UCF was able to pull out a win Thursday night against another conference opponent, burying a solid Rutgers team 41-17 on an overcast, wet night at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Coach O’Leary has insisted repeatedly since the Louisville upset that each game for the remainder of the season is the most important game of the season. His Knights have acted accordingly, leaving nothing on the field and refusing to lose, winning five of their games by seven points or fewer.
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The brakes were not applied one bit as UCF (9-1, 6-0) headed into their matchup with Rutgers (5-5, 2-4), amassing 452 yards and scoring five touchdowns. The defense held Rutgers to only 221 total yards in comparison, less than half of the Knights’ production.
Defensive End Thomas Niles said, “Coach challenged us to play better, we challenge each other too, that’s why we came out so fiery.”
Offensively, the Knights operated as a well oiled machine with very few hiccups, combining big plays and a third down conversion rate that was phenomenal, only failing to convert on only four of 13 attempts. Their 27 first downs puts the comparative 14 by the Scarlet Knights to shame, and tells the story of why the offense was so successful – clock control, turnover management and efficient drives downfield that were the result of moving the chains, bit by bit.
Only once in the thick of the game were the Knights forced to punt, with disastrous results. The punt was blocked and recovered by Andre Patton in the end zone, accounting for Rutgers’ second and last touchdown of the day. Late in the game the Knights were forced to punt once more, well after the starters were pulled.
Quarterback Blake Bortles put on a showcase in front of the packed student section, passing for 335 yards and one TD while powering for 32 yards and another score with his legs. He was accurate at long range as well, not only hitting his receivers with ease across the middle for easy first downs, but for explosive passes that shortened the field all the night for the unit.
O’Leary did not fail to see the strengths of his game, commenting that, “I thought Blake Bortles had an exceptional game, as far as taking plays that weren’t there and making plays out of them”.
On average, the man under center’s completions went for just over 15 yards each, emphasized by his 48 yard rocket to Breshad Perriman in the second half. The pass was a thing of absolute beauty, sailing all 48 yards in a high arc down the field into a falling Perriman’s arms.
Fresh off his heroic late game highlight-reel catch from last week, J.J. Worton had a highlight reel day for the Knights, streching the field for 5 receptions and 117 yards. Seemingly one of Bortles’ favorite targets when he is pressured, J.J. was able to get open for huge gains consistently, including 26, 31 and 33 yard receptions.
His quarterback had high praise for the standout receiver, re-iterating that “he’s been phenomenal all year, you know, if you’re throwing the ball and putting the ball in his hands, he’s going to make plays.”
The defense’s stalwart performance is not to be diminished in the offense’s success. Scarlet Knights’ quarterback Gary Nova was able to complete a mere 11 of his 34 pass attempts, and with the exception of the 38 yard fake punt, the running game only averaged 1.7 yards per carry.
Referring to this week’s preparation, Coach O’Leary said that he “challenged the defense after last week’s game to pick up the competitiveness. I thought they did that, they got their hands on a lot of balls.”
There were five pass breakups by redshirt freshman Jacoby Glenn alone, tying a UCF record that went back 13 years.
“He has great transition to the ball, that’s what he has,” said O’Leary, continuing to praise the young defensive back. “He has long range, he has reach… he’s a good football player.”
It is games like this that inspire hope for the up and coming UCF football program. All cylinders were firing effortlessly and on command, with only a few miscues and no turnovers. The offense controlled the entirety of the game’s pace, keeping the ball for 38 minutes and giving Rutgers less than 22 minutes with the ball. The defense shut down the Scarlet Knights’ offensive attack, giving only one touchdown while on the field and keeping the ball in UCF hands.
Now armed with six wins in the conference and no losses, the Knights stand a clear step above the rest of the American Athletic Conference and will need to continue to come away with decisive victories if the surging team is to continue to rise through the ranks.
With only two games left in the regular season, it is imperative that UCF finish strong to lock up their BCS dreams. The last home game will be held next week on Friday against USF at Bright House Networks Stadium, scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff. The game is set to air on ESPN.
