UCF Knights smash Bethune-Cookman

An early dose of tension gave way to a blowout showcase of the Knights' offensive talent in their home opener.

UCF would add its seventh straight home opener win in the Bright House in a big way with a dominating 41-7 win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday.

The Knights seemed tenuous on offense from the start, punting twice in the first quarter and earning their first score with a field goal, but let BCU into the end zone first to add some tension to what was expected to be a sure win.

That tension quickly melted as the Knights' offense started cooking in the second quarter, taking advantage of strong field position to reach the end zone twice in two minutes and 20 seconds to take a 17-7 lead and begin putting the game away.

By the second half, the Knights had things well in hand thanks to steady hands from QB Justin Holman and increasingly effective running from UCF's backfield, though they relied heavily on the passing game to keep BCU guessing.

The Knights would gain 182 yards in the air to 169 on the ground. Of those rushing yards, 104 belonged to Will Stanback. Breshard Perriman quietly amassed 98 yards in receptions.

J.J. Worton would juke his way to 52 yards worth of punt returns, giving the Knights strong field position for his 35-yard TD reception early on.

On the defensive side, the Knights held BCU to 3-for-13 on third down attempts, and sacked BCU quarterback Quentin Williams six times. The Knights' defense would dominate BCU for the majority of the game, only allowing them on the Knights end of the field twice.

The Knights were confident enough in the 4th quarter to bring in backup QB Nick Patti to see what he could do. He would go 2-for-2 on passes for 37 yards. Were it not for a penalty on another UCF player, Patti would have come up with a 40+ yard pass play that was called back for a flag.

The Knights get another bye week before traveling to Houston at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2