Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (9-3; 6-2 AAC) fought off a second half comeback bid by the S. Florida Bulls (1-11; 0-8 AAC) on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Their 46-39 win cements UCF as the victor for the War on I-4 rivalry, giving the Knights 7 wins to S. Florida’s 6 wins for the series. UCF’s move to the Big XII next season effectively kills S. Florida’s rivalry with UCF until at least 2028 due to scheduling conflicts. The win also brings the Knights back to New Orleans to face the Green Wave of Tulane (10-2; 7-1 AAC) for the AAC Championship Game on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4pm and the game will be broadcasted on ABC. Per the AAC:

A matchup of top-25 teams is set for the 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by RoofClaim as No 19 Tulane will meet No. 22 UCF for the conference title Saturday at Yulman Stadium on the Tulane campus. 
 
The American Football Championship Game will be held Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT. The championship game will be televised live on ABC for the eighth consecutive season.
 
Tulane clinched its spot as well as home-field advantage Friday with a 27-24 win at Cincinnati that left the Green Wave atop The American standings at 7-1 in conference play and 10-2 overall.
 
The Knights, who needed a win against South Florida in their regular-season finale Saturday to clinch their spot, scored a 46-39 victory in the War On I-4 matchup.
 
Tulane will make its first appearance in The American Championship Game, while UCF plays in the game for the third time. The Knights won the championship game in their previous two appearances, in 2017 and 2018. 
 
Tickets for the 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game will be made available through the ticket offices of the participating institutions.
 
The latest information on the 2022 American Football Championship will be available on the conference’s Championship Central site at http://www.theamerican.org/football

Check out video highlights of UCF’s win over S. Florida, courtesy of the AAC, below:

The #25 UCF Knights (8-3; 6-2 AAC) took a 17-14 loss against the Midshipmen of Navy (4-7; 4-4 AAC) on Saturday, ending the hopes the Knights would host the American Athletic Conference Championship game. UCF also now faces an uphill battle to get to the Championship game altogether. If Houston (7-4; 5-2 AAC) loses to Tulsa (4-7; 2-5 AAC) this weekend AND the Knights beat S. Florida (1-10; 0-7 AAC), then UCF is guaranteed a spot in the Championship game.

However, if Houston wins, then there will be a three-way tie for 2nd place in the Conference (UCF, Houston, and the loser of the Tulane at Cincinnati game on Friday). In that scenario, UCF would have to be ranked highest in the composite computer rankings versus Houston and the loser of the Cincinnati vs. Tulane matchup. UCF is currently ranked #25 in the AP Poll and #26 (just outside of the Top 25) in the Coaches Poll. The poll from the College Football Playoff Committee is released tomorrow. It is unlikely UCF will be ranked in that poll.

See video highlights of the UCF vs. Navy game, courtesy of the AAC, below:

The UCF Knights (6-2; 3-1 AAC) skyrocketed into the Top 25 in both the AP and Coaches Polls after defeating the Bearcats of Cincinnati (6-2; 3-1 AAC) on Saturday in front of an at-capacity crowd of almost 46,000 fans at FBC Mortgage Stadium. But the real reward from the victory came on Tuesday when the College Football Playoff rankings were released. UCF found itself ranked at #25. The Knights now travel to Memphis to face the Tigers (4-4; 2-3 AAC) before heading to Tulane to take on the Green Wave, which also finds itself in the rankings at #19. Kickoff for the UCF at Memphis game is set for 3:30pm (EST). The game will be televised on ESPN2. The AAC reports on the Knights’ win against Cincinnati below:

RJ Harvey had a 17-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds remaining, sending UCF to a 25-21 win over No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday.

Harvey’s go-ahead TD capped a seven-play, 75-yard march directed by Mikey Keene. The backup quarterback was 4 for 4 for 57 yards on the drive.

Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1 American Athletic Conference) took a 21-18 lead with 3:04 remaining. Ryan Montgomery scored on a 39-yard touchdown run, and the Bearcats added the 2-point conversion on a Ben Bryant pass to Tyler Scott.

UCF (6-2, 3-1) took a 10-6 lead into halftime on the strength of a 26-yard touchdown run by Harvey. The Knights added a safety in the third quarter when Josh Celiscar sacked Bryant in the end zone.

Cincinnati had won six in a row since a season-opening loss to Arkansas. Bryant passed for 298 yards and a touchdown, and Montgomery had a team-high 40 yards rushing on three carries.

Harvey had 18 carries for 84 yards for UCF. The Knights finished with 258 yards on the ground and 247 through the air.

Following a fumble recovery, Bryant threw a 14-yard touchdown to Josh Whyte to make it 13-12 at the end of the third quarter. Whyte’s TD capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive.

UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was 7 of 11 for 71 yards when he was knocked out of the game late in the first half. He also rushed for 31 yards.

Outside of Montgomery’s touchdown run, the Bearcats couldn’t get anything established on the ground.

Keene’s experience from starting 10 games last year as a true freshman proved to be invaluable. He walked into a tough situation, but one he was familiar with. Keene put together his best drive of the day when the Knights needed it most and kept UCF in contention for the American Athletic Conference championship.

Check out video highlights of the game, courtesy of the AAC below: