Temple: 13 at UCF: 70
Coming off a statement win, the Knights wanted to pick up where they left off against SMU. Due to John Rhys Plumlee’s mobility, UCF easily manipulated Temple’s defense as the quarterback scrambled for nine yards and the touchdown to give the Knights an early lead.
After the Owls responded with a touchdown drive of their own, RJ Harvey broke off a 61-yard run to put the Knights on the 1-yard line. Plumlee would fake a handoff and run it in for six just a play later, scoring his second rushing touchdown of the first quarter. Temple responded with a field goal but could not stop the UCF offense. The Oklahoma transfer led the Knights on a 6-play, 46-yard drive, which resulted in a 1-yard Isaiah Bowser touchdown. Plumlee found Kobe Hudson deep on the ensuing drive for the quarterback’s third score of the night.
The Knights scored a whopping 35 points in the first half, leading by 22 as they headed into the locker room. While the game was over in the middle of the third quarter, the big plays continued. The dual sport athlete found Ryan O’Keefe deep to extend UCF’s lead to 36.
The Knights added another 21 points after O’Keefe displayed his playmaking ability and held Temple scoreless in the second half. Plumlee had a career day, finishing with 373 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and three more rushing touchdowns. With two consecutive weeks of dominant wins, UCF and Gus Malzhan gained national recognition after receiving votes in the latest AP poll.
Up Next for UCF: at East Carolina
Arkansas: 52 at BYU: 35
The first-ever matchup between these two teams seemed to be a must-win for both universities. Coming off a tough loss to Notre Dame and dropping out of the top 25, BYU needed to rebound against an Arkansas team that has gone through a similar experience in the past couple of weeks. The home-field advantage seemed to help BYU early on as they forced and recovered a fumble. Jaren Hall capitalized on the turnover, finding Issac Rex for the game’s opening touchdown. However, it did not take long for the Razorbacks to get acclimated to the hostile environment. Raheim Sanders answered BYU’s touchdown on a 15-yard score of his own. But, the play of the first quarter came when Hall found Kody Epps in the flat and maneuvered through three Arkansas defenders to cross the goal line.
Although BYU found the endzone again in the second quarter, their defense allowed 24-points in the same time frame. However, the clear highlight from the second quarter came when KJ Jefferson evaded three tacklers and completed a pass to Trey Knox just before halftime.
Arkansas momentum carried into the third quarter as Jefferson found Matt Landers deep for a 39-yard touchdown.
On the ensuing BYU drive, Hall found Puka Nacua for a 33-yard touchdown on his third score pass of the game. The Razorbacks closed their trip to Provo with a 64-yard run by Sanders.
The BYU defense did not have an answer for KJ Jefferson, as he threw five touchdowns on the day. After two consecutive losses to highly recognizable programs, the Cougars will look to get back to their winning way Saturday against Liberty.
Up Next for BYU: at Liberty
