Nov. 4, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - UCF forced six Penn State turnovers but it was not enough as the Nittany Lions defeated the Golden Knights 37-13 Saturday afternoon before 101,715 fans at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State took the opening kickoff to the UCF 13 yard-line, before junior defensive end Glenroy Watkins recovered a fumble by Penn State quarterback Zack Mills.
Later in the first quarter, UCF took advantage of a six-yard punt by Penn State's Jeremy Kapinos to set up UCF at the Penn State 26.
UCF cashed in on the excellent field position as Matt Prater booted a 33-yard field goal. The field goal was Prater's 10th consecutive made field goal. The 3-0 lead also gave UCF its first lead since Oct. 25, 2003 vs. Central Michigan.
UCF held Penn State scoreless in the first quarter, marking the first time since Sept. 13, 2003 that UCF held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter.
Penn State scored the game's first touchdown with 9:41 remaining in the second quarter when Tony Hunt scored on a four-yard run. The 80-yard drive took 11 plays to give PSU a 7-3 lead.
UCF ended another Penn State drive at the UCF 15-yard line when Mike Walker intercepted his first career pass for the Golden Knights. The interception was also the first of the year for UCF.
A bad snap by UCF long snapper Max Reeves led to a short punt by Aaron Horne, giving Penn State possession at the UCF 26. On the first play, Hunt scored to give the Nittany Lions a 14-3 lead with 5:16 remaining in the first half.
Penn State gained excellent field possession again on its next drive as Dan Connor intercepted Kyle Israel after Harvey Joiner juggled the pass, allowing Connor to pick off the pass. From there, Penn State used four plays to score its third touchdown of the half. Mills hit John Bronson from one-yard out to give the Lions a 21-3 lead with 3:19 remaining in the half.
Walker's second interception of the first half set up UCF at the Penn State nine-yard line. Walker returned the interception 59 yards, but the Golden Knights settled for another Prater field goal to close the gap to 21-6 at halftime. The 22-yard field goal was Prater's 11th consecutive made field goal, second-best in UCF history.
Penn State scored the first points of the second half on a safety after UCF punter Aaron Horne had the football go right through his hands as he attempted to punt out of his own end zone. The safety padded the PSU lead to 23-6.
The Nittany Lions put the game away on the ensuing possession when Hunt rumbled 40 yards for his third touchdown of the day to give PSU a 30-6 lead.
Tavaris Capers returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, to cut the deficit to 30-13 with 7:41 remaining in the game. It was the second career punt return for a touchdown for Capers.
Penn State scored the game's final touchdown to end the scoring at 37-13.
UCF has next weekend off before opening MAC play October 2 at Buffalo. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.