The UCF Knights football team picked up its second win of the 2021-22 season – and the second win of the Gus Malzahn Era – after defeating the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 63-14 at the Bounce House on Saturday.
It didn’t take long for UCF’s offense to get things rolling, as they scored on their opening drive, which resulted in Knights’ senior running back Isaiah Bowser rushing for a 17-yard touchdown just 1:18 into the game.
This was just the beginning for Bowser, who ultimately dominated his way to four first-half rushing touchdowns – making for a historic night.
Bethune-Cookman had an answer, however, scoring a touchdown of their own on the following drive. Wildcats senior quarterback Shannon Patrick found senior receiver Darryl Powell Jr for a 15-yard touchdown to cap off an 80-yard drive.
The Knights’ offense picked up right where it left off, responding with another first quarter touchdown. UCF junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel connected with senior WR Brandon Johnson for a 22-yard touchdown to conclude a six-minute drive. The touchdown came just two plays after Gabriel completed a 12-yard pass to Johnson on fourth-and-eight.
The UCF defense produced its first major play of the game when junior linebacker Tatum Bethune intercepted a Wildcat pass-attempt at the UCF 20-yard line with 12:57 remaining in the second quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Bowser ran in a 1-yard Knights’ touchdown – his second of the half. This was set up by a five-yard reception by junior receiver Ryan O’Keefe, who was stopped just shy of the goal line.
UCF head coach Gus Malzahn made another gutsy call when deciding to go for it on fourth-and-10 from the Wildcats’ 29 yard line. Malzahn’s decision paid off, as Gabriel found junior receiver Amari Johnson for a 28-yard completion to convert the fourth-down attempt. The following play resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Bowser – his third rushing touchdown of the half. This increased the Knights’ lead to 28-7 with 6:28 remaining in the first half.
Bowser scored his fourth and final rushing touchdown from nine yards out, extending the Knights lead to 35-7 with :40 remaining in the half. This touchdown made Bowser just the fourth Knight in history to rush for four touchdowns in a game.
The Knights’ opening drive of the second half resulted in a shifty 44-yard touchdown run by Gabriel – which generated exuberance in the Bounce House. The big play increased the Knight’s lead to 42-7.
UCF freshman quarterback Mikey Keene scored his first-ever collegiate touchdown when throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to sophomore WR Kaedin Robinson to give UCF a 56-14 lead with :16 remaining in the third quarter.
Bowser ended his historic night rushing for a total of 59 yards and scoring four touchdowns off of 12 carries.
Gabriel finished the game completing 25-of-38 pass-attempts, going for 332 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the junior QB ran for 43 yards and a touchdown on two rushing attempts.
As a team, UCF rushed for an ample total of 290 yards and six touchdowns. The Knights’ produced 671 yards of total offense in the win.
With the win, UCF now leads Bethune-Cookman 12-5 in the all-time series between the two programs, with the Knights winning the last eight meetings.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Knights start the season off with a 2-0 record.
UCF will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to take on the Louisville Cardinals (2-0) this upcoming Friday at 7 p.m. in a battle of unbeatens. The game will be aired on ESPN.
