After a gut-wrenching loss last week, the Knights rebounded with their biggest win of the season upsetting the #20 Cincinnati Bearcats 25-21 for homecoming weekend.
With a near sellout crowd, FBC Mortgage Stadium was bouncing Saturday night witnessing the UCF football team pull off its first top 25 ranked win since 2018 and snapped the Bearcats’ 19-game winning streak against American Athletic Conference opponents.
With the Win the Knights have become the only team in Florida to become bowl eligible.
UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn said he was proud of how his team found a way to win despite the difficulties finding themselves in the endzone earlier on in the game.
This was a huge win for us,” said Malzahn. “I think everybody knows that. Sometimes it’s how you win that really can help you moving forward. I’m real proud of our team, you know, that’s a championship program we beat.”
After taking a big hit that had removed starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee from the game in the second quarter, Sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene came up big for the Knights leading the team to a game winning touchdown drive in the final minute of the game to go up 25-21 over the #20 ranked team in the country.
“They went down and scored with three minutes left and took all the momentum, but then Mikey Keene came in and drove us down the field,” Malzahn said. “It was one of those championship type of drives.”
Keene finished the game completing 71% of his passes, going 15 of 21 for 176 yards.
“We talked all week that it’s gonna be a physical game and the most physical team is going to win this ga me,” Malzahn said. “We were a hair away from really dominating the game, but we beat a championship program.”
The Knights now improve to 3-1 in AAC play and 6-2 overall on the season.
With the win the Knights have cracked the AP poll for top 25 teams in the country.
UCF begin a two-game road stretch as the team travels to Tennesse this Saturday to take on the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
