UCF Knights continue hunt for top AAC spot

Four quarters came down to one play for the Knights against Houston. It was the second fourth-down conversion the Cougars had tried in the game. Both would fail in the Knights’ narrow 19-14 win Friday night. But the last one was for the highlight reel, after freshman Houston quarterback John O’Korn led the offense on an impossibly rapid drive downfield to the goal line stand that would end in a play that saved the game.

Junior defensive back Brandon Alexander knocked down the final pass in the end zone to electrify the crowd who until that moment were watching an improbable Houston comeback.

But the game required a bit of a comeback by UCF as well. After allowing Houston into the end zone first, and then seeing wide receiver Breshad Perriman lying on the field for 12 minutes after a hit that would see Houston’s Zach McMillian ejected from the field, the Knights exploded. Freshman running back Will Stanback spun and juked his way into the end zone twice to give the Knights their decisive score.

The win puts the Knights in the driver’s seat in the American Athletic Conference’s inaugural football season. For the first time this season they lead the conference outright as the final undefeated team in the AAC. If they can hold on and win the conference championship, an automatic bid in a prestigious BCS Bowl game awaits.

But four conference games remain in UCF’s path to the postseason, and every one of them represents a potential upset for the Knights. Of the AAC’s 10 teams, all but one of UCF’s remaining games comes against those with overall losing records.

This weekend may be UCF’s biggest chance to run up a big score against an opponent. Temple is 1-8 overall and 0-5 in the conference, but five of their eight losses have come by 10 points or less. Against Houston, Temple only lost by nine points.

The Knights and the Owls have never met on the football field. But both teams have a knack for causing turnovers this season. The Owls also have a problem with giving them up, which the Knights could exploit with their 1.0 turnover ratio this season. Temple has given up eight interceptions this season in nine games, while losing six fumbles.

This could be the game that UCF quarterback Blake Bortles racks up some air miles, as Temple has allowed an average of 322 yards passing per game. Something that could haunt him is Temple’s ability to stop third down conversions, allowing just 46 percent on the season. They also have stronger than usual goal line defense, with touchdowns only happening 48 percent of the time once a team enters their red zone.

The game starts at noon Nov. 16 in Philadelphia, televised on ESPN Regional.