Big Offensive Plays, Stout Defense, Lead UCF to Pummel South Carolina State 56-10
(Cover photo: UCF tight end Kemore Gamble)
A strong first half behind John Rhys Plumlee’s dual-threat quarterback abilities led UCF to a 56-10 win to open the season versus South Carolina State on Thursday.
In his debut for the Knights, Plumlee threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for a team-high 99 yards on 13 attempts, also scoring once on the ground.
“He’s a great competitor,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said in a post-game press conference. “He can create when things break down, he makes some really good plays with his feet on third down to keep some drives alive.”
A transfer from Ole Miss, Plumlee mainly played as a receiver this past season. Now with UCF, his presence under center was felt since the team’s first offensive possession.
Plumlee’s confidence, especially with the deep ball, was at a high level. He did not hesitate to let it rip the entire first half.
“It’s been a long time coming, waiting on the opportunity that I had tonight,” Plumlee said after the game. “Really, really blessed is the emotion and the feeling that I have right now.”
The new quarterback for the Knights made sure multiple receivers got their opportunities. A total of 10 different players were targeted, with nine of them recording at least one reception.
Still, Plumlee believes he can get into his drops a little better, which made him hurry in a couple of plays. He also said he can protect himself a little better after going hard on hits to gain extra yards instead of sliding.
“Yeah, we’re not gonna do that again unless it’s to win the game,” Malzahn said.
Plumlee’s main targets, transfers Javon Baker and Kemore Gamble, had 84 and 82 yards respectively, with both scoring their first touchdowns as members of the Knights.
As a runner, perhaps Plumlee’s strongest feature, the speed was obvious. Multiple defenders thought they had an angle and were absolutely out of position as Plumlee ran by. He led the team in yards on the ground.
Among other rushing standouts was Isaiah Bowser, who had 72 yards for two touchdowns.
The defense was also a highlight reel on Thursday. With the Bulldogs starting at UCF’s own two, the Knights interior defensive line was staunch on the first play. The second play resulted in a four-yard loss with Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste forcing an outside run back towards the middle, and third down was broken up by Koby Perry in the back of the end zone. The Bulldogs had to go for a field goal.
Cornerback Brandon Adams impressed with his ability to press the line of scrimmage in run support. Veteran Divaad Wilson had his moment with an interception out of a deflected pass.
“It was an unbelievable job by our defense,” Malzahn said.
Overall, UCF held S.C. State to less than 100 total yards on offense.
Even Ryan O’Keefe had his biggest defensive moment. After a fumble recovery by the Bulldogs, defensive lineman Jeblonski Green Jr. recovered and returned for 80 yards. After what appeared to be a clear touchdown for S.C. State, O’Keefe ran back and made a big tackle at the two-yard line.
“It shows the heart that O’Keefe has, chasing that guy down,” Plumlee said. “It’s easy to say ‘Man, they got it, you know, we’re up a certain amount of points, they can have that one.’
“But not O’Keefe.”
Even though the offensive and defensive units were solid throughout the night, the same cannot be said about special teams. The unit, led by coordinator Brian Blackmon, had its ups and downs during the night.
The biggest moment came when defensive back Quadric Bullard blocked a punt and recovered himself in S.C. State’s end zone, extending the lead for the Knights.
On a more negative note, the Bulldogs faked two consecutive punts, the first one resulting in a first down.
Later in the third quarter, S.C. State blocked a punt by the Knights, recovering the ball at the UCF’s 26-yard line. The Bulldogs ended up scoring a touchdown with redshirt-junior wideout Shaquan Davis in the following play.
“That’s unacceptable,” Malzahn said. “We gotta clean that up.
Early in the fourth quarter, freshman Xavier Towsend had a big 66-yard punt return that found the end zone. However, linebacker Derek Burns was called for holding, voiding the touchdown.
Malzahn also said that the 10 penalties for a loss of 85 yards is something the team still needs to work on.
Fans will have to wait and see how UCF’s special teams will perform against stronger opponents such as SMU and Cincinnati. Mistakes like the ones on Thursday could make a big difference on those important conference games.
Overall, UCF dominated the game from start to finish, with the offense led by Plumlee and the group work by the defensive being the most positive takeaways. Although it might have been one of the easiest games of the 2022 schedule, it is still a big morale booster ahead to Week 2 against Louisville at home.
Last year, UCF lost its first game of the year versus the Cardinals on the road. Things changed after that game as Bowser missed some contests with an injury, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel was sidelined for the rest of the year.
Because of that, this upcoming game is marked on UCF players’ calendars.
“Definitely got that game circled,” Bowser said. “Definitely looking forward to next week.”
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