why or when it all got set up but uh I think especially Jim knew that this was going to be kind of a big deal going forward and and um and wanted it to be a Riley I mean I I feel like that's what kind of makes college football um or at least one of the big aspects of it is you know you got some of these games like like I I was looking at I was looking at the schedules this weekend I was like man I've I've completely almost completely forgot about some of these things like Michigan Ohio State this weekend that's going to be a hell of a game they're both undefeated yeah but uh yeah yeah when you look at that you know I think use UCF fans would obviously point to that 2017 game is kind of their favorite game in the series and I would imagine for South Florida people and obviously as someone who was you know the key focus in that game is that 2007 64 to 12 is that sort of the game if you're South Florida person you that's kind of like the high point from the USF perspective of the war on I-4 um if you asked 99.9 of people that they'd probably agree and say yes and I mean don't get me wrong it was it was nice being able to not not to be a smart ass but it was kind of nice to be sitting on the bench in the middle of the second quarter and not having to play the rest of the game but and you had and if I remember the second and third string quarterbacks they all threw like long touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter and I mean that made UCF people really pissed off yeah I want to say it was uh there were some record that happened that game where it was the first time and some I don't know if it was college football history but it were three different quarterbacks had thrown at least two two touchdowns in in one game so it was it was kind of a big deal for you know the city and everything but I honestly think that the following year at UCF uh yeah in the bounce house it was the first game what's my favorite yeah yeah that that overtime game was was lit and and it was I mean if if UCF has one good from what I can remember one good uh advantage point is you can't watch a whole lot of home games uh on film because that that camera that's up at the top of the stadium is always just bouncing around like crazy I think maybe they got some reinforcements since that game when did you just now you've you've kind of been regarded as sort of from the UCF perspective you're one of the the villains in this series for you know you look you know all UCF fans they hated Jim Levitt they hated you know South Florida president Judy again shaft for you know blocking UCF from the Big East for years and and you seem to really enjoy kind of you know you know really rallying up fans I remember that I don't even know how this even started where they targeted you but like remember that whole Facebook thing like the early days of Facebook where you know you could get poked and and like thousands of fans were poking you and you I think you you kind of had some post-game comments maybe after that 07 game like I hope they like that or you I remember you said something that just really got everyone go and going and so where does that come from did was that just something just came naturally and you didn't really care like were you trying to like you know play into the rivalry or did you kind of realize when you were young that you were kind of the villain at least from the UCF perspective um yes and no I mean it just kind of I don't know it that's just how how you were as a as a player not not necessarily I I think a lot of it had to do with uh the UCF fans just strictly based off of like that week every year was I mean obviously you get on Twitter or anything nowadays and you see that it's you know every each side of of the fan bases call it you know UCF hate week or USA and uh it it's there's a reason for that because I mean back then like you were saying about the Facebook thing man that that that poke option and and you know I'd get five or six pokes from some from Yukon or Rutgers each week but then we'd play you guys and I'd have five or six hundred and it's like it just kind of I don't know it kind of almost helped fuel the fire and then and then the the I was about to ask you about because I just talked to Kyle Israel a few minutes ago and he was kind of your counterpart in those years he was ucf's starting quarterback and he was telling me a couple stories I had heard these before because he's a friend but uh after that 64-12 game he had him him and his parents were eating at a local ale house and he had like a drunk UCF fan get in his face and braid him for losing he had uh I guess kind of like a death threat written on a piece of paper and they put it under his windshield his car that was parked on campus so uh you were you were the recipient I recall of uh of some threads now I remember in that 08 game um someone if I remember the story there was a kid that went to your high school and he was a UCF student so he had your phone number naturally and so they made that big sign that had your phone number and they held it up in the student section and I guess in the days prior or something what happened like you got some text messages or some threats or some phone calls something about your father yeah kind of something like that I my parents are at the game and they I kind of the same situation with with Kyle uh some of the fans while my dad was at the game actually threatened him to his face like said he wasn't going to make it out alive out of the stadium and and whatnot so um at the end of that game they had to get uh uh escorted out but no we're on our way over on the bus to UCF and also my phone starts blowing up I start getting random phone calls and and random texts and and a couple of voicemails and and I'm like what is going on and so I I started answering before the game and people were I just started realizing that oh no somebody got a hold of my phone number and and then come in at halftime that was an ESPN game and so it was all over the place and I come in from halftime I have like 500 missed calls my voicemails uh completely full there's hundreds of text messages and it's funny some of the text message was like I don't know whose phone number is I just saw it on ESPN I was like oh Lord so so yeah I I guess that that kind of helped uh make me the villain too