Unbeaten UCF routs Temple in advance of USF showdown

There were so many reasons for Central Florida coach Scott Frost to worry about his team’s focus this week.

With a huge game looming, playing an improving Temple team in a stadium where the empty seats outnumbered the filled ones by about a 3-1 ratio on a chilly, gray day had all the makings of a tricky spot for the Knights.

Then Frost saw his wide receivers and defensive backs warming up at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with their shirts off in the 40-degree temperatures.

“I knew right then our team’s mindset was in the right place,” Frost said.

McKenzie Milton threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score as No. 15 UCF comfortably took care of business against Temple, winning 45-19 Saturday to stay unbeaten heading into a division title showdown with rival USF.

The Knights (10-0, 7-0 American) turned three Temple turnovers inside the Owls’ 25 into 17 first-half points, taking a 31-10 lead when Gabriel Davis stretched across the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown reception with 2:36 left in the second quarter.

The AAC East Division will be decided in Orlando on Friday, when USF (9-1, 6-1) visits UCF. Temple (5-6, 3-4) could have been easy to overlook for the Knights. The game had no bearing on whether they play for a conference title, and a loss probably wouldn’t have damaged their chances to receive a bid to a New Year’s Six bowl.

With speculation swirling about where second-year coach Frost might be coaching next and so much chatter about whether UCF is getting enough love in the rankings, the Knights stayed on task.

“I was a little worried about this game, being the game before the game,” Frost said. “Being in the cold, being our ninth straight week playing a football game. A lot of factors pointed toward this one potentially being a tough one, and our guys responded.”

Shaquem Griffin, the 2016 AAC defensive player of the year whose left hand was amputated when he was 4, was all over the field for the UCF defense. He forced a fumble in the first half that set up a score and made his second career interception in the second half, running step-for-step downfield with a receiver and cradling the ball into his chest.

Bethune-Cookman 29, Florida A&M 24: The Wildcats (7-4, 6-2 MEAC) ran for three fourth-quarter touchdowns as they rallied past the Rattlers in Daytona Beach.

Bethune-Cookman trailed 24-10 just six seconds into the fourth quarter after FAMU’s Devin Bowers ran for a touchdown.

But the Wildcats mounted the comeback when former Village Academy star Larry Brihm Jr. directed a nine-play, 52-yard drive that ended with his 5-yard TD run to cut the deficit to 24-17 with 11:27 left to play.

After the Rattlers turned the ball over on downs at their own 32-yard line, Bethune-Cookman used five plays to get in the end zone on a 4-yard run by Michael Jones. Uriel Hernandez had his extra-point attempt blocked, leaving the Wildcats trailing 24-23.

After forcing a three-andout, Bethune-Cookman took over at its 22-yard line with 5:44 left to play. Brihm Jr. capped a 13-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Brihm finished with 280 yards passing and a score for the Wildcats.

Ryan Stanley passed for 236 yards with a TD and an interception for FAMU.