South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Knights win ‘War on I-4’
Gabriel, McCrae spark potent attack to defeat Bulls
In the moments following UCF’s 58-46 win over rival USF on Friday night, Knights players and coaches gathered midfield at Raymond James Stadium to pose for a celebratory photo with the War on I-4 trophy.
There were smiles abounding as the team knew the trophy would spend another year in the UCF football facilities.
It was a hard-fought game typical of the challenges that faced the Knights throughout much of the regular season.
UCF (6-3, 5-3 AAC) scored 28 consecutive points on its way to another double-digit halftime lead, but the defense couldn’t close out the game, allowing USF 32 secondhalf points. But unlike their games against Tulsa, Memphis or Cincinnati, the Knights found a way to finish.
“I thought our kids competed extremely hard,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said. “We were not perfect throwing and catching it either. We can be a lot better and be more efficient, but at the same time we did create some big plays.”
UCF managed 577 yards against USF, with quarterback Dillon Gabriel passing for 336 yards and four touchdowns. He also added a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
USF quarterback Jordan McCloud delivered a career-best performance with 404 passing yards and five total touchdowns as the Bulls managed 646 yards against the Knights defense.
“I thought they won some one-on-one matchups out on the perimeter against some of the corners,” Heupel said. “The run game got going too. Some things we can be better at.”
UCF was up 45-28 entering the fourth quarter, but USF scored 10 points to cut the lead to 45-38 with 10 minutes, 10 seconds left. The Knights answered with backto-back touchdown drives to put the game out of reach.
“Throughout the course of the evening, when adversity stuck and they made a play, we were able to respond back in all three phases of the game,” Heupel said.
UCF running back Greg McCrae, who led the team with 130 yards rushing and a touchdown, said the Knights remained focused amid the adversity.
“We stayed calm and we knew what we had to do,” McCrae said. “There was no overthinking it or making it harder than it was.”
The victory capped a regular season unlike any other, played in the shadow of the coronavirus and creating a ripple effect throughout the UCF program.
Ten players opted out before the start of the season due to concerns about COVID-19 safety. Those who played through the season went through testing multiple times a week and prevention measures as part of safety protocols. Four starters were kicked off the team midway through the season for an off-field incident that led to the arrest of a player.
There were 15 first-time starters this season, including 10 on defense.
“It was definitely a weird year,” said fifth-year senior receiver Jacob Harris, who had career highs in yards (110) and touchdowns (three) against the Bulls.
“Trying to deal with everything that’s going on with COVID and we had to work around the stuff that we wouldn’t normally have to do.”
Even Friday, UCF faced adversity. The Knights were forced to play without a pair of starters on offense as leading receiver Marlon Williams and leading rusher Otis Anderson didn’t make the trip to Tampa.