Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

Monday, October 23, 2017

UCF Knights Beat Navy, Rise to #17 in Rankings, and are 6-0 for First-Time Ever

Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:46

The UCF Knights (6-0; 4-0 AAC) bested the Navy Midshipmen (5-2; 3-2 AAC) in a conference battle to the finish. By Sunday, the Knights found themselves ranked #17 in the Coaches Poll and #18 in the AP Poll. The win also marks the first time UCF has ever won its first 6 games in program history. The American Athletic Conference reports:

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Adrian Killins ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, McKenzie Milton passed for 233 yards and No. 20 UCF beat Navy 31-21 on Saturday for the first 6-0 start in school history. It was tied in the third quarter before Killins bolted down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown run to put the Knights ahead for good. With the victory, UCF (6-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) became bowl eligible, matched its win total of last year and improved to 6-0 for the first time in the 39-year history of the program.

The Midshipmen (5-2, 3-2) kept it close, but their chances of pulling off an upset dwindled after quarterback Zach Abey was forced from the game in the third quarter. Abey was dazed from a hit to the helmet at the end of a run and had to be helped off the field. Abey, the key figure in Navy’s triple option, carried 25 times for 126 yards and a touchdown — his school-record eighth straight 100-yard game. He also threw a touchdown pass. His backup, Garret Lewis, directed a 75-yard drive that got the Midshipmen to 24-21 with 12:50 left.

Navy then intercepted a pass and moved inside the UCF 40 before Lewis sent a late pitch to Darryl Bonner, who fumbled when hit by cornerback Brandon Moore. Moore recovered the loose ball with just over seven minutes remaining, and UCF freshman Otis Anderson scored the clincher on a 10-yard run with 3:30 to go. The Knights came into the game averaging 50.6 points per game and with an average winning margin of 33.8 points. UCF didn’t come close to matching either of those numbers, but it did end Navy’s 17-game home winning streak during the regular season.

The Knights next take on the Governors of Austin Peay (5-3), in a makeup game that was scheduled as a replacement for the Knights having to cancel their home game with Georgia Tech as a consequence of Hurricane Irma. Kickoff is set for 5pm and the game will be nationally-televised on ESPN3. The College of Nursing tailgate party will begin at 2pm in the Softball Lot. Check out highlights of Saturday’s 31-21 victory over Navy by clicking the video below:


 

Photo courtesy of USA Today.

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