Despite the fact that the University of Central Florida Knights won the game over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the victory was neither pretty nor easy. Both teams struggled to move the ball throughout the game due to the lack of movement and the lack of offensive play. The game ended up as a defensive stalemate as both teams were unable to move the ball. Throughout the majority of the first quarter, neither team was able to convert the opportunities they had into points, with the exception of the Knight’s opening drive, which resulted in a field goal from 21 yards out for the Knights. The Yellow Jackets had the opportunity to tie the game with a field goal, but they failed to make it from 32 yards.
In spite of this, the Knights were able to extend their lead in the second quarter thanks to a punt return by Quadric Bullard that went for 29 yards. The score was 13-7 when the first half was over, with the Knights in the lead. However, both teams continued to struggle offensively throughout the third quarter. Neither team was able to score touchdowns during the period. Colton Wright kicked a field goal from 37 yards out for the Knights, which resulted in three additional points; however, the Yellow Jackets were able to respond with a field goal of their own from 42 yards out.
The Knights put an end to the game in the fourth quarter with a key scoring drive that lasted 4 plays for 57 yards. The Yellow Jackets were unable to score, while the Knights were able to extend their lead thanks to a touchdown run by their quarterback, Plumblee, that covered 28 yards.
In the end, defense and special teams were the deciding factors in this contest. The Knights were unable to force any turnovers, but their defense did a good job of keeping the Yellow Jackets from scoring, with the exception of one scoring drive. The offense of UCF wasn’t very proficient, but they were able to pull out the victory by making just the right number of plays. It was difficult for the quarterback, John Rhys Plumlee, to move the ball effectively through the passing game. Plumlee finished with a QBR of 28.5 after completing 8 of 16 passes for a total of 49 yards, with one interception. On the other hand, Plumlee excelled on the ground by gaining 100 yards while only carrying the ball 16 times.
This victory, which improved the Knights’ record to 3-1, was achieved through the combined efforts of the entire team. The victory will go to UCF, despite the fact that it wasn’t particularly pretty. The Knights now look to host the SMU Mustangs on October 1st.
