UCF beats Louisville for biggest win ever

An electrifying win by the UCF Knights stunned a Louisville home crowd that had been there to celebrate an undefeated team's homecoming. It was a Knightmare of a homecoming for the Cardinals, with UCF shocking them 38-35.

But it didn't always look like the game was headed that way. Down by 21 points in the third quarter after a botched punt turned into a fumble recovery TD for Louisville, the Knights seemed on the losing end of a blowout.

Less than 15 minutes later, UCF quarterback Blake Bortles connected in the end zone with wide receiver Jeff Godfrey in the final 30 seconds of the game to send distant fans in Orlando into a frenzy. The touchdown provided the go-ahead score in one of the biggest comebacks in UCF history, against the highest-ranked team they'd ever defeated.

It also handed the ball back to Louisville with 23 seconds left and 75 yards to go.

The Knights burned the clock on Louisville by forcing Louisville Heisman-candidate QB Teddy Bridgewater to scramble. Then on what would be the final play of the game they again had Bridgewater moving, forcing him to attempt a long Hail Mary into the end zone. As the game clock ran out, the Knights' defense slapped down the pass in the end zone to end the game with the score of 38-35 on the board.

"I'm really proud of the players," UCF Head Coach George O'Leary told ESPN after the game. "They got down 28-7 and they kept clawing away."

The Knights had scored 24 unanswered points to become the first team this season to lead Louisville at any point in a game. They erased a 28-7 deficit in a matter of minutes in the second half, scoring three touchdowns in less than the span of five minutes. The go-ahead score that ended the Cardinals run as the final FBS team to not trail in any game this season came off kicker Shawn Moffitt's foot to put the Knights up 31-28.

The Cardinals struck back after that kick, marching down the field for a quick TD to regain the lead with only three minutes left and hand the ball back to the Knights. In the game-winning drive, Bortles would pass for 75 yards in 11 plays to run out most of the clock and take the score that would put the Knights on top for good.

The comeback was a tie for the biggest deficit the Knights have ever overcome to win. UCF hadn't engineered a comeback that big since Illinois State in 1984.

"It feels really good to come out with a win," Godfrey told ESPN after the game.

The win was sweet revenge for the team after losing key receiver J.J. Worton on the first drive of the game after a vicious helmet to helmet tackle that drew no penalties for the Louisville defense, but stunned Worton so badly he never returned to the field. Defensive end Deion Green also left the game with a leg injury.

The team had entered the game as predicted 13-point underdogs. They left with a shocker win, engineered by 250 yards passing by quarterback Blake Bortles and career performances by running backs Storm Johnson and William Stanback, plus key defensive play by a slew of tackles. Defensive back Sean Maag was responsible for some game-saving tackles en route to 10 total for the night. Crucial receptions by receivers Josh Reese and Godfrey would punctuate the game-winning drive.

It had been 28 years since the UCF Knights faced Louisville on the gridiron. Back then the Knights were NCAA Division II facing their first FBS opponent in program history. It wasn’t pretty: a 42-21 loss for the Knights. The Knights (5-1, 2-0) erased that memory in one killer blow to the formerly undefeated Cardinals, now 6-1 and with a loss in the American Athletic Conference.

For Louisville, talk of a run toward the BCS national championship may have ended. For the Knights, talk of an appearance in the NCAA Top 25 was already buzzing on TV before the Knights had won the game. The Knights had consistently earned votes good enough to be honorable mentions in the AP and College Coaches' polls so far. Those new numbers will be released Sunday.