It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was pretty ugly. But UCF got the job done in exciting fashion.
The Knights defeated the University of South Florida 17-13 to win their fifth consecutive War on I4 rivalry game, taking the 7-6 all-time series lead.
Up 17-13 with just 12 seconds remaining in the game, USF had the ball at first and goal from the three yard line.
That is when UCF junior defensive end Tre’Mon Morris-Brash made the game-winning play, sacking USF quarterback Timmy McClain as time expired.
“No good team falls in the face of adversity,” UCF junior linebacker Tatum Bethune said, capturing the mood of the moment.
There were plenty of both good and bad takeaways from the Knights’ win.
Let’s start with the bad.
Costly Mistakes
There were a few instances where the Knights got in their own way tonight.
Overall, UCF’s mistakes added up to a 13-point swing in favor of the Bulls.
Junior kicker Daniel Obarski missed two field goal attempts: A 35-yard field goal on the game’s first drive and a 44-yarder in the second quarter. The two misses accounted for six of these points.
USF’s second drive of the game was saved by a 15-yard facemask penalty on UCF after the Knights had seemingly forced a three-and-out. The drive would ultimately end in a four-yard touchdown run by USF freshman quarterback Timmy McClain, tying the game at 7 apiece.
The pass game
Ok, the pass game wasn’t that bad. It just wasn’t anything spectacular.
The Knights struggled to get the air game going against a USF pass defense that ranked among the nation’s bottom nine defenses going into the game, allowing 278 passing yards per contest.
Keene finished the night completing just 13 passes, going for only 115 yards.
The freshman did, however, throw a touchdown to senior WR Brandon Johnson, which proved to be a crucial score in the end.
“That guy is a tough dude. Just what you have to go through, mentally, to play quarterback at the Division 1 level, is tough,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said of Keene’s overall freshman season following the game.
“And I just couldn’t be more proud of him,” Malzahn continued.
And now, the good stuff.
A productive rushing duo
Despite UCF primary back Isaiah Bowser being sidelined due to injury, the Knights’ run game led the way for the UCF offensive unit.
UCF sophomore running back Johnny Richardson had himself a night, rushing for a game-high 94 yards on just eight attempts.
The key to Richardson’s success in the win? His speed.
The sophomore back picked up huge chunks of yardage just by simply outrunning the Bulls’ defenders.
Richardson’s longest run of the game was arguably the most crucial play of the game.
Up by just four points, facing a third and 14 with just under four minutes remaining in the game, Keene handed the ball off to Richardson who broke loose for the 42-yard run.
The run allowed for the Knights to burn off an extra minute of time and force USF to use one of its two remaining timeouts before having to punt.
The sophomore also recorded a 33-yard run in the second quarter, where he took advantage of the massive hole built by the offensive line and broke a tackle before eventually being brought down at the Bulls’ 21 yard line.
“They’re some tough guys up front,” Malzahn said of the offensive line following the game.
Richardson proved to be more than a just a rushing threat, however.
After catching a screen-pass from freshman QB Mikey Keene, Richardson quickly utilized the green grass in front of him, racing all the way down to USF’s five-yard line for the 23-yard gain.
Richardson hauled in four receptions for 27 yards to top it off.
In addition, redshirt sophomore RB Marc-Antony Richards finished the night with a productive 73 yards on 14 attempts, averaging just over five yards per carry.
Another big night for the Knights’ defense
It’s safe to say the Knights’ run defense, in particular, had a stellar night.
Of USF’s 244 total yards of offense, only 87 of those came on the ground.
Aside from USF junior running back Jaren Mangham, who finished the night with a game-high 93 rushing yards, the Knights forced the Bulls’s other three rushers to a combined six lost yards.
17 of those lost yards came by tackling McClain behind the line.
The Knights’ defense ultimately dominated its way to 10 tackles for loss, netting for 58 lost yards on 74 total plays.
Five of these TFLs came by way of sacking McClain, netting for 44 lost yards.
With the win, UCF finishes the season with an overall record of 8-4 and an American Athletic Conference record of 5-3.
“We’re building this thing,” Malzahn said to summarize his first regular season as coach of the Knights.
The Knights’ next opponent is yet to be determined.
“Wherever we are, whoever we’re playing, we’re going to be extremely excited,” Malzahn said regarding the Knights’ upcoming bowl game.
