Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights finished their regular season with an 8-4 record on Black Friday after beating rival S. Florida 17-13. UCF ended with a 5-3 record in the American Athletic Conference and finished at #3 in the conference standings behind #2 Houston and #1 Cincinnati. Cincy clenched the #4 national ranking on Sunday, making history as being the first G5 team to ever make the College Football Playoffs. They will face #1 Alabama on New Year’s Eve.

UCF also learned its bowl fate Sunday as well. The Knights will square off against the Florida Gators (6-6; 2-6 SEC) in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on December 23rd. That game will be nationally-televised on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 7pm. The game is also expected to be the Bowl’s first-ever sell-out, with Knights fans posted to fill more than half the stadium. Check-out highlights of UCF’s Black Friday win over USF below, courtesy of ESPN College Football:

Mikey Keene threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns as UCF raced to an early 28-0 lead on its way to a 49-17 win against UConn Saturday at the Bounce House.

Johnny Richardson rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Brandon Johnson had seven catches for 125 yards and his American Athletic Conference-leading 10th touchdown of the season.

The UCF defense registered five sacks and forced three turnovers, all on interceptions.

Richardson staked the Knights to an early lead on a 9-yard touchdown run, and Keene followed with a 30-yard keeper for a TD to give UCF a 14-0 cushion only 5:23 into the game.

Mark-Antony Richards made it 21-0 with a touchdown run late in the first quarter, and Keene and Richardson connected for a 17-yard touchdown to start the second period, giving UCF (7-4; 4-3 AAC) a four-touchdown advantage.

Tatum Bethune led the UCF defense with 14 tackles.

UConn quarterback Steven Krajewski went 18-for-42 for 174 yards with three interceptions as the struggling Huskies fell to 1-10.

The Knights now take on their rivals, the usf bulls (2-9; 1-6 AAC), on Black Friday. The game will be nationally-broadcasted on ESPN. Kickoff is at 3:30pm. Check out video highlights of UCF’s win over UCONN, courtesy of the AAC, below:

As reported by the AAC:

Brandon Johnson’s 23-yard touchdown reception from Mikey Keene with 5:55 left gave UCF its first lead of the second half and the Knights’ defense came up with a late stop to preserve a 14-10 win against Tulane Saturday afternoon at the Bounce House.

The win was UCF’s third straight victory and kept the Knights unbeaten at their home stadium this season (5-0). 

UCF took a 7-0 lead into halftime, but Tulane added 10 third-quarter points to build a 10-7 advantage on Tyjae Spears’ 8-yard run and a 25-yard field goal by Merek Glover. 

The UCF defense forced Tulane to punt on its next three drives, and the Green Wave ran out of time on its final possession after a 10-play possession stalled at the UCF 39-yard line. 

Keene went 19-for-25 for 229 yards and two touchdowns for UCF, while Ryan O’Keefe had 11 catches for 94 yards and a TD. 

Tulane was led by quarterback Michael Pratt, who went 17-for-28 for 147 yards, while Spears finished with 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. 

The Knights (6-3; 4-2 AAC) face a formidable foe in SMU (7-2; 3-2 AAC) in Dallas on Saturday. Kickoff is set for Noon and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

The UCF Knights (5-3; 3-2 AAC) destroyed the Owls of Temple (3-5; 1-3 AAC) last Saturday 49-7 and will return to campus to face the Tulane Green Wave (1-7; 0-4 AAC) for Homecoming on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4pm and the game will be nationally-televised on ESPNU. Below is a recap of Saturday’s win against Temple along with video highlights courtesy of the AAC:

Mikey Keene threw a career-best five touchdown passes and UCF rolled to a 49-7 win over Temple on Saturday.

Keene was 15 of 21 for 229 yards. He threw touchdown passes that covered 13 yards to Alec Holler and 18 to Brandon Johnson in the second quarter for a 21-0 lead at the half. In the the third quarter the scoring plays covered 33 yards with Holler and 12 and 46 yards with Ryan O’Keefe.

