Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (6-1; 3-0 AAC) defeated the Huskies of UCONN (0-7; 0-3 AAC) in a resounding 62-17 rout on Saturday in UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium in-front of close to 40,000 fans and a nationwide audience on ESPN3. The win further solidified UCF in the rankings. Their highest ranking came in at #19 in the AP Poll while the Coach’s Poll placed UCF at #21. The Knights stayed at #23 in the BCS standings. Blake Bortles continued to show his absolutely studly skill at quarterback, pulling in 286 yards and scoring 4 TDs before being benched at the middle of the third quarter. Jeff Godfrey was also a shining star for the Knights, amassing 6 receptions for 54 yards and 3 touchdowns. UCF now takes a week off to prepare for the Cougars of Houston (6-1; 3-0 AAC), who they will host on Homecoming on November 9th. Kickoff time and television broadcasting availability are yet to be announced. Below, watch highlights of UCF’s slaughter of the UCONN Huskies, courtesy of ESPN:

The #21-ranked UCF Knights (5-1; 2-0 AAC) went into #8 Louisville (6-1; 2-1 AAC) on Friday in-front of a national audience on ESPN and defeated the team most sports analysts believed would dominate the new American Athletic Conference and take the league’s slot in what will be the final BCS Bowl Championship Series bowl game. The Knights’ win was the program’s first-ever against a top 10 opponent. And many are calling it UCF’s biggest win in program history. But the win was not easy. The Knights struggled during the first half, only putting up 7 points against the Cardinals. Blake Bortles shot down an aggressive initial drive with an INT in the end zone and UCF would go on to struggle offensively throughout the half. Down by a 21-point deficit, the Knights didn’t give up and fought back with 28 unanswered points, punctuating the game with an incredible finale, sealing their win with just :28 left on the clock. The win dismantled Louisville’s run for a national championship, fight for the AAC Championship, and any Heisman Trophy hopes for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles made-up for his starting drive INT and continued to show his amazing skills at the helm, completing 21 of 32 pass attempts for 250 total yards. UCF edged out Louisville by just 1 yard, amassing 446 total yards to Louisville’s 445. UCF now holds the reins on their destiny in the AAC. Winning out would secure them AAC Champions and would land them in a BCS bowl for the first-time ever. UCF now returns home for the next two games, starting on Saturday with an AAC game against the Huskies of UCONN (0-6; 0-2 AAC). Kickoff is set for Noon at Bright House Networks Stadium on the beautiful UCF campus. The game will be nationally televised through ESPN3. Watch the highlights of UCF’s victory of Louisville courtesy of ESPN below:

The UCF Knights (4-1; 1-0 AAC) pulled off what ended-up being a miracle in their 24-17 win over the Tigers of Memphis (1-3; 0-1 AAC) in the opening of American Athletic Conference play for the 2013 season. The game was nationally televised on ESPN3. UCF came out of the gate flat and appeared grossly unprepared to play a Memphis team that was coming off their first win of the season against Arkansas State last week. Quarterback Blake Bortles struggled in his completions, falling way below his season average completion rate of 70% to completing just 8-19 passes. The Knights Defense unit didn’t perform much better. Multiple missed tackles and numerous penalties seemed to stifle the Knights’ progress, with a defensive penalty towards the end of the first half giving the Tigers an automatic first down, simultaneously dooming the Knights scoreless for the remainder of the half. Thanks to scoring two touchdowns within nine seconds in the last few minutes of the game, the Knights stole the Tigers’ victory and came away with the win. Take a look at highlights from the UCF vs. Memphis game courtesy of ESPN below:

Photo Courtesy The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Coming off a historic win against the Nittany Lions of Penn State (3-1; 0-0 BG-10), the UCF Knights (3-1; 0-0 AAC) suffered a tough loss to #12 South Carolina (3-1; 1-1 SEC) on Saturday in-front of a sold-out crowd which tapped out close to 50,000. Two costly turnovers (INTs) doomed the Knights to a 25-28 loss, despite a heroic comeback in the 4th quarter. The loss was felt throughout the Knight Nation; but fans rallied behind the team and most have expressed support for a team that South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said “Took divine intervention to beat.” The Knights now enter conference play in their new home, the American Athletic Conference. UCF travels to Memphis on Saturday to play in the Liberty Bowl against the Memphis Tigers (1-2; 0-0 AAC), who are coming off their first win of the season against Arkansas State. Take a look at highlights from the UCF vs. South Carolina game courtesy of the American below:

Photo Courtesy SB-Nation