Oct. 21, 2005
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ORLANDO - Freshman tailback Kevin Smith rushed for 113 yards and junior tailback Jason Peters totaled 110 yards on the ground to help host UCF to a 34-24 victory over Tulane on Friday evening at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The Golden Knights (4-3, 3-1 Conference USA) improve to 3-0 this season at home. Tulane drops its third-straight contest and falls to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in league play.
The performances of the two tailbacks marked the first time since 1992 that UCF had a pair of players rush for over 100 yards.
Smith even exhibited his arm, taking a handoff late in the third quarter from junior quarterback Steven Moffett and tossing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Darcy Johnson.
The Golden Knights rushed for 286 yards as a team - the third highest total in the school's Division I-A history.
The contest was originally slated for Saturday evening, but was moved to Friday due to Hurricane Wilma. UCF was playing on a Friday for only the sixth time in school history.
Moffett completed 17-of-29 pass attempts for 190 yards with one score. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 10 consecutive games.
The Golden Knights closed out the opening half in style, recording a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes. Peters broke away for a 50-yard touchdown scamper with 4:40 to go in the second quarter. Following a 34-yard punt return from freshman cornerback Joe Burnett, Moffett guided the hosts down the field and found junior wideout Mike Walker for a seven-yard scoring toss with seven seconds on the clock and UCF led, 27-14, at halftime.
A week after committing five turnovers in the first half at Southern Miss, UCF forced three Green Wave turnovers in the opening half. The 27 points scored by UCF marked the most in the first half by the team this season.
Defensively, UCF held Tulane to just 80 yards on the ground. The Golden Knights totaled four interceptions, including two from Burnett.
The Green Wave grabbed a 14-13 advantage with 10:21 to play in the second quarter when Lester Ricard threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Preston Brown.
Senior wideout Brandon Marshall matched a career high with 10 receptions for 110 yards. Freshman safety Jason Venson totaled a team-high nine tackles and added one forced fumble. Burnett added six stops.
The contest started well for the Golden Knights as senior defensive tackle Frisner Nelson intercepted a Ricard pass on the second play of the game. Nelson's first career interception set-up a 32-yard field goal from senior placekicker John Brown.
On UCF's next possession, Smith found the end zone on a nine-yard scamper and the hosts led, 10-0 at the 8:44 mark of the first quarter.
Ricard completed 27-of-47 passes for 360 yards with four interceptions and three scores. Brown had three receptions for 97 yards. Anthony Cannon notched a game-high 11 tackles in the losing effort.
UCF returns to the gridiron next Saturday, visiting Greenville, N.C. for a C-USA contest against East Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.