Isaiah Bowser, who rushed for 89 yards, ran 11 yards for a score in the first quarter and Johnny Richardson had a 1-yard plunge for a fourth-quarter score.

The Knights (5-3, 3-2 American Athletic Conference), who have won five straight in the series, piled up 428 yards of total offense while limiting the Owls (3-5, 1-3) to 297.

Temple, which lost three fumbles, scored in the last minute when backup quarterback Justin Lynch hit Jose Barbon with a 27-yard strike. Jadan Blue had four receptions to move into second on Temple’s all-time list with 168.

In their annual Space Game, the UCF Knights (4-3; 2-2 AAC) soundly defeated the Memphis Tigers (4-4; 1-3 AAC) 24-7 at a packed Bounce House on the beautiful UCF campus Saturday. The game was nationally televised on ESPN2. UCF used a stout defensive approach to force the Tigers to cough up several turnovers. As reported by the AAC:

Ryan O’Keefe rushed for one touchdown, caught a pass for another and UCF defeated Memphis 24-7 on Space Night Friday.

On a night themed to honor UCF’s ties to the nation’s space program — complete with the unveiling of special uniforms — the Knights were somewhat low orbit as Mikey Keene completed 11 of 19 passes for 63 yards — his lowest yardage since the season opener.

Meanwhile, the Knights gained 215 yards on the ground with Isaiah Bowser rushing for 111 yards on 26 carries, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Peter Parrish, starting for Memphis’ injured Seth Henigan (right hand), went 31-for-48 passing for 215 yards but threw three interceptions. His final pick came with less than five minutes remaining. An unnecessary roughness penalty against UCF advanced Memphis to a first down at the 27 and Parrish’ shot to the end zone was intercepted by Dyllon Lester.

Parrish guided the Tigers close to the end zone once more in the closing minutes, advancing to the 12-yard line, but a third-down pass to the end zone was broken up by UCF’s Justin Hodges and a fourth-down run by Parrish was short.

Parrish was also the Tigers leading rusher with 60 yards gained on 22 carries but he was sacked six times for a loss of 39 yards.

UCF takes on the Owls of Temple (3-4; 1-2 AAC) on Saturday at Noon. The game will be streamed live in ESPN+.

Check out video highlights of UCF’s Saturday win over Memphis, courtesy of the AAC, below:

After falling to Louisville and Navy in their last two contests, the UCF Knights (3-2; 1-1 AAC) defeated East Carolina (3-3; 1-1 AAC) in a thrilling game at the Bounce House last Saturday night. The game was televised live on ESPN+. The Knights take on the #3-ranked Bearcats of Cincinnati (5-0; 1-0 AAC) on Saturday. Kickoff is at Noon and the game will be nationally-televised on ABC. See below for the AAC’s summary of UCF’s win over ECU along with video highlights from the game.

ORLANDO, Fla. — — Mark-Antony Richards’ 1-yard touchdown smash with 23 seconds left to play helped carry UCF to a 20-16 win over East Carolina on Saturday.

Richards’ score ended an 11-play, 64-yard drive that lasted just a little more than three minutes.

Johnny Richardson paced UCF (3-2, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) on the ground with 104 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Mikey Keene threw for 194 yards for the Knights.

Holton Ahlers threw for 208 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Pirates (3-3, 1-1).

With its sixth-straight win over the Pirates, UCF leads the cumulative series 11-10.

The UCF Knights (2-0; 0-0 AAC) crushed the Wildcats of Bethune Cookman (0-2; 0-0 SWAC) 63-14 Saturday night in front of a packed Bounce House Stadium. It was a huge week for UCF, which accepted an offer to join the Big XII Conference by 2024, sealing the Knights’ future as a member of a Power 5 conference. The Knights now move on to face ACC foe Louisville (1-1; 0-0 ACC) on Friday night. That game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7:30pm. Check out a synopsis of UCF’s win against Bethune Cookman courtesy of the AAC and video highlights of the game courtesy of UCF Athletics below:

ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF improved to 2-0 on the season with a 63-14 victory over visiting Bethune-Cookman, Saturday at the Bounce House. Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

The Knights struck first with a rushing touchdown from Isaiah Bowser, his second of the season. Bethune-Cookman then countered with a score of its own to tie the game at 7-7. 

