ORLANDO, FL— It was the season opener for the UCF Knights as they took on the FAMU Rattlers at Spectrum Stadium, and it was an all-night-long beatdown. The Rattlers had no rhythm on offense and no sense of direction as quarterback Ryan Stanley couldn’t connect with his receivers at all. The Knights had two quarterbacks rotating under center throughout the evening, and the offensive outburst also allowed for the running backs to surpass 200 yards. It was a long night for FAMU, and they ultimately wound up getting decimated by a score of 62-0.
Brandon Wimbush started his first game for the Knights at quarterback after transferring over from Notre Dame and he did not disappoint. A five-play, 80-yard drive was capped off by a lovely 37-yard touchdown throw from Wimbush to Gabriel Davis to give the Knights the first points of the game. After punting the ball on their second drive, kicker Dylan Barnas converted a 42-yard field goal to give them a 10-0 lead on their next possession. Wimbush again led the Knights on a successful drive, this one being 12 plays for 71 yards.
True freshman Dillon Gabriel, who has been publicly supported by head coach Josh Heupel due to his impressive skill set, got the chance to come in and show the home crowd just what they might expect in the coming years. Gabriel instantly led the Knights to a scoring drive, connecting with running back Otis Anderson for a 29-yard touchdown throw. Gabriel was inserted again later in the game and found Tre Nixon for his second touchdown pass of the game as the second quarter was coming to a close.
Gabriel finished the night with three touchdown passes after finding Alex Harris with a 26-yarder for the score in the third quarter to bring the Knights up 55-0, He finished the night going 9-13 passing for 127 yards and a 227.4 rating in what was a promising outing for the young stud. Both quarterbacks fared well with Heupel’s high powered offense, although a couple of miscues were evident when throwing deep downfield.
“They played well,” Heupel said of both Wimbush and Gabriel. “There were a couple of throws Brandon and Dillon wish they could have back, but I thought they did well from snap to whistle.”
Even after putting up 62 points, head coach Josh Heupel wasn’t as thrilled as you would expect. As usual, he’s all business and ready for the next challenge.
“They should enjoy this one,” Heupel said after the game. “It’s one of 12 that they get to enjoy, so they should go enjoy it. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”
The Rattlers only had 36 yards of total offense on 55 plays, along with 11 penalties for 98 yards. Their first six drives were three and outs and they failed to get past the halfway point of the field until the second half. Ryan Stanley finished the night 7-24 with 52 yards passing, and their leading rusher only had 10 yards on one carry. David Manigo led the receiving core with two catches for 26 yards and the Rattlers go back to Tallahassee with some major work to do.
Adrian Killins led the running backs with 106 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. Greg McCrae, Bentavioius Thompson, and Otis Anderson tallied up just under 140 rushing yards as a group with McCrae also notching a touchdown of his own. Tre Nixon led the receiving group with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, but Gabriel Davis was the star of the core. With three catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns, it was the first time he scored multiple times in a game.
Next up for the Knights is Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, FL on 9/7. The FAMU Rattlers play Fort Valley State on 9/14.
Written by Ernie Casanova
