Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Knights set school record during rout of Governors
UCF receiver Dredrick Snelson emerged as a hero of sorts after an early scare by Austin Peay.
Sandwiched between two defenders in the end zone, Snelson pulled down a 27-yard touchdown reception while landing on one foot to stay inbounds. His catch gave the Knights some much needed momentum heading into halftime. UCF used the boost to power through a 73-33 victory over the Governors Saturday night at Spectrum Stadium.
UCF’s 73 points scored set a new program record. Before Saturday, the Knights’ highest point total was 71 against GardnerWebb on Sept. 5, 1992.
It was hard to imagine the No. 18 undefeated Knights would need any heroics against the Governors, who entered the 2017 season on a 27-game losing streak.
But few could have foreseen the kind of first half UCF survived. The Knights collected two unsportsmanlike penalties — one against head coach Scott Frost. Starting safety Kyle Gibson was ejected from the game for a targeting violation – which triggered Frost’s outburst. There was a brief injury scare to defensive back and special teams extraordinaire Mike Hughes, who scored a 91-yard kickoff return touchdown. And there were an array of tackling miscues that allowed Austin Peay to keep up a frenetic scoring pace with UCF’s No. 1 scoring offense.
The Knights led Austin Peay 45-26 at halftime, but the score was still too close for comfort. The Governors only trailed the Knights 248-218 in total yards.
All week, players said they wouldn’t overlook the Governors, who are looking to make their first FCS playoff appearance in school history. Austin Peay previously stole a win in Orlando, upsetting the Knights during homecoming week in 1984. Of course, no one on the current roster was even alive at the time.
However, numerous Knights do remember what happened when they overlooked an FCS foe in 2015. Furman shocked UCF with a 16-15 victory at Spectrum Stadium.
Ultimately, the Knights’ high-scoring offense slammed the door shut on any chance of an Austin Peay upset.
McKenzie Milton and Snelson connected again on a 42-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter to respond to Austin Peay’s second consecutive touchdown scored off of a defensive deflection.
Overall, Milton led the Knights with another impressive showing, connecting on 24 of 26 passes for 275 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. With a comfortable 59-33 lead, coaches were able to retire Milton late in the third quarter in favor of backup quarterback Noah Vedral.
Despite all the early problems, UCF still managed to make history by scoring more than 50 points during four games this season. The team’s previous scoring high was 63 points against East Carolina two weeks ago.
Even senior linebacker Shaquem Griffin was able to get in on the action, scoring his first career touchdown before halftime by running back a 20 yard fumble recovery. Fellow linebacker Pat Jasinski forced the fumble.
Austin Peay receiver Kyran Moore finished the game with 346 all-purpose yards.
UCF saw the return of highly touted defensive back Nevelle Clarke. He served a mandatory sixgame suspension for violating the NCAA’s drug policy.
The Knights will look to carry the momentum from Saturday’s scoring surge on the road against SMU next week. And with USF’s loss to Houston on Saturday, the Knights are looking to make a strong push for the American Athletic Conference title.