ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF overcame a lethargic start Saturday night in a statement conference win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 31-7.
It was the first time the seniors on this team ever beat Tulsa, who had won four straight games against UCF. The weight from the past had been passed around the team all week, O’Leary calling on his seniors to speak to everyone about the emotions that charged this conference rivalry.
“You could tell that these guys were sick from those losses that they took from Tulsa, and we just wanted to get that win for them,” said Justin Holman after the game.
The Knights were unable to take advantage of some golden opportunities in the first half, only scoring one touchdown on four red zone trips, but stood on the shoulders of their impenetrable defense as they methodically increased their lead.
Rodrigo Quirarte was the spokesperson for the wasted red zone chances. His presence alone was a disappointment, as UCF fans watched their potential leads wither by four on three occasions. He only intensified the disappointment by botching two attempts from within 25 yards out, managing converting one from 27.
“I thought we did a good job, made some mistakes early. You get down in the red zone twice, you’ve got to put the ball in the end zone. You can’t be playing around like that,” said O’Leary.
Early miscues were balanced by a defense that set the tone for the entire game. The veteran unit forced 3-and-out after 3-and-out while totally nullifying a high-octane pass attack. The Golden Hurricane, a team who had produced over 400 yards of total offense in four straight games, only racked up 201 while completely losing the battle for possession 22:58 to 33:18.
Tulsa spent almost no time in threatening territory. Their lone touchdown came off of a muffed punt, working with a short field for the first time all day.
Corralling Tulsa’s pass attack seemed to come at the whim of UCF’s secondary. Quarterback Dane Evans was held to only 69 passing yards, completely overwhelmed by the Knights’ attack. Jordan Ozerites and Brandon Alexander both got into the fray and intercepted the Tulsa signal caller. Alexander’s came in the end zone, the only real time The Golden Hurricane had orchestrated an impending scoring drive.
The wide receivers as a whole powered the Knights offense to their astronomically high 506 yards. From top to bottom this unit looked sharp, led by newly elected captain Josh Reese with 104 yards.
“You can’t be satisfied with mediocre. I just tried to be a leader and step up. These guys wanted me captain, so I’m going to be the best captain I can be,” said Reese.
Reese’s numbers were bolstered by his 77 yard scoring touchdown in which he burned the entire Tulsa secondary. The 77-yard gallop was the longest touchdown of both Reese and Justin Holman’s careers.
J.J. Worton, the perennial end zone hound, scored the Knights’ first touchdown of the day on five-yard pass, making the second effort count as he vaulted over a defender with a full body extension to cross the goal-line.
Holman ended up riding his receivers for 291 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The deep ball was opened up with confidence in the most effective manner all year. Reese, Perriman and Worton all had receptions of 20+ yards – Worton’s the only one under 45.
William Stanback was forced to leave the game with just over 5 minutes left in the second quarter after carrying the rock 17 times for 54 yards. O’Leary said after the game that it was a shoulder issue, and that next week should be a go. His replacement, Dontravious Wilson, ran in a strikingly similar fashion once he got the chance.
Wilson scored his first career touchdown, broke off a 25 yard gain (the longest of his career), and cultivated 91 yards on the same amount of carries as Stanback.
With the conference championship not too far on the horizon, a win with such emotional carryover is huge after the combination of a loss and the bye.
“That’s what we all strive for, that’s what we all work so hard for in the summer, through our practices. We don’t do it just to have a good record or go to a bowl game, we want to win championships,” said Jordan Ozerites.
