After going winless in 2015, the UCF Knights (6-4; 4-2 AAC) are BOWL BOUND! The Knights resoundingly defeated the Bearcats of Cincinnati (4-6; 1-5 AAC) 24-3 on Saturday in-front of 30,346 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium. Terrance Harris of the Associated Press reports:
McKenzie Milton threw a touchdown pass and UCF cashed in on turnovers to beat Cincinnati 24-3 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for the fourth time in five years. Justin McDonald returned a punt blocked by Tre Neal 23 yards for a score in the third quarter and Seyvon Lawrey’s interception of a Hayden Moore pass led to a 25-yard TD run by Jawon Hamilton in the fourth quarter. Milton was 22 of 34 for 150 yards passing for UCF (6-4, 4-2 American Athletic) and hit Dredrick Snelson on a 1-yard TD pass in the first quarter. Matthew Wright kicked a 22-yard field goal. Hamilton gained 81 yards on 17 carries. The Bearcats (4-6, 1-5) outgained the Knights 327-305 in total yards, but saw one drive end with a fumble by Moore after he was sacked. Moore was 13 of 25 for 129 yards passing. Josh Pasley kicked a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter.
The Knights take on the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa (7-3; 4-2 AAC) next Saturday (time and broadcast cannel TBD) to start the final two challenging games of the season. The Knights travel to Tampa to take on rival USF (8-2; 5-1 AAC) on 11/26. That game will be nationally-televised with a time that’s currently TBD. The Knights will be selected to appear in one of the American Athletic Conference’s post-season bowl games in 2016. Options include:
– Armed Forces Bowl (Navy) vs. Big 12
– AutoNation Cure Bowl vs. Sun Belt
– Birmingham Bowl vs. SEC
– Marmot Boca Raton Bowl vs. Conference USA
– Miami Beach Bowl vs. MAC
– Military Bowl vs. ACC
– Popeyes Bahamas Bowl vs. MAC
– St. Petersburg Bowl vs. ACC
Below, watch highlights of UCF’s 24-3 win over the Cincinatti Bearcats, courtesy of ESPN:
Photo courtesy, Orlando Sentinel.