UCF Knights dominate C-USA

Three hundred and ninety-six yards after kickoff, the Knights had one of their most prolific offensive games of the season behind them. In a 42-17 trouncing of SMU, the Knights fired on all cylinders, on the ground and in the air.

Now cruising on a 5-0 run in Conference USA, the Knights will hit the road for the longest road trip they’ll take, all the way to El Paso for a Saturday showdown. The Miners (2-7, 1-4) have struggled all season, scoring less than two touchdowns in four of their games. And only twice have they held an opponent to less than four touchdowns.

That’s good news for the Knights, who have dominated offensively and defensively in the last few games, winning their last three by an average spread of 27 points.

Much of the Knights’ massive yardage as of late has come courtesy of running back Latavius Murray, who’s having a banner year as a senior. He’s carried the ball more than 150 yards in three straight games, helping energize the UCF run game.

That’s just what he did in the Knights’ homecoming rout of SMU, taking the ball 23 times and racing for 155 total yards, an average of 6.7 per carry. He also was quarterback Blake Bortles’ favorite target of the night, grabbing two passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.

The Knights also confused the Mustangs with a three-quarterback rotation in the game, with backups Jeff Godfrey and Rob Calabrese throwing a pass each for 28 and 17 yards respectively. Godfrey’s third-quarter pass to Murray was his first touchdown pass since he was starting quarterback last season. Godfrey, who has been converted to wide receiver for this season, also had two catches in the game.

UCF will be looking to keep up their momentum heading into the final three games of the season, all of them played against conference foes. They’ll kick off at El Paso at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10.

Rollins

A last-minute forfeit by North Carolina State had the Tars without a game on Saturday afternoon. The Tars are 1-1 so far in their second season of club football, part of their resurgence after being off the gridiron for more than 60 years.

The Tars edged Kennesaw State 34-29 to start the season but fell in a narrow loss to Brevard Cape Coast Sports Academy 24-19 on Oct. 20. They’ll host Virginia Commonwealth on Nov. 10, with a kickoff time TBA.