Knights clinch bowl bid with first win against ranked team

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Central Florida Knights defeated No. 13 Houston 37-32 in front of an announced crowd of 34,437 at Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The victory marks the first time UCF has beaten a ranked opponent in 30 years of football, and also gave UCF the requisite six wins needed to be considered bowl eligible.
"It was a great win for our players and being able to stay in the hunt. My hat's off to the players for getting the win and becoming bowl eligible. The players and coaches alike are both ecstatic about the win," UCF head coach George O'Leary said. ""It's definitely a huge game, but it's even bigger because it was a conference game."Senior quarterback Brett Hodges outplayed Houston's Case Keenum, completing 21 of 25 pass attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown.
"It is huge for us now that we are bowl eligible and huge for us to keep our conference championship hopes alive. It really was a team effort today and a huge win," Hodges said.
Keenum, who had been considered a Heisman Trophy candidate going into Saturday's game, completed 33 of 57 attempts for 377 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
Sophomore running back Brynn Harvey ran for 149 yards on 35 attempts and scored three touchdowns.
Houston (8-2, 4-2 Conference-USA) struck first with a field goal and a 51-yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Tyron Carrier, showing the explosive potential of a Cougars offense that had posted over 500 yards in its past two games.
UCF (6-4, 4-2 C-USA) stuck to the game plan of offensive ball control at the start of the second quarter, orchestrating a 15-play, 62-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock and resulted in a 35-yard Nick Cattoi field goal to make the score 10-3.
"I thought we would definitely have a shot if we could just control the clock and move the ball on them," O'Leary said.
Houston showed special teams prowess on the ensuing kickoff, as return man Devin Mays took the ball 100 yards for a quick score.
UCF maintained their composure, however, as they put together another long scoring drive, this one 10 plays for 62 yards that also took more than five minutes off the clock. Freshman running back Johnathan Davis capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Cattoi's extra point brought the Knights to within seven again.
The teams went into the locker room with the score 17-10 at halftime.
"We held them to only four plays in the second quarter, and that is essential against a team that averages 100 or so plays a game," O'Leary said.
UCF again proved to be a second half team, as their first drive of the third quarter went 51 yards in eight plays. Harvey scored on a 1-yard run, but Cattoi's extra point was blocked by Cougars wide receiver L.J. Castille, leaving UCF one point short of the tie at 17-16.
The Knights' defense forced a three-and-out for Houston, and the offense took over on their own 15.
Hodges showed his own quick-strike abilities with a 27-yard rocket to freshman Quincy McDuffie. Two plays later, Knights fans may have had flashbacks to the Kevin Smith era as the offensive line opened a huge hole for Harvey, who ran for 41 yards and six points on the play. Cattoi's extra point was good, and the Knights had a six-point lead with 5:06 left in the third quarter.
Houston started the fourth quarter on UCF's 4-yard line, but an incomplete Keenum pass forced a 21-yard Matt Hogan field goal.
UCF's next drive was an 11-play, 79-yard drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Hodges and McDuffie connected for a 24-yard score and, following Cattoi's extra point, a 10-point lead with 9:03 left in the game.
"That was the plan going in, and it really just came down to execution," Hodges said about his team's ability to put so many long drives together. "We controlled the ball because we executed."
The Knights' defense forced a key turnover for the second game in a row as junior cornerback Justin Boddie picked Keenum off and returned the ball to Houston's 7-yard line. Harvey ran the ball the remaining 7 yards on the next play, giving UCF a commanding 17-point lead with 8:27 left to play.
The Cougars were able to put together two consecutive scoring drives late, with Carrier catching a 31-yard Keenum pass for six and Chaz Rodriguez bringing in a 15-yard Keenum pass for a touchdown.
Both scores were marred by failures to add points, however, as Hogan missed an extra point and Keenum failed to complete a pass for two points, respectively.
An onside kick attempt failed and, with 8 seconds left, UCF took a knee to seal their historic victory.
"This was a total team victory. Coach [Charlie] Taaffe, his staff and those offensive kids fought their butts off. Our special teams gave us great field position. This was just a total team victory and an amazing win for our program," said UCF defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable.
UCF's next game is at home against the Tulane Green Wave (3-7, 1-5 C-USA) Nov. 21. It will be the final home contest of the regular season for the Knights, who close out the year Nov. 28 at UAB (5-5, 4-2 C-USA).