It might not have been as pretty as last week’s 62-0 rout of Charleston Southern, but the Knights used a dominating second half to put away Boston College and get a 30-3 victory Saturday night in front of a sold out Bright House Networks Stadium.
The Knights scored three rushing touchdowns in the second half, while keeping the Eagles scoreless to pull away and start the season off 2-0 for the first time since 1998.
For a game that UCF Head Coach George O’Leary said was just a game between two Division I programs, the Knights sure treated it like a statement game. UCF limited Boston College to just 141 yards, seven first downs and three points in the game, while posting 422 yards of total offense. Statement made.
UCF, a program that has been criticized for failing to beat big-name schools, have now triumphed against two Big-Six conference programs in a row, including last year’s bowl win over Georgia and now Boston College.
“I think if you just take care of business, there is enough people that see what’s going on. This was a national game, so people see that. It was against an ACC opponent, so it was a good win for UCF,” O’Leary said.
UCF improved to 2-12 all-time against ACC opponents and now have a six-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Despite the Knights 30-3 rout of BC, it was far from a blowout in the first half.
The Eagles struck first with a 47-yard field goal by Nate Freese.
However, UCF responded with three straight field goals by kicker Nick Cattoi. He nailed a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter, then a 35-yard and 32-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Knights a 9-3 lead at halftime.
Cattoi appeared to be very focused after Coach O’Leary said he would be on a “short leash” this season after some of his mishaps last year. He finished the game a perfect three-for-three in field goal attempts.
The first half was characterized by stingy defense for both teams, as neither allowed anyone to enter their end zones.
The second half was a different story.
UCF charged their way up the field at the end of the third quarter and were at BC’s one-yard line before the quarter expired. Then on the first play of the final quarter, sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey ran up the middle to give the Knights a 16-3 edge.
After that, UCF appeared to relax and get in a flow. Latavius Murray scored the next touchdown six minutes later on a 1-yard run. It was his third touchdown of the season.
Although the offense came up big in the second half, it was the UCF defense that really was the headline of Saturday’s victory. The Knights proved why they have been one of the top defenses in the nation over the last several years with a suffocating performance against the Eagles.
The UCF defense limited Boston College to 57 yards on the ground, 84 yards in the air, while shutting down BC on third downs, where they converted only once in 12 tries.
“The defense is playing very well; we feed off those guys. Those guys are out there making plays, getting three and outs, making stops and interceptions,” Godfrey said.
“There doing a really good job on the defensive side of the ball. We just feed off those guys.”
In addition, the Knights improved their interception streak to nine games (dating back to Oct. 30, 2010) with two picks in the game.
Josh Linam had the first interception on a pretty catch after a tip by Josh Robinson. A.J. Bouye had his second career interception after picking off BC QB Chase Rettig in the 4th quarter.
The Knights are now outscoring opponents 92-3 this season and haven’t allowed a touchdown in 12 straight quarters.
“We take a lot of pride in that. We don’t want nobody in our end zone. Even if they get it down in the red zone, we always say deny points, not even one point,” cornerback Josh Robinson said.
Godfrey finished the night 19-of-24 for 187 yards, as well 65 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. His second rushing TD came on a four-yard run, where the sophomore put his head down against BC All-American linebacker Luke Kuechly and strong armed his way for his fifth rushing score of the season.
Murray led the Knights in rushing with 69 yards and a touchdown.
Next week, the Knights travel down to Miami to face in-state opponent, Florida International, in a game where a lot of UCF players will be playing in front of family and friends, including Godfrey, who went to Miami Central High.
But the Knights can enjoy their much deserved victory before they start preparing for FIU. UCF proved to a national audience, as well as a sold out home fan base, that when they are at their best, the Knights are a tough team to beat.
“As long as we go out there and do our assignments on both sides of the ball, I think we can compete with anybody, and we showed it tonight,” Godfrey said.
