Brynn Harvey rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns as UCF beat #13 Houston 37-32 to record the Knights first win ever against a ranked opponent.
Brett Hodges threw for 241 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Hodges completed 21 of 25 passes to record his highest completion percentage in a game during his career at 84 percent.
SEE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS AND FAN REACTION HERE
The Knights (6-4, 4-2) rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to build a 17-point lead and then spent the rest of the game holding off the “Mighty” Houston offense.
“We’re looking to win each game to get to the conference championship,” said Coach George O’Leary. “That’s our goal and we have two games left and some extra help to achieve it.”
This win can be attributed to the Knight’s time of possession. The Knights nearly doubled the Cougars time of possession by a margin of 39:30 to 20:30. During the second quarter the Knights offense managed to only give Heisman candidate Case Keenum four plays.
Freshman wide receiver Quincy McDuffie made some great plays today and showed he has the talent to be a playmaker for the Knights during his career. McDuffie caught a beautiful 24 yard touchdown pass from Hodges to give the Knights a ten point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Knights defensive line put in another great effort holding Houston to its lowest rushing total all year. Defensive back Justin Boddie intercepted Keenum to give the Knights the ball and on the next play Harvey ran it in from 7 yards out.
The Knights have two games left vs. Tulane and at UAB. The Knights need East Carolina to lose to Tulsa this weekend and drop one other game to give the Knights the opportunity to host the Conference USA Championship.
Where were the UCF “Fans” today?
This was the biggest win ever in UCF football history but all was not perfect today at Bright House Networks Stadium. There were a bunch of empty seats at the game, including the student section.
The team has been doing their part all year to play their hardest and get the best results they can. Unfortunately, UCF “Fans” have given a lackadaisical effort all year and it was exposed today.
If UCF Football is going to ever be a legitimate football program it needs an amazing effort by the fans, not just the players and coaches. Just imagine, you are a recruit attending this game vs. the #13 school in the nation and you look in the stands to see a ton of empty seats.
I challenge all of you UCF “Fans” to not only attend next week’s game vs. Tulane but to encourage all of your friends to go as well. I look forward to a full stadium next week and the excitement that will surround a potential Conference USA Championship game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