UCF took a 14-7 lead when Dillon Gabriel found Brandon Johnson in the end zone from 22 yards out. It marked the 25th straight game Gabriel has thrown a touchdown, taking sole possession of second place in the UCF record book for consecutive games with a passing touchdown.

Tatum Bethune snagged his second-career interception.

Isaiah Bowser rushed for a trio of touchdowns in the second quarter to help UCF get out to a 35-7 lead at halftime. Bowser tied the UCF record for rushing touchdowns in the game, matching Darriel Mack, Kevin Smith and Alex Haynes.

Gabriel had the longest rush of his career, running 44 yards and all the way across the field to make it 42-7 in the third quarter. The Wildcats got one score back in the third to make it 42-14.

Gabriel found Trillion Coles for a third-quarter touchdown, the first for Coles in his career, making it 49-14.

The Knights made it 56-14 when freshmen quarterback Mikey Keene hit Kaedin Robinson for a 30-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. It was Keene’s first touchdown in his first collegiate action, and Robinson’s first-career score on the first catch of his career.

Coles rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 63-14 in favor of the Knights.

The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 AAC) roared back from a 21-point deficit against the Boise State Broncos (0-1; 0-0 MWC) Thursday night (after a 3-hour weather delay) to win 36-31. The game was absolutely heart pounding; and it marked the biggest comeback win in Knights football history! Rumors of a potential B12 invite also heated up hours before the game, when ESPN began reporting that UCF, BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati were top contenders for B12 conference expansion.

This news crystallized on Friday when ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and other sports media outlets confirmed an official invite from the league could be coming by September 10th. The move to the B12 would be historic and monumental for UCF, marking its entrance into a Power 5 conference. Below, read UCF Athletics’ recap of UCF’s victory over Boise State and watch video highlights courtesy of the AAC:

The UCF football team opened the Gus Malzahn era with a 36-31 defeat of visiting Boise State, Thursday in a delayed start at the Bounce House. Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 318 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Knights won their season opener for the sixth straight year.

The 2021 season opener for the UCF football team against Boise State, scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. from the Bounce House Thursday night, kicked off at 9:45 p.m. after a lightning delay.

After stopping the Broncos on their first drive, the Knights drove the length of the field, but Boise State intercepted Dillon Gabriel and returned it for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Boise State scored again on a 3-yard rush to take a 14-0 first-quarter league.

Boise State extended its lead to 21-0 in the second quarter, but the Knights struck back with a touchdown from Gabriel to Alec Holler, the tight end’s first-career reception.

Gabriel found Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a 8-yard pass with six seconds left in the first half to make it 24-14.

Early in the third, Gabriel hit Brandon Johnson for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it just 24-21 in favor of the Broncos.

UCF took the lead, at 28-24, when Gabriel hit Jaylon Robinson for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The Knights made it 30-24 on a safety early in the fourth quarter.

Boise State retook the lead after Gabriel’s second interception led to a Bronco touchdown to make it 31-30.

The Knights took a 36-31 advantage when Isaiah Bowser rushed for a score late in the fourth quarter. UCF’s two-point conversion was no good.

Terry Mohajir, UCF Knights new Athletic Director, wasted no time in hiring a new football coach for the program after Josh Heupel left for Tennessee last month. Former Auburn Football Coach Gus Malzahn will take over the reigns of the program. Malzahn, a mega-successful Coach with a stellar career, will be paid $11.5 million over a 5-year period. Take a look at the hire analysis by CBS Sports, grading it an A+, below:

The UCF Knights (6-3; 5-3 AAC) learned today they will face the #14-ranked Cougars of Brigham Young (10-1) in the Boca Raton Bowl next Tuesday (12/22) at FAU Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. The game will be the third time the Knights have faced off with the Cougars; the series is split 1-1, with UCF claiming the last victory 31-24 in 2014.

