Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (6-3; 5-3 AAC) defeated S. Florida (1-8; 0-7 AAC) on Black Friday in the annual War on I4. The game was nationally-televised on ESPN. As reported by the AAC:

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing TD to lead UCF to a 58-46 win against USF Saturday in the annual War on I-4 matchup at Raymond James Stadium.

abriel and the Knights came out on top in a shootout that saw the teams combine for 1,223 yards, 66 first downs and 109 points. USF quarterback Jordan McCloud threw for a career-high 404 yards and four touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown on his own.

Both teams finished with two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver, but the Knights had the final answer after the Bulls had closed to within seven points in the fourth quarter.

UCF built a 31-14 lead at halftime on Daniel Obarski’s 23-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the second quarter and the Knights led 45-28 after Gabrie’s 12-yard touchdown run with 1:13 in the third period.

But the Bulls answered with Jared Sackett’s 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and USF took advantage of Gabriel’s only miscue when Brian Battie scored on a 1-yard run with 10:10 left after a Gabriel interception, making it 45-38.

The Knights scored on back-to-back drives to close the game out as Greg McCrae scored from 11 yards out with 6:34 left to cap a short drive after USF had fumbled. Bentavious Thompson added an insurance score on a 2-yard run to make it 58-38, and McCloud’s fourth touchdown pass with 14 seconds left was too little, too late.

Gabriel, who entered the game as the national leader in passing yards, added to his total with his sixth 300-yard game of the season as he completed 22 of 36 passes. Tight end Jacob Harris had five catches for 110 yards and three touchdowns, while McCrae (130 yards) and Thompson (110 yards) both hit triple digits.

USF enjoyed its best offensive showing of the year as McCloud led the way with his first career 400-yard game. Tight end Bryce Miler had 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Kelly Joiner and Battie both surpassed 100 rushing yards. Joiner had 116 yards on 14 carries, while Battie had 15 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.

The Knights now await their fate in the college football bowl post-season. Many predictions are placing UCF against Liberty in the Boca Raton Bowl on 12/22. Check out highlights of UCF’s victory over S. Florida, courtesy of the AAC, below:

The UCF Knights (5-2; 4-2 AAC) rolled past the Owls of Temple (1-5; 1-5 AAC) Saturday night at Bounce House Stadium on the UCF campus. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU. Per the AAC:

Dillon Gabriel threw a pair of touchdown passes to Marlon Williams and UCF rolled to a 38-13 victory over Temple on Saturday night.Gabriel was 12 of 22 for 268 yards passing without an interception. Williams had four catches for 102 yards. The duo connected on touchdowns of 23 and 21 yards in the third quarter.

Jaylon Robinson finished with four receptions for 113 yards for UCF (5-2, 4-2 American Conference). Greg McCrae had touchdown runs of 7 and 1 yard, and Otis Anderson had a 14-yard scoring run in the first quarter. Tayvon Ruley ran 23 times for 90 yards for Temple (1-5, 1-5). Onasis Neely had a 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Knights have won four straight against the Owls and will take on the undefeated and #6-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm. Check out video highlights of UCF’s 38-13 win over Temple, courtesy of UCF Athletics, below:

The UCF Knights (4-2; 3-2 AAC) handed the Cougars of Houston (2-2; 2-1) a conference loss Saturday winning 44-21 on the road. The Knights now get a bye week before returning to the Bounce House on 11/14 to take on Temple. Kickoff for that game is set for 7:30pm; and it will be nationally-televised on ESPN2. Take a look a video highlights and a recap of Saturday’s win against Houston, courtesy of the AAC, below:

HOUSTON (AP) — Dillon Gabriel passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, UCF rushed for another 300-plus and the balanced, high-octane offense swamped Houston 44-21 on Saturday. Gabriel, who leads the nation in yards passing per game, was 19 of 33 for 328 yards with a pair of TD passes to Ryan O’Keefe. Otis Anderson (170 yards rushing), Greg McCrae (107) and Ben Thompson (87) each ran for touchdowns as the Knights (4-2, 3-2 American Athletic Conference) piled up 681 yards of offense.

Gabriel has thrown 166 passes without an interception. Houston (2-2, 2-1) lost for the first time in conference with Clayton Tune throwing two interceptions that resulted in 14 UCF points. Tune was 21-of-41 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. Tune capped a quick, 82-yard fourth-quarter drive with a touchdown toss and two-point conversion pass, closing to 37-21 with 4:17 remaining.

The Cougars onside kick attempt failed, and McCrae made a huge third-and-long conversion with a 20-yard gain that led to Anderson’s 28-yard touchdown, icing the game.