Knights thrash Panthers, look to Mizzou

Blake Bortles has a few people to thank for his career-high passing performance in the Knights 33-20 win over Florida International University on Saturday— his fellow quarterbacks. Now the Knights have a week break before taking on their first SEC opponent of the season, Missouri.

A trio of UCF quarterbacks combined for an unusual offense that bamboozled the FIU Panthers on the gridiron to the tune of a 23-0 lead at halftime. Bortles and former UCF quarterbacks Rob Calabrese and Jeff Godfrey each took at least one snap in combining for 261 total yards in the air.

But most of that yardage was courtesy of Bortles, who threw for more yards than he had ever aired out in his college career, with 251, plus two touchdowns.

Calabrese and Godfrey had been converted to receivers this season, but did double duty in the Knights’ win over the Panthers, with Calabrese grabbing a reception and tossing a pass that would have been good for more than 20 yards if it hadn’t slipped out of the hands of Dontravius Floyd in the first quarter. Godfrey had a touchdown pass, 19 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving in the game. The duo combined on a “Wild Knight” play that started with a hand off from Calabrese to Godfrey, and ended with a leaping J.J. Worton catching a Godfrey pass in the end zone.

“That was amazing to get to throw the ball again,” Godfrey said to UCF Athletics after the game, adding that it “made me feel like a quarterback again.”

Even Bortles showed some legs during the game, though a sack deep into the backfield erased most of what he’d gained from a 15-yard scamper.

And while their play-callers confused FIU, their offense proved versatile on the ground and in the air, spreading the ball around to a pair of rushers in Storm Johnson and Brynn Harvey with more than 70 yards each, and the duo of Rannell Hall and Worton picking up 63 and 94 yards respectively in the air. Hall ran for 93 yards on just three kickoff returns.

Meanwhile the Knights’ defense stifled the Panthers early, shutting them out in the first half while allowing less than 30 yards in the process. Troy Davis sacked Panther quarterback Jake Medlock twice in the game for 17 lost yards and two forced fumbles. Terrance Plummer pummeled the Panthers with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

The Knights will be off until noon on Sept. 29 when they face Missouri at home. The Tigers will be coming off a road trip against South Carolina, ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 at the start of the week. The Tigers opened the season with the biggest blowout in Division I football, beating Southeastern Louisiana 62-10 on Sept. 1. They now own a 2-1 record.