Oct. 8, 2005
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Steven Moffett passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns to lead resurgent UCF to its third straight win, 38-17 over Memphis on Saturday night.
The Golden Knights (3-2, 2-0 Conference USA) are the third team in the last 55 years to win three straight games one season after going winless, joining Boston College (1979) and South Carolina (2000).
UCF freshman Kevin Smith had 164 yards rushing and a touchdown, fueling the Golden Knights' season-high 261 yards on the ground.
Memphis tailback DeAngelo Williams, who entered the game as the leading rusher in Division I-A, had 136 yards on 14 carries. Joseph Doss had 33 yards on nine carries and both touchdowns for the Tigers (2-3, 1-2).
But the Tigers sputtered in the second half; on five possessions, they had two punts, an interception, lost the ball on downs and managed only one score - a 40-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski.
Moffett had touchdown passes of 69 and 38 yards to Brandon Marshall and Smith scored on a 1-yard run in the second half, breaking open a game that was tied 14-14 at halftime.
Dontavious Wilcox got the hosts on the board early, scoring on a six-yard run with 10:26 to play in the first quarter.
Moffett only used two receivers; Marshall caught four balls for 133 yards, and Mike Walker had 10 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.
UCF outgained Memphis 551-301 in the game, controlling the clock for more than 38 minutes.
UCF returns to the field next Saturday, visiting Southern Miss for a C-USA game.