In desperation for a big win under the Friday night lights after losing three of their previous four games, the UCF Knights came out firing on all cylinders from the game’s very first drive until the game’s final whistle.
In a game where UCF was efficient in all phases, the Knights picked up their second straight home win in the Space Game, defeating the Memphis Tigers 24-7 at the Bounce House.
An 11-yard passing touchdown from freshman quarterback Mikey Keene to senior wide receiver Brandon Johnson to give the Knights a 7-0 lead capped off the opening 9-play, 68-yard drive. Keene finished the drive completing 3-of-3 passes for 22 yards. Johnson accounted for 19 of those yards on two receptions.
Senior running back Isaiah Bowser, who returned from a leg injury last weekend at Cincinnati, made his presence felt all night long. Bowser rushed for 26 yards on the opening drive – just one yard shy of last week’s 27-yard outing against the Bearcats.
After trading punts, the Knights’ special teams unit forced the game’s first turnover when senior long snapper Alex Ward recovered a Memphis muffed punt at the Tigers’ 27-yard line.
UCF’s offense took full advantage of this opportunity, as junior wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe ran in a quick pass from junior QB Joey Gatewood for the 13-yard touchdown to put the Knights up 14-0 with just two seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Bowser continued to make his mark on the game, accounting for 14 yards on the Knights’ three-play, 27-yard drive.
To open up the second quarter, Memphis made things interesting on the ensuing drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown by freshman running back Brandon Thomas, which reduced the Knights’ lead to 14-7.
Going into the half, UCF held the Memphis offense to just 64 total rushing yards. The Knights racked up three quarterback sacks and six tackles-for-loss, netting for 23 yards in the opening half.
This makes for a significant leap forward for the Knights defense – who struggled to contain Cincinnati’s run game last week – allowing the Bearcats to run for over 330 yards and six touchdowns in the Knights’ 56-21 loss.
O’Keefe scored his second touchdown of the game – a 31-yard rushing touchdown – to extend the UCF lead to 21-7 with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter. This score goes down as O’Keefe’s first-ever career rushing touchdown.
The UCF defense continued to assert its dominance in the second half, notably by picking off three different Memphis pass-attempts.
Sophomore CB Davonte Brown, junior safety Divaad Wilson, and junior safety Dyllon Lester were the recipients of the three interceptions.
Bowser finished his productive night with a game-high 110 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
Keene completed 11-of-19 pass-attempts, throwing for 63 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
O’Keefe led the Knights in receiving, catching six passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
UCF’s defense finished the night holding the Tigers to just 77 total rushing yards on 31 attempts. The Knights also recorded 10 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, and three interceptions in the win.
With the win, UCF improves to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in AAC play.
UCF will travel to Philadelphia, PA to take on the Temple Owls (3-3) next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon.
The game will be aired on ESPN+.
