UCF Knights Go Cougar Hunting
The UCF Knights didnt play their best, but found a way to win a tough road game 40-33 vs. the Houston Cougars. The Knights went to 5-0 in the CUSA East and 7-2 overall. The Knights dropped the Houston Cougars to 4-2 in CUSA West and 5-4 overall, and trail SMU by one game.
This game was not pretty for the UCF Knights defense, as they gave up 533 yards to the Cougars. Bruce Miller started the scoring off by returning an interception for a touchdown but there wasn’t much for the defense to be proud of after that. The UCF Offense once again stepped up to the plate to have an overall solid effort to make up for the Defensive lapses. Jamar Newsome had a strong performance catching 5 passes for 123 yards.
Why UCF won the game: Jeffrey Godfrey
Godfrey had his best game of his young collegiate career, going 15 of 19 for 294 yards and 2 TDs in the air and ran for 105 yard and 2 TDs. Whenever the Knights needed a big play Godfrey was there to pick them up and keep the Knights offense on the field, going 7-13 on 3rd down conversions. Godfrey could have easily padded his stats in the second half but questionable play calling killed some drives. Miller came in a close second returning one interception for a touchdown and getting a hand on another pass to create another interception.
Why Houston lost the game:
UCF did their best to give this game away but the Knights Defense woke up for a few plays to be the difference in the game. Kicker Nick Cattoi was once again given the chance to step up and make a big play but failed again by missing a 39 yard field goal to ice the game. Cattoi also had a PAT blocked earlier in the game but the attempt was a significantly low kick. After Cattoi’s 39 yard missed field goal, the Knight’s Defense forced the Cougars to a turnover on downs and Godfrey went into victory formation and ran the clock out.
Game Ball: Godfrey
When will this kid stop surprising us with his amazing skill set? He continues to improve every single game and the coaching staff has given more trust to Godfrey in their play calling. If he wasn’t completing long passes down the field, he was sprinting past defenders for huge runs. He will be exciting the rest of the way as the Knights look to defend their undefeated CUSA record.
What this all means:
The Knights have three games left in the regular season and currently lead the CUSA East. Houston was their toughest CUSA road game of the season and it showed some grit to get the win. Defensive Coordinator Dave Huxtable has some work to do before next weeks home game vs Southern Miss because the effort tonight from his defense was unacceptable.
Up Next:
Southern Miss. Seniors will be honored next Saturday during the last regular season home game of the year. Southern Miss is always a tough game for the Knights and this year should be no different. Hopefully the defense will be able to improve on their performance from the last two games play like the defense the fans have been accustomed to this year.
Notes:
Godfrey had single game career highs in both passing and rushing.
Cattoi did connect on 2 field goals during the game but has failed to connect on a field goal more than 39 yards on the year.
Miller returned his second interception for a touchdown of the year.
