Knights Win Thriller Over Bearcats
Behind a last-minute touchdown by RJ Harvey, the UCF Knights pulled off a 25-21 upset over the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday.
The running back scored on a 17-yard run with 48 seconds left in play. The Orlando native said he had many family and friends in the stands for the homecoming matchup, which made the game even more special.
“It was a great feeling,” Harvey said about scoring the game-winning touchdown. “I was just happy for me and my teammates. Great win for all of them.”
UCF’s defense then made a big statement play by forcing a fumble inside Cincinnati’s own 20-yard line. Without timeouts remaining, the Bearcats ended up having a fourth-and-30 that ultimately became a turnover on downs and giving UCF the upset victory.
“Sometimes is how you win the game,” head coach Gus Malzahn said in a postgame press conference. “We're developing our program, we’re developing our mentality, our mindset.
“Man, our guys are really starting to come together.”
UCF’s first quarter was very promising. The Knights had 120 rushing yards against just seven from the Bearcats. The total offense advantage was 181-30 in favor of UCF. The score was 10-0 for the Knights after a Colton Boomer’s field goal and Harvey’s 26-yard run.
Keene showed he can deliver strikes when the game is on the line.
Kareem Elgazzar/The Cincinnati Enquirer Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
Unfortunately for the Knights, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee’s day was cut short with about seven minutes left in the first half. He finished the game 7-for-11 for 71 yards, plus 26 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene made his season debut on Saturday, going 15-for-21 for 176 yards.
“He’s just got that winner in him,” Malzahn said about Keene after the game.
Keene said the whole experience was “surreal” due to the circumstances. He also said he has always held himself as a winner, which gave him the conference to step up for the team.
“I told [Malzahn] that I got him. I told the team that I got them,” Keene said. “‘Let’s just play our game. Not everything is gonna be perfect, but we’re gonna prevail and win this game.’”
Harvey said he was not surprised by how Keene performed due what the quarterback is showing even without game action prior to Saturday.
But the game was not perfect. The Bearcats forced a major turnover in the end zone with running back Isaiah Bowser fumbling the ball. It was the first out of two fumbles by the Knights.
However, UCF quickly recovered with a sack in the end zone, resulting in a safety, extending the lead to 12-6 before Cincinnati scored a touchdown just before the end of the third quarter.
The final minutes of the contest was a back-and-forth battle between the Knights and Bearcats. With 4:36 remaining in the game, UCF took back the lead with a 3-yard touchdown by Bowser, his 11th of the season.
The Bearcats quickly responded with a 39-yard run by Ryan Montgomery. Prior to that score, Cincinnati had 16 rushing yards in the game.
Combining the forced safety, Harvey’s touchdown and last-minute forced fumble, defensive end Josh Celiscar said those plays are what motivate the team after facing adversity recently.
“I feel like we got momentum going,” Celiscar said. “Going into the future we’re just ready to play every team.”
The junior defender also said the victory is what the team needed as motivation to win the American Athletic Conference.
UCF will now travel to face the Memphis Tigers on Nov. 5. The Knights are now tied with Cincinnati for second in the AAC,, with a game versus the 7-1 Tulane Green Wave later this season.
“We’re a good football team,” Malzahn said. “A win like this, how you win, will help us move forward.”
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