After a nearly three-hour weather delay to start the game, the UCF Knights came back from an early 21-0 deficit to defeat the Boise State Broncos, 36-31 in Thursday’s season opener.
The Knights found themselves in a deep hole early in the game when Junior QB Dillion Gabriel threw a pick-six in the red zone of UCF’s opening drive to give the Broncos an early 7-0 lead.
Poor decision-making on the offense and an inability to make tackles defensively had the Knights shut out in the first quarter with Broncos Junior QB Hank Bachmeier and the offensive 14 unanswered points to put the Knights in a daunting 21-0 deficit early in the second quarter.
The Knight’s offense started to come alive in the final minutes of the first half with Gabriel leading the team down the field and throwing a quick touchdown pass to Freshman WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala with six seconds left in the half to bring UCF within 10 points of the Broncos at 24-14 to close out the first half.
This was UCF head coach Guz Malzahn’s first game as a Knight and said that the key moment of the game was scoring right before halftime to give the team the momentum it needed to come back.
“The key drive was right before the half when we scored with 10 seconds left,” Malzahn said. “It changed the momentum of the game.”
The Knights took this momentum and charged down the field on the very first drive of the third quarter with Gabriel throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Brandon Johnson to bring UCF within three points of the lead, something Malzahn said helped determine the outcome of the game.
“We talked and said, let’s go down the field on the first drive of the third quarter,” Malzahn said. “If we score, we win the game.”
The Knights shut out the Broncos in the third quarter scoring 14 unanswered points to give UCF their first lead of the night at 28-24.
A safety by the Knights stellar defensive effort in the second half held the Broncos to 20 yards rushing for the game extended the lead to six points with a little less than 14 minutes to go.
The Broncos kept things interesting after another interception from Gabriel set up Boise State to capitalize on short field position to retake the lead at 31-30 with over six minutes left to go in the game.
The Broncos’ lead was short-lived when UCF Senior RB Isaiah Bowser who finished with 172 yards rushing scored the game-winning touchdown for the Knights in the final four minutes of the game.
Despite throwing two interceptions in the game, Gabriel persevered and had another good showing, racking up 318 yards through the air combined with 4 total touchdowns making it his 24th consecutive game with a thrown touchdown pass tying him second all-time in program history with former UCF QB Mackenzie Milton.
“My dad always told me to be a Gunslinger,” Gabriel said. “What that means is, whatever happened the last drive doesn’t matter. Whether it is a touchdown or a pick, just Keeping slinging it.”
This win is the first of the season for the Knights as well as a first for new Head Coach Malzahn and a slew of recent additions to the team, something Gabriel said he was pleased that they came together to overcome adversity.
“It was our first game together,” Gabriel said. “We knew there was going to be some adversity, but how we handled it was the main thing. I’m proud of our guys.”
The Knights will be back at home next Saturday night to take on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m.