because after we won that game in overtime um I listened to a few of the voicemails and had and realized that they were definitely uh some UCF students they were there and I decided to either call some of them back or text some of them back and basically ask them if they how do you like their mouthful so yeah yeah so I mean unfortunately and then after that game in 08 I mean the two schools didn't play again until you know they're pretty much forced to when both teams joined the American in 2013 and and uh since then I got you know it's it's also kind of sad that I feel like this this rivalry has kind of been missed opportunities because there's never really been a great time where both programs were great you know what I mean like other than 2017 when the conference Championship was on the line and the winner was gonna go it seems like you know ucf's really good and USF is bad and UCF is winless or not very good or just rebuilding with frost then USF is really good so unfortunately it just hasn't been I feel like this series could have been all that much better if both teams could have their act together at the same time but to kind of pivot you know more towards today a you know where do you think you know you South Florida kind of you know maybe took a wrong turn because I mean honestly there's no reason it should just be UCF right now going into the big 12. it should have been UCF and USF um you know unfortunately you know South Florida you know had a string of really bad Seasons so what single decision or anything can you point to that fans talk about is it just ever since you know what happened with Levitt or where what can you put your finger on of why things started to you know go badly for South Florida I mean it's it's always tough to figure that stuff out especially when you're not um you know privy to Upper upper upper management but um but I mean I think that definitely plays a part into it with with Jim getting released and and there was a lot of backlash and then there was also a lot of you know people that were happy that it happened but at the same time I I I honestly think that there was some uh some people around in the early you know 2010 era right around there that that kind of basically thought that since we did so well in 07 and 08 that we didn't need to to put as much um right into the program and then it could happen again and and I think that that was obviously a huge mistake you know this this ipf it just finally got built and yeah if Jim would have never got fired that thing would have been built 10 years ago and we'd probably be sitting in a stadium by now so yeah I mean do you think it was a miscalculation though not pushing for a stadium early on I mean I know South Florida fans like to make fun of UCF Stadium I mean I admit it's not it's not the Taj Mahal but it's great that it's our own stadium and it's it's got its own character and it's such an advantage and it's really helped build the fan base from the student level on I remember that you talk about those students you know that were holding up your phone number you know kids in that section are now you know Die Hard fans and you know donors and everything else do you think that was a big mistake I know it's a great obviously Raymond James a great Stadium but it's not your Stadium right yeah no and I I think that that kind of plays into what I was saying earlier about how um they didn't there were certain people around that that aren't a part of the the upper um management now that that just assumed that we you know hey Raymond James is a great Stadium uh it's an NFL stadium and that was kind of always how they pushed it um and and honestly I think uh it definitely should have gone towards you know yeah it's a great Stadium but we would like to get our own on-campus Stadium built and and it it took forever but you know I honestly I kind of is as bad as it's been the last few years Jeff Scott played a huge part in all of this man he he uh obviously wasn't able to get get a lot of the stuff stuff done on the field but off the field you know him and Michael Kelly and then now with Will Weatherford being involved and and helping and stuff it it's uh it's definitely going the right direction it's just I think you know every time you get a new head coach everybody always says um you know this is the biggest hire in your history but I honestly believe this next one is yeah it's got to be and I gotta ask I know there's some names I don't know if anyone really has a great handle of what's really happening sometimes it's hard to know but I mean we've seen Deion Sanders name linked to the job uh I mean I don't know maybe Scott Frost I don't know if that's BS or not former UCF coach Nebraska coach uh what are the names you're hearing and and do you have a personal favorite or or a preference it's all over the place um I I do know that right after it was announced that Scott was was uh let go that there was dozens of inquiries so um obviously I mean you know just as well as I do being in the middle of Florida anybody is going to want to come yeah I mean I still think it's a great job I mean you obviously you set up you got to recruit but I mean you got too much talent surrounding you yeah and uh who knows I mean people love to talk and people have talked every time there's ever been a new head coach and it seems like nobody's ever right but um you know I think the day after two days after coach Scott got let go and and I had a chance to really think about it and and start hearing some names and stuff um I mean I would it would probably be a little bit of a zoo for a while but I think it's sometimes that's it's it needed and it would be needed here uh I would love to see Dion you know Prime Time come here that would be and that would be my ideal pick or uh somebody involved in the past program Like Larry Scott uh you know he was a finalist for for when Jeff Scott got the job and and you know he's coaching at Howard now and he's a head coach I don't know I I just I hope we do it right and and and if the only preference that I would really want and I would ever say is that I I would like to have a a coach that has previous head coaching experience um just to just to know what they're getting theirself into yeah yeah is a is a fan base excited about the prime time Prospect I've seen some Twitter