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The UCF Knights (6-2; 4-0 C-USA) handed a crushing 54-17 defeat to the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-5; 2-2 C-USA) on Saturday in Huntington, West Virginia. The Knights stifled Marhall’s prolific offense, which ranked #4 in the country prior to Saturday’s matchup and also put a screeching hault to Marshall’s talented quarterback Rakeem Cato, who was #2 in the nation in pass completions and passing yards. Here’s a quick synopsis from Orlando Sentinel‘s Paul Tenorio:

As Latavius Murray caught the screen pass in the third quarter and turned up field, left guard Jordan McCray came across and leveled a Marshall safety, knocking the defender out of the play as Murray coasted 20 yards into the end zone. While Murray and QB Blake Bortles stood out offensively on Saturday night, McCray’s block was an example of the play up front that spurred the offense to its best performance of the season. “I thought they did some different things that we weren’t expecting,” O’Leary said of Marshall. “Our offensive line coach, Brent Key, made some adjustments, really didn’t take a lot, just a different line call to control some of the movement they were putting on us.” 

UCF coach George O’Leary praised the unit multiple times during his weekly television show on Sunday. The adjustments worked, and the Knights controlled the game the rest of the way.  “I got to give credit to the offensive line, that’s where it starts,” Murray said after his second straight standout performance. “I think they keep blocking the way they are, there are yards to be made.” The offensive line generated a great push against Marshall, and as a result UCF racked up its most impressive numbers this year. The Knights had season-high marks in rushing yards (278), yards per rush (6.9), passing yards (290), yards per pass (13.2), total offense (568) and yards per play (9.2).

The Knights move back to campus this Saturday to celebrate Homecoming by taking on the Mustangs of SMU (4-4; 2-1 C-USA). SMU is a talented team that will most likely give the Knights their biggest remaining challenge before they head into Tulsa (7-1; 4-0 C-USA) on November 7th. Below, take a look at highlights of Saturday’s one-sided victory of Marshall from Conference USA’s Point After:

Picture and Story Highlights Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (5-2; 3-0 C-USA) bested the Memphis Tigers (1-6; 1-2 C-USA) 35-17 Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee in a Conference USA showdown that was nationally broadcasted on College Sports Station. The Knights’ defense took and gave in the win; they forced turnovers at the right times; but they also gave up a large number of yards against the Tigers, who have struggled offensively and have only collected a meager 3.3 yards per carry prior to Saturday’s matchup against UCF. The Knights take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall this Saturday at 8:00pm in Huntington, WV. The game will be nationally broadcasted on CBS Sports Network. Check-out highlights from Saturday’s gridiron clash between UCF and Memphis below:

Conference USA’s Highlights of UCF vs. Memphis

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel

The UCF Knights (4-2; 2-0 C-USA) narrowly defeated the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss (0-5; 0-2 C-USA) Saturday night in front of 34,000 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium on the UCF campus. Although the Golden Eagles were winless, they have faced a series of ranked out-of-conference teams and were 3-0 against the Knights in their home campus and 1-6 against the Knights all-time, making them a formidable opponent. The win didn’t come easy. The game went into over time twice; and UCF won after Southern Miss’ QB threw an interception on the Golden Eagles’ second OT drive, effectively ending the game. The Knights next game is this Saturday. UCF will venture into Memphis to take on the Tigers (1-5; 1-1 C-USA). The game will be regionally televised on College Sports Station. Take a look at highlights from UCF’s win over Southern Miss from Conference USA Point After host Megan Clementi below:

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

Miss Fanatic brought her 2012 Tailgate Tour to UCF on Thursday to check-out the tailgate scene on campus before UCF manhandled the Pirates 40-20. Take a look at her video below: