The UCF Knights (7-1; 4-0 AAC) defeated the Cougars of the University of Houston (8-2; 4-1 AAC) for Homecoming on Saturday night in-front of a near-capacity 45,000 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium on the beautiful UCF campus. The game was nationally-televised on ESPN2. Houston came into the game with a known high-powered and high-scoring offense and a defense that lead the nation in forced turnovers. And the Cougars lived up to that reputation, at least partially, in forcing UCF to commit 2 turnovers in the red zone that would’ve placed the game at an uphill battle for the Cougars. But instead they allowed Houston to stay in the game all the way up to the heart-pounding induced finale! Houston’s defense was able to stifle UCF’s offense throughout most of the game. A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter kept Houston within striking distance. The Cougars got the ball back with just over 4 minutes remaining and marched all the way down to the Knights’ seven yard line. But the Knights’ defensive unit rose to the occasion. They put heavy pressure on John O’Korn, Houston’s Freshman QB, and forced him to miss his pass attempts on all 4 downs. UCF fans erupted into cheers with the victory; and the win continues the Knights on their clear path to a BCS bowl game. On Sunday, the Knights found themselves ranked #15 by the Associated Press, the highest in school history. Later that evening, the Knights learned they had moved up to #17 in the BCS standings. UCF travels to Philadelphia to take on the Owls of Temple (1-6; 0-4 AAC) on Saturday. Kickoff is at Noon and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN3 and regionally broadcasted as ESPN’s Regional Game of the Week. Below, watch highlights of UCF’s victory against Houston, courtesy of ESPN: