ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Central Florida Knights closed out their home season with a 49-0 thrashing of the Tulane Green Wave in front of an announced crowd of 31,390 at Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday afternoon.The Knights' offense, defense, and special teams all did their part to send the departing seniors out with a win.
The offense racked up seven total touchdowns, including four in the third quarter. UCF had not scored 28 points in a quarter since Sept. 22, 2007 against Memphis.
The defense could have given the vaunted Florida Gators' defense fits, holding Tulane to -30 yards rushing and 50 total offensive yards on 51 plays in the game.
The kicking game was a perfect 7 of 7 on extra points by Nick Cattoi and Jamie Boyle, and the punt coverage team forced a fumble which gave UCF possession on the Tulane 22 and set up a score for the offense.
"Each week we are getting better as a team. I feel we did a lot of good things on offense and defense and in the kicking game. I was very pleased with the execution of the team, and being able to put that many points on the board," said UCF head coach George O'Leary.
Knights quarterback Brett Hodges went 19 of 28 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Rob Calabrese, who relieved Hodges at the start of the fourth quarter, only threw one pass for a 6-yard touchdown reception by Brendan Kelly.
"Brett Hodges did an excellent job at making his reads," O'Leary said.
UCF's running backs did their part too, with Brynn Harvey scoring three touchdowns while gaining 129 yards on 16 carries, including a 50-yard score on UCF's opening drive. Johnathan Davis also had 16 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.
"Brynn Harvey and Jonathan Davis both had great games running the ball," O'Leary said. "Harvey made a few reads in the first half where he was cutting too early, but as the game progressed, he made some excellent cuts and got through the hole."
The Knights were not perfect on offense, however, as a 13-play, 65-yard drive ended with a Hodges pass being picked off by Tulane cornerback Phillip Davis in the end zone.
UCF's offense was back on the field six plays later though, as Reggie Weams intercepted Ryan Griffin in the end zone.
The Knights got their second quarter touchdown after Tulane punter Ross Thevenot bobbled the ball while trying to punt. Running back Ronnie Weaver fell on the ball at the Tulane 3. Harvey ran it in two plays later from 2 yards out, giving the Knights a 14-0 lead with 1:31 left in the first half.
Tulane got the ball to start the second half, but Griffin was sacked by Justin Boddie and lost the ball. Senior defensive tackle Travis Timmons scooped the loose ball up and ran for 10 yards to the Tulane 13.
Harvey got the third quarter scoring bonanza started by crossing the goal line on another 2-yard run.
Griffin had another pass intercepted on Tulane's next possession, this time by freshman corner Josh Robinson who brought it to the Tulane 29 before being forced out of bounds.
Hodges connected with receiver Kamar Aiken for a 29-yard score on the next play, giving UCF a 28-0 lead with 10:37 left in the third.
"Brett is going to keep looking for me," Aiken said. "Brett told me in the first half to keep running my routes and he would find me. He did that and kept coming to me."
Kemal Ishmael forced a Jordan Sullen fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Weaver had another fumble recovery. Hodges and Aiken connected again two plays later on a 16-yard throw. Boyle came in to kick the extra point. UCF had scored 21 points in less than three minutes.
UCF's final third quarter score came after a 14-play, 97-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Davis, who had an earlier touchdown called back on a holding penalty, capped the drive off with a 9-yard run for six. Boyle's extra point made it 42-0 with less than a minute left in the third.
Tulane benched Griffin in favor of Joe Kemp at quarterback, though Kemp was not able to start anything for Tulane's offense. Kevin Moore was inserted at quarterback for Tulane's final possession.
"I was very happy for our seniors," O'Leary said. "It was an awesome game for them to come out and all get in there and pitch the shutout."
UCF's final game of the season is Nov. 28 at UAB. UCF's likely bowl destinations are the St. Petersburg Bowl, the EagleBank Bowl, and the New Orleans Bowl, with a possibility of the Hawaii Bowl or the Armed Forces Bowl.
No comments:
Post a Comment