Per UCF Athletics (John Heisler):

UCF’s trip to Boca Raton, Florida, for the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl pits the Knights against 14^th-ranked and once-beaten BYU.
 
UCF (6-3) and BYU (10-1) will square off at 7 p.m. Dec. 22 in FAU Stadium on the Florida Atlantic University campus in Boca Raton. ESPN and ESPN Radio will provide the coverage.
 
The Cougars will provide a major challenge for UCF in every phase of the game—with BYU ranking as the only team in the country to stand in the top 10 nationally in total offense (10^th at 510.1 yards per game), total defense (10^th at 308.9), scoring offense (eighth at 43.0 points per game) and scoring defense (third at 14.6). In addition, BYU boasts the top-ranked field-goal kicker in the nation (13 for 13 by sophomore placekicker Jake Oldroyd), and the Cougars rank 16^th in net punting.
 
“BYU plays complementary football, in terms of offense, defense and special teams, as well as any team in the country,” says UCF head coach Josh Heupel. “This will be a tremendous challenge for our football team—and certainly one our players are excited about.”
 
BYU finished 10-1 (7-0 at home), with its only loss at unbeaten and ninth-ranked Coastal Carolina (22-17) in a game that ended with the Cougars on the Coastal Carolina one-yard line. BYU currently ranks 14^th (AP) and 16^th (coaches poll) and the Cougars ranked 18^th last week in the CFP poll. BYU is one of only four FBS teams that have won at least 10 games so far in 2020—joining Alabama, Notre Dame and Coastal Carolina. The Cougars ranked as high as eighth in the AP poll prior to the loss to Coastal Carolina.
 
It’s the first 10-win season since 2011 for BYU against a 2020 schedule ranked 21^st-most difficult in the country by the NCAA. The Cougars are coached by Kalani Sitake, concluding his fifth year. BYU is playing in a bowl game for the 15^th time in 16 years.
 
BYU boasts one of the best defenses in the country—ranking third in scoring defense and 10^th in total defense. The Cougars held three different opponents scoreless in three of four quarters. They also complete 72 percent of their passes, score 43 points per game and average 510 total yards and 323 passing yards. Only two teams in the country—North Carolina and Alabama—have recorded more first downs in 2020 than BYU.
 
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and UCF counterpart Dillon Gabriel both have thrown 30 TD passes. Wilson ranks second nationally in TD passes and points responsible for, third in passing efficiency, fourth in completion percentage—and he’s the first BYU quarterback in 11 years to throw at least one TD pass in every game.  
 
The Cougars are led by junior signal-caller Wilson (3,274 passing yards, .731 completion percentage), junior wide receiver Dax Milne (1,099 receiving yards), redshirt sophomore running back Tyler Allgeier (957 rushing yards), redshirt senior rover Isaiah Kaufusi (184 tackles) and redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Keenan Pili (184 tackles).   
 
BYU has won at least eight games 11 times over the past 15 years (including 2020) and boasts 10 or more wins six times during that span. Competing as an independent since 2011, the Cougars have eight bowl victories over those 15 seasons. This is a preview of two upcoming regular-season games between UCF and BYU: 2023 at the Bounce House, 2024 in Provo. These two teams played twice previously–in 2011 (BYU won 24-17 in Provo) and 2014 (UCF won 31-24 in OT in Orlando).
A limited public ticket sale is expected at a later date, with pandemic protocols in place. The game has been approved for 20% stadium capacity. UCF donors and season-ticket holders already have been contacted by the UCF Ticket Office.
 
Fans unable to attend this year’s bowl game who would still like to support the UCF football program may consider making a donation to the Keep Charging On Fund. All donations are tax-deductible and accrue priority points for future post-season ticket allocation.