After a lackluster first half that left the Knights facing a 14-point deficit, the UCF Knights’ defense kept the Oklahoma State Cowboys scoreless after halftime for a narrow 17-14 victory on Senior Knight.
UCF rallied behind a stingy defense and opportunistic offense, and Noe Ruelas gave the Knights the lead with a 34-yard field goal with just 57 seconds to go. An interception by Braeden Marshall sealed it in the final minute.
After the game, head coach Scott Frost addressed the media:
Special Teams: B
Noe Ruelas’s
game-winning field goal is the most influential play special teams was responsible for. While Ruelas didn’t produce a game like the ones that got him nominated for the Lou Groza Award, he answered when his number was called on.
Punt returner Antoine Jackson mustered a couple of solid returns to set the Knights up around midfield, but the offense was unable to capitalize on the field position.
Punter Anthony Verrini pinned Oklahoma State inside the 20 3 times, while also putting one through the end zone for a touchback. The amount of punts inside the 20 is telling of the offense’s struggles, but nonetheless a solid day for Verrini.
Defense: B+
UCF’s defense was the main reason the Knights secured a victory to keep bowl eligibility hopes alive.
Oklahoma State scored on the opening 13-play drive but would be held in check for the most part after that.
UCF stuffed the Cowboys on a fourth and short in the first quarter thanks to DB Phillip Dunnam, which limited the deficit UCF faced to 14 after two quarters.
LB Cole Kozlowski said the defense limited Oklahoma State in the second half by limiting yards gained on first down.
The Knights pitched a shutout and did not allow a third-down conversion in the second half, giving the offense all the opportunities they needed to win the game
With a three-point lead, under a minute to go, and no timeouts left for Oklahoma State, UCF’s defense came up big, and defensive back Braeden Marshall sealed the game with an interception.
Offense: C-
With just three scoring drives, it’s hard to give the offense a standout grade; however, they scored enough to get the job done, hence the “C’s get degrees” passing grade.
Quarterback Tayven Jackson threw two interceptions in the first half, resulting in two scoreless quarters for the Knights.
The offense got the spark it needed in the second half from TE Dylan Wade on the first play out of the locker room. Wade caught a deep sideline pass from Jackson and took it 83 yards to the house.
Wade continued to lead the offense in the second half by setting up the Knights on their final drive of the game, taking a 50-yard reception into Cowboy territory. The majority of Wade’s 145 yards came off those two plays to go along with two touchdowns.
The first-half struggles and continuation of pre-snap penalties hurt the offense’s grade that was saved by explosive plays courtesy of Dylan Wade and Tayven Jackson.
Fans: A+
The shirtless section trend has officially reached UCF:
Ironically enough, at Oklahoma State earlier this season, a fan removed his shirt and waved it around, inviting others around him to join. We’ve seen the trend spread to college football stadiums across the country, making its way to the Acrisure Bounce House this week.
The removal of clothing began at halftime, which is when the Knights turned it around on both sides of the ball.
Coincidence? I think not.
