Temple started the game early with a 39-yard field goal attempt that was missed by kicker Aaron Boumerhi. Later in the first quarter, Boumerhi made his second field goal attempt, giving Temple a 3-0 lead. UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton scored on a four-yard rushing touchdown minutes within Temple’s field goal, giving the Knights a 7-3 lead.
The second quarter started off rapidly with the Owls wide receiver Keith Kirkwood catching an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Frank Nutile. UCF, made sure that the Owls would not be in the lead for long, as wide receiver Dredrick Nelson scored a two-yard rushing touchdown.
On the very next offensive possession from Temple, UCF linebacker Pat Jasinski intercepted Nutile and the UCF defense continue to put pressure on the Owls offense. Following the interception, UCF got back on the board quickly when Milton completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to running back Otis Anderson, bringing the score to 21-10. UCF dominated the entire second quarter and by halftime they led by a score of 31-10.
UCF started the second half strong on their second possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Milton to wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, giving them a 38-13 lead against the Owls. The UCF defense also played well, forcing five turnovers in the game. It was clear that the Knights came to finish business and they weren’t leaving the field until it was finished. This game felt like it was over well before the fourth quarter had even started.
During the press conference, UCF head coach Scott Frost, addressed the weather and how coming into this game was important.
“Just proud of our guys, said Frost. “I was a little bit worried about this game being the game before the game and being in the cold. It being our 9th straight week playing a game. A lot of factors.” Frost also spoke about what it means to be 10-0.
“We talked about it last night and we usually don’t talk about big picture things like that but we talked about how hard it is to get to 10-0. Not very many people do it and just a handful of teams maybe every year out of 129 teams in the country that ever have a chance to do it. “
As the Knights leave Philadelphia, they will return home for their game against the USF Bulls. USF is 6-1 in the American Athletic Conference play and is ranked second in the conference. USF will need more then just a game plan if they want to defeat the Knights, because UCF is one of the best teams in the state of Florida and is a formidable opponent.
