ORLANDO, Fla. — Malik Cunningham’s 195 passing yards and 121 yards on the ground lead the Cardinals to win over UCF at the Bounce House 20-14.
Louisville won the toss and elected to receive to start the game. Their opening drive started at the 25, and they immediately got to work with Malik Cunningham connecting with Dee Wiggins for a 23-yard gainer.
They would convert back-to-back 3rd down plays midway through the drive. Capping the 10-play 75-yard drive, was Tiyon Evans, taking it in up the gut for seven yards.
UCF would get their shot on offense after Ryan O’Keefe bobbled the return twice but eventually corralled it and took it out to the 20. Then it was running back Isaiah Bowser starting and finishing the drive for the Knights. His two-yard rush into the endzone was one of four carries, accounting for 17 of the 80-yards on the drive.
On the ensuing possession for Louisville, the Knights defense would stiffen up, forcing a quick three-and-out.
Knights missed an opportunity on a 3rd down, and seven up the middle left side, miscommunication on the route between QB John Rhys Plumlee and wideout Kenmore Gamble. Plumlee thought Gamble was going to break outside, and he broke inside. Had the pass been online, it could have gone the distance.
The Cardinals would make their way into the redzone on the following drive. However, a false start on 3rd and 8 would push the Cards out to the 23. This blunted the momentum, and Cunningham was sacked. This forced a 40-yard attempt from kicker James Turner, which sailed just wide right.
The Knights were quick to make amends for their previous drives’ mistake. Plumlee would lead the charge, taking UCF into the RedZone, setting up what would be a two-yard touchdown run for Bowser off a direct snap. This made it 14-7 for the black and gold with 11:31 left in the 1st half.
UCF’s ensuing possession would stall out and they would have to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Daniel Oberski, who would miss wide right. This gave the Cards the ball with 4:14 left in the half and a chance to draw closer or tie things up.
However, on 4th and five from their own 49-yard line, Louisville would fail to convert and give the Knights the ball and 2:24 left to play. The drive would see UCF in an early 3rd and six from the Cards 45, and they would not convert, giving U of L possession 55 seconds to make something happen on their own two.
However, nothing would transpire and we went into the half with the Knights on top 14-7.
The Knights would get the first crack at it on offense in the 2nd half, starting from their 25-yard line. However, the Cards’ defense forced a second consecutive three-and-out.
Louisville got their first drive of the 2nd half started at their own 34-yard line. However, the Knights defense returned the favor, forcing a three-and-out of their own. The slow start to the 2nd half continued with UCF’s second possession fizzling after a lone first down.
The Cards’ 2nd possession had a few more fireworks. They were given a quick first down on the 2nd play after a roughing the passer penalty. However, a holding call would bring them immediately back, for a 1st and 20 at their own 41. Shortly thereafter, Cunningham Connected with Tyler Hudson for 37 yards down to the Knights 15 yard line.
Though the drive would stall there, the Cardinals would tack on a 35-yard field goal to make it 14-10 in favor of the Knights.
UCF’s woes on offense would continue, being swept off the field quickly on a three and out. It would then take the Cards just three plays to find their way into the endzone, as Cunningham showed off his wheels on the way t a 43-yard TD scamper. This made it 17-14 Cardinals.
The Knights continued to struggle to get anything going on the 2nd half. On 3rd and 12 from their own 23-yard line, Plumlee took it himself and was only able to gain 4 yards before face planting. UCF would have to punt it away, and the Cardinals started at their own 45 to start the 4th quarter.
Things went from bad to worse for UCF as Ricky Barber picked up a 15-yard facemask penalty on the first play. This made it 1st and 10 from the Knight’s 39-yard line.
The Cardinals would then work off some clock while converting on a 3rd and five from the 34. In total, they would eat five minutes and 15 seconds off the clock before settling for a 35-yard field goal from Turner to extend their lead to six.
Plumlee continued to lack connection with his receivers, with back-to-back incompletions to end the drive, including one that was three-to-five yards out of his receivers’ reach on 3rd down.
Louisville would then go for it on their next possession on a 4th and four from the 26-yard line, of which they were unable to convert. Thus giving the Knights the ball with 1:41 left to play and possession at their own 43-yard line.
After a quick 15-yard connection with Plumlee to Javon Baker, it was all goose eggs from the Knights QB. Four straight incompletions to end a lackluster performance for the transfer, and finalize the 20-14 final.
“You’ve got to understand he hasn’t played quarterback in two years, and they threw some different looks at us,” said UCF head coach Gus Malzahn after the game on Plumlee’s performance.
Plumlee ended the game 16 of 34, passing for just 131 yards and having one interception. On the ground, he added 83 yards on 17 carries. His counterpart didn’t fare much better, with Cunningham connecting on 14 of 29 for 195 yards. However, he did not have a turnover, and that may have been the difference.
The dream of an undefeated season is no longer there in Orlando. However, they still have much to look ahead to this season, as well as their move to the Big 12 in 2023. For now, they will shift focus to FAU, where they will take travel for their first road trip of the season. Following this will be another tilt with an ACC opponent, this time welcoming Georgia Tech to the Bounce House.
For the Cardinals, it’s a nice bounce back after a tough opening week loss to Syracuse. The Cards will now head back home for their first home game of the season as they welcome 2-0 Florida State to The Ville on the 16th.
Written by Adrian Beecher
