UCF runs away from Temple in second half of blowout
PHILADELPHIA >> Otis Anderson rushed for a career-high 205 yards, Bentavious Thompson scored two of Central Florida’s five rushing touchdowns and the Knights ran away from Temple in the second half of a 63-21 victory on Saturday night.
The Knights (6-2, 3-1 American Conference) scored 35 points in a 21-minute span of the second half. The first three touchdowns were a 73-yard pass, 34-yard run and 37-yard run.
Not to be outdone by his teammates, Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes for UCF. He completed 10 of 21 attempts for 218 yards. His big throw was the 73-yard catch-and-run that went to Marlon Williams.
The Knights rushed for 385 yards and passed for 229, a total of 614 yards.
Temple (5-3, 2-2) scored two touchdowns in the latter part of the second quarter. Anthony Russo’s second TD pass of the half was a 75-yarder to Branden Mack and Jager Gardner ran 1 yard for a score with 20 seconds remaining to make it 28-21 at halftime.
Russo completed 12 of 24 passes for 199 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Temple had 40 rushes netting only 45 yards.
The Knights, seeking their third consecutive conference championship, have won 31 of their past 34 games. They trail first-place Cincinnati (6-1, 3-0) by half a game in the East Division.
YALE 46, PENN 41 >> Kurt Rawlings accounted for four touchdowns, Zane Dudek rushed for three scores and Yale (5-1, 2-1 Ivy League) outlasted Pennsylvania (2-4, 0-3).
The senior Rawlings became Yale’s alltime career leader in touchdown completions when he threw a 33-yard score to Reed Kublink to break a 13-all tie with two seconds left before halftime.
Nick Robinson led a 12-play, 82-yard drive to start the third, and Penn tied it at 20 when he found Rory Starkey Jr. on a 7-yard pass. Dudek later scored on a 2-yard run and the failed 2-point conversion left the score 2620. Abe Willows scored before the end of the quarter to give the Quakers their only lead of the game, 27-26.
Yale scored twice in a three-minute span to start the fourth and held off Penn from there.
Robinson’s 20-yard scoring pass to Willows narrowed Penn’s deficit to 46-41 with 59 seconds to play, but Yale recovered the onside kick and ended the game.
Rawlings threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two scores. He ran for 67 yards on seven attempts. Dudek had 22 carries for 97 yards.
Robinson threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Karekin Brooks had 72 yards rushing on 20 carries and a touchdown and Willows had two rushing touchdowns. Ryan Cragun caught 13 passes for 208 yards.