The UCF Knights are back to winning ways after defeating the Florida Atlantic Owls by a score of 40 to 14. Following last week’s loss to the Louisville Cardinals, this was a much needed victory for the Knights. Thanks to some big plays from their offense, the Knights were able to score 40 points against the Owls. John Rhys Plumlee, UCF’s quarterback, went off for 339 passing yards on 25 of 36 attempts, with one passing touchdown as well as two rushing touchdowns. In addition, Plumlee led the team in rushing with 121 yards on 20 carries.
The Knights had a well-balanced offense as they rushed for 314 yards as a team. The game started quickly for both teams, with both teams scoring in the first quarter. It was during the second quarter that UCF began to take control of the game. A touchdown from Plumlee on a five yard run and a 41 yard field goal from kicker Colton Boomer gave the Knights the lead in the second quarter. As a defensive unit, UCF prevented Florida Atlantic from scoring during the second quarter and the remainder of the game. After taking a 16-14 lead into halftime, the Knights never looked back.
Second half scoring by the Knights was simply unfair, as they were able to score at will. Running backs Isaiah Bowser scored a touchdown on a 1 yard run and RJ Harvey added a 3 yard rushing touchdown. After three quarters, the score was 30-14 and Plumlee connected with wide receiver Javon Baker for a touchdown pass of 20 yards in the fourth quarter. This was a complete team effort from UCF as they look to get back into the thick of things in the American Athletic Conference standings.
The game was Plumlee’s most impressive of the season and it could not have happened at a better time. The Knights will look to keep their winning ways on track next week as they take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets are coming off of an embarrassing 42 to 0 loss to the number 20 ranked Ole Miss Rebels. This will be a tough test for UCF, but if they can play like they did against Florida Atlantic, then they should have no problem coming out on top.
Go Knights!