ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF kicks off against the 6-0 Houston Cougars at noon in the pursuit of their first win. Check back at the end of the quarters for live updates and follow @UCFKnightnews and @Knightnewssport for play-by-play action.
UCF has won the coin toss and elects to recieve.
First Quarter:
UCF opens strong with a forty-four yard pass receiver Tre’Quan Smith followed by a seven yard pass.
Houston picks off Holman’s third pass and returns the ball for an eighty-five yard touchdown.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 0 Houston – 7
The Knights made a gain of seven yards on a short drive, sending the ball to Houston over forty-five yards.
Houston picks up seven yards on a rush and keeps the ball in the air on the following three plays – only two successful for ten yards total. No success in the air led the Cougars to rush for 32 yards to the UCF 40. A sack began the decline in the Cougar’s play. UCF’s defense found its spark at the end of the Houston drive by shutting down the visiting team’s offense and forcing a bad pass.
Half the distance to the goal after a holding penalty at the UCF 6, Wilson rushes through the defense for twenty-three yards. The break to open field continued with Tristan Payton for seventeen. Small gains and a three yard loss had Holman follow up wit a throw deep into the red zone to Payton for forty-six yard touchdown.
TOUCHDOWN, UCF! UCF – 7 Houston – 7
The start of the No. 22 ranked Cougars’ next drive saw a faltering offense, making a sixteen yard rush as well as a fourteen yard rush but also two losses for yardage, two incompletes and a fifteen yard penalty. UCF would receive a fifty-five yard punt.
The final possession by the Knights racked up a few small gains to the UCF 33. The second quarter opens on a UCF 3rd and 8.
Second Quarter:
UCF ended their drive with a punt from Mac Loudermilk but Houston’s Demarcus Ayers was pulled back nine yards to the HOU 6.
The Knights’ defense shut down any advance for a first down within the ten yards from the end zone, forcing an early punt to midfield. Over three plays nine yards were gained by the visiting offense.
A pass interference and fifteen yard penalty opened up a chance for UCF to go for a field goal after three incompletes. The forty-six yard attempt went wide left.
Houston’s offense had another chance to make the most of their next set of plays but again would be shut down by the defense by seeing a two yard pass completion, an incomplete and a sack for a loss of two yards, making it a zero yard gain for Houston’s drive.
A long but successful UCF drive began a mix of pass and rush gains over an average of about five yards. Two offsetting penalties cleared UCF an interception and allowed the Knights to continue down the field. Two sacks forced a field goal good for forty-eight yards.
FIELD GOAL, UCF! UCF – 10 Houston – 7
The Cougars brought back a rhythm to their offense and defense on a Greg Ward rush for twenty yards to the HOU 49, twenty yards to the UCF 31 and sixteen yards to the UCF 16 for the running back. Ward’s last rush led to the end zone but a holding penalty overturned the call. Kenneth Farrow made up for his team’s loss of yardage with a twenty-six yard rush for a touchdown.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 14
An interception off Holman’s pass turns over possession and quickly leads to a touchdown out of favor for the Knights. Two passes for fifty yards brought Houston to UCF’s doorstep three yards from the end zone.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 21
UCF opened their drive to an interception. The pick would be rushed into the red zone and a field goal to bring the opposing score to 24.
HALFTIME: UCF – 10 Houston – 24
Third Quarter:
Kenneth Farrow leads the Cougars for a rush of twenty yards, twenty-nine yards and then seventy-nine yards for a touchdown, respectively.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 31
Another UCF set of plays drew little ground with a fifteen yard defensive penalty and a Tre’Quan Smith fifteen yard rush making up thirty out of the thirty-five yard drive summary.
The second half continued to drop off when Cougars’ Ryan Jackson found a lane up the middle of the UCF defense on a twenty-nine yard touchdown. Jackson and Farrow made up forty-eight yards in rushes and twenty-eight yards over the air, respectively.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 38
Farrow makes a break for four and five yards and then three yards. Greg Ward completes a pass to Demarcus Ayers to bring in sixty-seven yards to the UCF endzone.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 45
Shqll Griffin blocked the extra point attempt but a penalty by Griffin caused the would-be touchdown to be a no play.
Holman completes a pass to Aaron Cochran for five yards to the UCF 20. An interception to the red zone made three picks for Holman in the game.
Ryan Jackson rushed for one yard and Ward soon finds a man for thirteen yards. Kenneth Farrow continues his running game with 24 yards picked up to the UCF end zone while bringing his average to 12.8 yards this game.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 52
An unsuccessful UCF set led to Houston possession and a running out of the clock to end the third.
Fourth Quarter:
Houston sent in its secondaries after building a 42 point lead. The second-stringers held the ball to the ground beginning with a Kaliq Kokuma series of rushes. Kokuma made up twenty yards over five plays. UCF ball at the UCF 2.
Wilson finds room for a six yard rush and a three yard reception from Holman for nine yards on the set. Mac Loudermilk punts away forty-eight yards on a 4th and 1.
Small gains on the ground were broken by a rush from Kyle Postma for thorty-eight down the field. A forced fumble is recovered by the Cougars. Ten yards later, Houston posts another touchdown with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter.
TOUCHDOWN, Houston. UCF – 10 Houston – 59
Willet runs out the clock over three small rushes. Loudermilk punts away for forty-nine. Houston finishes the fourth quarter clock on small rushes.
FINAL: UCF – 10 Houston – 59
