UCF coach Gus Malzahn received two celebratory Gatorade baths following the Knights’ 29-17 win over the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night.
“Some wins are worth two,” Malzahn said with a smile on his face. “And I think that was worth two, especially with the way that the season went. Our guys showed unbelievable resiliency, toughness and character.”
UCF receiver Ryan O’Keefe did just about everything in leading the Knights to their first win over the Gators.
The junior from Texas finished with a bowl-record 251 all-purpose yards, catching a 54-yard touchdown that put the Knights in control with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
“I don’t know how times he touched the ball, but our goal was for him to touch the ball 15 times,” Malzahn said. “He’s one of the best playmakers in college football and he proved that tonight on this stage.”
O’Keefe ended with 110 rushing yards on just 4 carries, 7 catches for 85 yards, and 2 kickoff returns totaling 56 yards. True freshman quarterback Mikey Keene finished 14 of 22 with 144 yards and the 1 touchdown pass to O’Keefe.
O’Keefe believes the win over the Gators — who beat FSU, FAU and USF this season — makes UCF the top team in the Sunshine State.
“We [are] the best team in the state of Florida, 100 percent,” O’Keefe said. “We always thought that but now we finally got to prove that.”
Florida quarterback Emory Jones — who struggled with accuracy all season, which led to him losing the starting job — was off again. He completed just 14 of 36 passes for 171 yards. He was forced to scramble for 62 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Anthony Richardson had seized the quarterback role but missed the game because of knee surgery.
While the Knights struggled on third down, converting just 5 of 16, UCF’s defense limited the Gators to just 2 of 13 on the critical down. When needed most, the Knights found ways to get off the field, forcing 5 three-and-outs and a failed fourth-down try.
Malik Davis and Dameon Pierce found the end zone to help the Gators rush for 205 yards on 30 carries.
“[Florida] can run the football,” Malzahn said. “For us to play defense [as] we did to hold them to 17 points — the best is yet to come.”
UCF kicker Daniel Obarski nailed field goals from 33, 21 and 34 yards. The second one gave the Knights a 19-17 lead with 3:04 left in the third quarter, and they’d never trail again.
Isaiah Bowser had scored his second touchdown early in the third, but the Gators responded with a touchdown a few minutes later as Davis ran up the middle from 19 yards out.
Gators QB Emory Jones (5) splits UCF Knights defensive lineman Landon Woodson (13) and defensive back Corey Thornton (14) as he runs the ball upfield. He finished with 62 rushing yards.
Gators QB Emory Jones (5) splits UCF Knights defensive lineman Landon Woodson (13) and defensive back Corey Thornton (14) as he runs the ball upfield. He finished with 62 rushing yards. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
The Knights needed only one play on their next scoring drive as O’Keefe broke free for a 54-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 26-17 entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams struggled on offense to open, but the Gators struck first as Pierce ran in from 2 yards out with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
The Knights responded quickly with a 3-yard rushing touchdown from Bowser, who has been plagued by injuries all season. The score was Bowser’s first touchdown since Oct. 30. He finished with 155 yards on 35 carries.
“I felt like I was back healthy,” said Bowser, who missed five games this season due to injuries. “It felt great to get back out there and get the win.”
Florida’s Chris Howard missed a 51-yard field goal, and that led to UCF taking a first-half lead on Obarski’s 34-yard field goal at 9-7.
Howard made a 26-yard kick with 1:36 left in the first half to give Florida a 10-9 lead at halftime.
The lead changed four times until the third quarter when the Knights (9-4) went on their spurt and the Gators (6-7) had no response.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
