Second Half Offensive Surge Leads UCF Knights Over SMU Mustangs
During a tale of two halves, UCF defeated SMU 41-19 Wednesday behind John Rhys Plumlee's 316-yard passing performance and timely defense.
Plumlee ended the night 20-29 for 316 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks.
“Once you really dive into the game plan and you know the game plan well, with this kind of offense and this kind of offensive minds, it makes it easy for you,” the quarterback said in a postgame press conference.
But the beginning of the game was not as smooth as the final score would indicate.
In the first half, the Mustangs (2-3, 0-1 AAC) produced almost double the yards of the Knights’ offense. While UCF (4-1, 1-0 AAC) had 145, SMU finished the half with 287. That came mostly due to the quarterback-wideout connection between Tanner Mordecai and Rashee Rice. The wide receiver caught his first eight targets for a total of 79 yards (incredibly all in the first quarter).
Despite the difference in yardage, UCF went to the locker room only trailing by three points at the half, 13-10.
The Knights quickly started their second half with big plays from Isaiah Bowser and Javon Baker. The fifth-year senior running back had a 17-yard run to give UCF a first down. Then, the Alabama transfer receiver had a big reception that included multiple moves after the catch, leaving defenders grasping at air, for a gain of 51 yards.
UCF finished its first drive of the second half with a one-yard touchdown by Bowser, one of his three touchdowns in the game. Then, during the Mustangs’ first possession of the half, the Knights’ defense forced a turnover on downs at SMU’s territory.
And the UCF’s offense kept going in the second half. Plumlee found Ryan O’Keefe for a 26-yard score, extending the lead to 24-13. The senior wide receiver later scored his second touchdown of the game on a 58-yard play where he got most of the yards with his legs. He finished with 117 rushing yards, plus the two touchdowns.
Related: By the 'Numbers': Plumlee and UCF Knights Passing Game
Baker also had a big game on the offensive side of the ball. The junior had 10 catches for 138 yards, playing a huge role in the team’s production in the second half.
“We’ve got to come out in the second half and play good football,” head coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. “We did that, we dominated the second half.”
But perhaps the defensive unit made the difference in the game. UCF only allowed one successful third-down passing conversion on 11 attempts. Although they allowed many yards, especially in the first half, the Knights stopped the Mustangs multiple times in the end zone, having SMU settle for field goals.
Mordecai started the game on fire, completing his first seven pass attempts. However, UCF’s defense stepped up on the quarterback’s deep throws, always contesting and breaking the passes.
The Mustang quarterback entered the night with 12 passing touchdowns in the season. This marked his first game at SMU without a touchdown.
“We’ve got to throw some different looks at them to confuse the quarterback,” linebacker Jason Johnson said. “I think we did a pretty good job.”
Johnson registered nine total tackles with five being solo. He also recovered a fumble on SMU’s first drive of the day, forced by Divaad Wilson. The offense and defense were not alone in their fine performances.
After another field goal by freshman kicker Colton Boomer to open the scoring for UCF, plus good punting, kickoffs, coverage and return performances, the entire UCF special teams unit should be credited with performing admirably. That needed to be mentioned as well.
Led by the offensive explosion in the second half, UCF now prepares for another AAC matchup on Thursday, Oct. 13 at home against the Temple Owls. With a victory to open conference play, Malzahn said the Knights will still need to take the next step for the following contest.
“It’s conference time, you’ve got to raise your level,” he said. "Championship teams raise their levels.”
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