Central Florida cruises to win over Ga. Tech
Dillon Gabriel threw for a career-best 417 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 14 Central Florida to a 49-21 victory over host Georgia Tech in the Knights’ season opener Saturday.
After giving up a long return on the opening kickoff, UCF rebounded behind its left-handed sophomore to beat a Georgia Tech team that was looking to build on a big road win in its first game.
Tre Nixon and Marlon Williams each hauled in a pair of TD passes as Gabriel eclipsed his previous career high of 365 yards in a game last season at East Carolina. He finished 27 of 41, also eclipsing his career high for completions and matching his mark for most scoring passes in a game.
After falling behind 28-7, Georgia Tech (1-1) climbed within a touchdown on a pair of scores by freshman Jahmyr Gibbs, who also had a long kickoff return to set up the Yellow Jackets’ first TD.
But Gabriel and the Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter before a socially distanced crowd of about 11,000 at 55,000seat Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Showing off its running back depth, UCF got a rushing TD from Greg McCrae, Otis Anderson and Bentavious Thompson.
Coming off a 3-9 season in Geoff Collins coaching debut, Georgia Tech opened 2020 by rallying for a 16-13 win at Florida State.
The Yellow Jackets got off to a brilliant start against UCF. Gibbs returned the opening kickoff 75 yards, setting up freshman quarterback Jeff Sims’ 1-yard touchdown run just 55 seconds into the game.
UCF bounced right back, driving 75 yards in eight plays capped by Gabriel’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Nixon.
Georgia Tech squandered a couple of chances to reclaim control of the game, coming up with no points on two drives deep into UCF territory.
Sims fumbled the ball away at the Knights 8 and freshman Jude Kelley’s 27-yard field goal was blocked.
It was the fourth blocked kick in two games for Kelley, who had two field goals and an extra point swatted away in the victory at Florida State.
• No. 7 Notre Dame 52, South Florida 0: Ian Book ran for three first-half touchdowns and Notre Dame won its 20th straight home game. The Fighting Irish (2-0) led 35-0 at halftime and for the second year in a row posted a 52-point shutout. Book capped the opening drive with 4-yard touchdown run and freshman Chris Tyree scored from a yard out about five minutes later.
It never got better for the first-year coach Jeff Scott’s Bulls (1-1), who were a late add to Notre Dame’s schedule after the Irish joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for this off season in a pandemic.
C'Bo Flemister ran for a career-best 127 yards for Notre Dame as the Irish spread the touches around between starter Kyren Williams (62 yards on 10 carries) and Tyree (65 on eight).
• No. 11 Oklahoma State 16, Tulsa 7: Chuba Hubbard was limited to 35 yards in the first half but scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter in Oklahoma State’s victory over visiting Tulsa in the season opener for both teams.
Trailing 7-3 late in the third quarter, Oklahoma State received a big offensive spark when the Cowboys’ third quarterback, true freshman Shane Illingworth, entered the game and immediately connected on his first three passes, including the two longest plays of the day, hitting Tylan Wallace for receptions of 36 and 29 yards.
• No. 13 Cincinnati 55, Austin Peay 20: Gerrid Doaks scored four touchdowns, including a careerhigh three on the ground, and host Cincinnati opened with a victory over Austin Peay. Desmond Ridder passed for 196 yards and two TDs for Cincinnati in a game that originally was scheduled for Sept. 3. Jeremiah Otsvall passed for 202 yards for Austin Peay (0-3).
• No. 19 Lousiana-Lafayette 34, Georgia State 31 (OT): Elijah Mitchell rushed for 164 yards, including the winning touchdown in overtime, and Louisiana-Lafayette beat Georgia State. The Ragin' Cajuns (2-0,
1-0 Sun Belt Conference) were ranked for the first time since 1943 following last week’s 20-point win at Iowa State.
Louisiana-Lafayette was a 17-point favorite, but trailed 14-7 at intermission and Levi Lewis then threw an interception on the opening drive of the second half.
• Marshall 17, No. 23 Appalachian State 7: Brenden Knox rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Grant Wells came up with backto-back big plays when Marshall needed them and the Thundering Herd beat Appalachian State. Marshall (2-0) beat a ranked opponent for the first time since winning at No. 6 Kansas State in 2003. It also was the Thundering Herd’s first win over a ranked opponent at home since 1976.
• No. 25 Pittsburgh 21, Syracuse 10: Kenny Pickett threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and host Pittsburgh’s defense did the rest against Syracuse. Pitt (2-0, 1-0 ACC) limited the Orange (0-2, 0-2) to 171 total yards, 69 of them coming on backup quarterback Rex Culpepper’s second-quarter touchdown strike to a streaking Taj Harris.