Plumlee Ties Culpepper’s Record, Knights Dominate Owls 70-13
UCF Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee completed 18 of his 22 pass attempts for 373 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished the game with 37 yards on seven carries and three scores.
His seven total touchdowns broke UCF’s single-game record against FBS teams. Plumlee tied Darin Slack (1987) and Daunte Culpepper (1998) who achieved the same feat against lower-division schools.
“First ‘Space Game’ was a success,” Plumlee said after the game. “Mission complete, Knights win.”
Wide receivers Ryan O’Keefe and Kobe Hudson were Plumlee’s primary targets on the night. The senior caught all seven of his targets for 111 yards. His highlight came in the third quarter on a 68-yard touchdown.
Hudson also had his moments. The wideout scored his first touchdown as a Knight on a 25-yard catch. He later followed with a score from a 64-yard post as well.
This marked the second game in a row with two receivers with at least 100 receiving yards. Against SMU last week, O’Keefe and Javon Baker hit those numbers.
“I feel like we could have just been doing this all year,” O’Keefe said after the game. “We just had to come together as a team.”
While Plumlee’s passing was elite, UCF’s run game also deserves some praise.
Running back RJ Harvey had his highlight of the contest with a 61-yard run that set up for one of the Knights’ touchdowns.
Fellow running back Isaiah Bowser entered the night placing seventh in the nation with eight rushing touchdowns on the season, the best mark in the American Athletic Conference. The UCF captain recorded five carries for 25 yards and a score on Thursday.
“Real pleased with our team,” head coach Gus Malzahn said during the postgame press conference. “I think we played our best football game tonight.”
True freshman quarterback Thomas Castellanos also got his name in the record books with his first collegiate touchdown on a 37-yard run. He led the team with 88 rushing yards from just three carries.
“He’s a real quarterback,” Malzahn said.. “I just think he needs some experience, and I think everybody can see what he can do.”
After some hiccups on offense earlier this season, UCF’s offense seems to have found its groove with the dual-threat quarterback. With Plumlee’s fourth 300-yard passing game plus his elite run game, the Knights will prepare for the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday, Oct. 22 with a real shot of competing for the AAC title.
“We are at the halfway point now,” Malzahn said. “We need to continue to put the hammer down and keep going.”
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