UCF drops Marshall in Gasparilla Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. – Richie Grant and Tre’mon Morris-Brash had first-quarter defensive touchdowns, Dillon Gabriel lead three third-quarter scoring drives and Central Florida beat Marshall 4825 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Monday.
Grant had a 39-yard interception return on Marshall’s third play from scrimmage 56 seconds into the game and Morris-Brash recovered a fumble and ran it 55 yards for a score that helped UCF go up 21-0 with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Gabriel threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Otis Anderson, connected on a 75-yard score with Marlon Williams, and added a 3-yard TD run as UCF went ahead 45-22 with 6:39 remaining in the third.
Gabriel completed 14 of 24 passes for 260 yards as the Knights (10-3) reached 10 or more wins in a school-record third consecutive season. Williams caught seven passes for 132 yards and Greg McCrae had 80 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Isaiah Green went 9 of 23 for 173 yards with a TD and had a rushing touchdown for Marshall (8-5). Brenden Knox, the Conference USA MVP, had 103 yards on 26 carries.
Green had a 3-yard rushing touchdown and hit Willie Johnson on a 70yard TD pass, and Justin Rohrwasser made a 50-yard field goal during the third quarter.
Marshall got within 21-7 with 12:28 to go in the second when Micah Abraham picked off backup quarterback Darriel Mack Jr.’s pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.
Abraham’s father, Donnie, played his home games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-01) at Raymond
James Stadium, the site of the Gasparilla Bowl.
McCrae had a 26-yard touchdown run early in the first and Dylan Barnas made a 36-yard field goal as time expired as UCF took a 24-7 halftime advantage.
The takeaway
UCF: Had no letdown after playing in New Year’s Day bowl games the previous two seasons, beating Auburn two years ago in the Peach Bowl and losing to LSU in the last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Marshall: It was the first bowl loss for the Thundering Herd under coach Doc Holliday, who entered 6-0 in bowls at the school.
Knox, a sophomore, had his seventh 100-yard rushing performance this season.