UCF (2-1) entered their home opener vs. FIU (1-2) hungry for a victory with the sting of last week’s 16-31 loss to Ohio State (3-0) still fresh upon their minds. This week was a different story however, as quarterback Blake Bortles and the Knights offense dominated the game early, finishing the game with a 33-20 lead to tack on their second win of the season.
The Knights have enjoyed immense success in home openers recently, going 11-2 in the last thirteen seasons.
SEE PICTURE SLIDESHOW OF UCF VS. FIU GAME!
UCF’s defense looked stout in the first quarter, forcing FIU into two three-and-outs and only allowing one first down. The Knights held the visiting offense to -1 yards of total offense, and controlled the battle for field position with consistent punts inside the twenty-yard line.
The Knights took control of the ball at the visitor’s 49 yard line on their second possession of the game. Storm Johnson began the drive with a solid six yard run to the outside. Bortles completed a 36 yard pass to a wide open J.J. Worton on third and two to bring the Knights to first and goal. He then proceeded to cap the 6 play, 49 yard drive with a four yard bullet to fullback Billy Giovametti for a Knights touchdown.
UCF recorded a safety and took a 9-0 lead with 1:24 left in the first quarter when FIU’s long snapper released the ball too high, and it sailed over the head of punter Jack Griffen, rolling out the back of the end zone. The Knights had not scored a safety since the game vs. Marshall on October 8th, 2011.
The Knights took over on the UCF 45 in the second quarter, and were put into a tough spot after the initial first down of the drive, when Bortles checked down to Storm Johnson for a 13-yard loss. On the proceeding 3rd and 25 however, Bortles played with ice in his veins as he scrambled to extend the play and completed a 20-yard pass to Worton, which set up an 8-yard rush by Johnson for a UCF first down at the FIU 16-yard line. Wasting no time, Bortles fired a 16 yard touchdown to Rannell Hall, putting UCF up 17-0.
The UCF defense shone brightly in the first half, forcing two fumbles, sacking the quarterback once, and allowing a mere 26 total yards and one completion. The Panthers were only able to muster 2 first downs through the first half, and controlled the ball for eight and a half minutes while the Knights were able to amass a whopping 13 first downs while holding onto possession for over 21 minutes.
The Panthers received the kick to start the second half, and looked to close on a commanding 23-0 UCF lead. FIU’s initial taste of the end zone came here when Medlock tossed a five yard TD pass to running back Kedrick Rhodes. It seems that Medlock was locked in for the start of the second half, throwing 4-4 for 77 yards and a touchdown after going 1-4 for four yards in the first half.
The play of the game came when Rannell Hall leapt with a full body extension to snag a 47-yard bomb launched by Blake Bortles late in the third quarter. Hall appeared hurt when he came down with the ball, as he slammed full force into the sod and the ball seemed to pop loose. However, after an official review it was declared a catch and the Knights moved up to the FIU 21-yard line. An 11-yard run by Harvey set up a 10-yard Jeff Godfrey TD pass to J.J. Worton as the quarterback-turned-receiver flashed his versatility and UCF extended its lead to 30-7.
“You don’t know what we’re going to do at times, it’s a great package,” reflected the athletic Godfrey.
Taking advantage of a free set of downs handed to them by UCF, FIU recovered a fumble and drove 96 yards down the field to score on a 4-yard rush by Mallary. The subsequent two-point conversion attempt failed, and FIU got closer than they would all game, lessening the gap to 30-20.
The Knights played a tough persistent game, never giving up on the running game and trusting both Bortles’ golden arm and the receiving corps skill with aggressive pass play calling. Bortles finished the game with 251 passing yards, a 66% completion rate, two TDs and one interception. The running back committee combined for 170 yards on the ground, as Storm Johnson led the way with his 18 carries for 78 yards.
More satisfying than coming back from a loss is redemption against a team that UCF lost to last year in Miami, in a contest that many of the players believed should have gone the other way.
Said J.J. Worton, “It was very personal. But I knew all the guys on the team, so there were no hard feelings afterwards. Not so much revenge, just… we were devastated last year. When we went down there and lost.”
The stadium was packed 40,000 strong, and the crowd kept in the game the whole time, adding an additional element for the visiting FIU panthers to handle.
“The fan support was great, they were loud, they made noise,” commented Bortles.
The Knights have a bye week coming up before their next game vs. the Missouri Tigers on September 29th, when they look to begin a winning streak and improve to 3-1. The next three games will all be held at Brighthouse Networks Stadium, so come out, and support the Knights as they seek to dominate Conference USA in their last year before the move to the Big East.