chatter do you think that's sort of the favorite amongst the fans right now or yeah without a doubt uh especially today there's been some videos that I saw that I saw that I think yeah it's probably with the ad ask or something Have you talked to this candidate any kind of admitted he did without saying naming names and yeah exactly yeah and so people are are you know obviously going bananas but it's a it's it's a process and I I think we'll know sometime next week on who our coach is going to be yeah and so about this this rivalry I mean I think you've said it at the onset I mean is this a game that you know unfortunately with both teams kind of you know moving on and being in separate conferences you know beginning next year you know the non-conference schedules don't really you know match up on a USF is full for most of the next decade but I mean how how do you view this game like would you in a perfect world if you could rearrange and cancel games or whatever would you like to see this series continue on an annual basis oh without a doubt I mean you know in a heartbeat I I I I think it's the worst thing for for either of our teams not to play each other it's it's just it's been a big part of both you know cities and both fan bases uh this this game you know it's kind of I guess the one good positive thing is you know it's if I got my math correct it's we've won six and you guys won seven so it'd be nice for for my side to to tie it up exactly going going into a a little bit of a break but right but I mean I definitely think that it's it's just a matter of time just kind of like it it was before where we stopped planting 08 we came back and played in 13. I think the same thing will happen again and then once that next one does happen I think that's going to be like the the big right the big shebang of where you're going to be in that conference for a long time so um because I mean that that's what college football is going to is this it's going to go to those big super conferences in my opinion so so how do you feel and how do you think fans feel right now to kind of where everything's going to be at least that we know of ucf's going to the big 12 you're going to stay in the American I know Florida Atlantic and a bunch of other teams are are coming in is that something you try really not to dwell on I mean that's that's kind of depressing but I guess if you the other argument there's some stuff to be excited if you get the right coaching higher if you're going to have college football playoff expansion even before we get to coventory alignment that may or may have happened in a few years you know you've got a chance to to be a top six conference champ if you can get the right coach and recruits and start winning some games so the path maybe the playoff becomes a little easier than it would have been so what's how are you feeling about all these changes that have taken place in the last year I mean it is what it is it's unfortunate that we got passed up but I mean like just like you were saying earlier it's kind of kind of our own faults you know we we kind of got left behind and I think um when not winning was was the biggest thing over the last you know five or six years you know we had those couple years when when Taggart was here and and flowers and Marla Mack and all that but um it's just been kind of uh abysmal since then and and um I mean you know it's definitely going to be much needed to get a get a guy in here that um can turn this program around and and like you were saying um you know just hope and pray on the next uh realignment that that we've we've done some things on and off the field and and get thrown into that mix again yeah and to wrap up here I know you're involved now in the Fowler Avenue Collective uh you know we're kind of familiar we got you know it's part of dream field we know all about mission control which is the UCF version of that and that's kind of headed up by Mackenzie Milton and now you're involved uh I know you've got something uh planned a kind of a joint tailgate on Saturday before the war on I-4 tell us a little bit about that I think I saw on Twitter now it's open to everybody uh what do you guys got planned on Saturday yeah you know um just you know MacKenzie's got his his thing going and then we got you know I got my thing going so we we kind of linked up together and know the same people and started you know getting this together a few weeks ago and then um it all came to fruition and we were originally going to have to charge for it we've got enough donors just from uh on on both sides that you know sometimes it's better to it's not what you know it so yeah it's not what you know it's who you know so it worked out well for both of us so yeah it's gonna be open to the public and we're just gonna you know get together and kind of have a last hoorah and and uh let the fans do a little interaction and be able to you know chat with me and KZ if you want to and and have you know we got it sponsored by bolay and we got some beer sponsors and some liquor sponsors so there's going to be food and drinks and game set up and just just kind of a one more big thing to help um the cause because I mean obviously with how the nil's going around the country it's it's a it's a must-have if you want to succeed exactly well I appreciate your time Matt I mean I've I've enjoyed this this rivalry and kind of you know fainting the flames and and I you you too you like to do this save but I think we all we've always had respect for one another and uh and everything and I really appreciate you uh coming on and having this conversation with me and best of luck to you and the Fowler Avenue Collective and uh I know I'm personally I'm sad to see this series go I wish it would be played uh every year and there was a part of me and depending on how I'm feeling one day I I kind of wish at times that you know South Florida was coming with us to the Big 12 because I think the lack of a rivalry uh you know we see what West Virginia has gone through they don't really have any natural rivalries in the Big 12 but in any case I appreciate it Matt and uh maybe I'll see you over there on Saturday yeah for sure appreciate it for having me and um yeah if we run into each other gonna be don't be shy all right man I'll see you around uh take care yeah you too