ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF football team went to Maryland on Saturday and dominated the Terrapins to the tune of a 38-10 victory, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Here's Why We Won
Defensive Dominance
Following a 51-41 win at then No. 23 Texas and a 63-17 home victory over Towson, Maryland came into Saturday's contest with the second highest scoring offense in the nation…second only to the Knights, who put up 61 points in their first and only game of the season prior to this week.
UCF, which impressed with their defense a year ago, shut down the Terrapins' attack all day long. The Knights allowed just 197 total yards of offense and only 42 net rushing yards.
The defensive line was particularly impressive, accounting for 4.5 of the team's five sacks and eight of the Knights' 12 tackles-for-loss on the day. Senior Jamiyus Pittman led the way with two sacks to give him 10.5 for his career.
The Terrapins' only two scores of the game came on a short field where they started on the UCF 33-yard line and settled for a field goal, and an 82-yard drive that included 40 yards of Knights penalties.
Running Backs excelled as "next men up"
When starting running back Jawon Hamilton went down with an injury early in the first quarter, it could have marked trouble for UCF. It didn't. The Knights runners fought harder for their teammate, finishing the day with 250 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
"It was awesome today. We've got a stable of backs, so if one guy goes down, the other guys pick up the slack. Taj (McGowan) is a veteran leader for us and we've got some young guys who can tote the rock too, so it's good." – McKenzie Milton
UCF Top Rushers
- McKenzie Milton: 6 rushes, 94 yards
- Adrian Killins: 7 rushes, 47 yards, 1 touchdown
- Otis Anderson: 2 rushes, 45 yards
- Taj McGowan: 12 rushes, 33 yards, 2 touchdowns
Milton got it done through the air and on the ground
Milton joined in on the success with his running back corps, finishing the day with a team high 94 rushing yards, including a 55-yard scamper, the second longest rush of his career.
He also was effective through the air, finishing the day 18-of-30 for 178 yards and a touchdown. Milton was responsible for over 63 percent of the offense on Saturday and did not turn the ball over once against the Terrapins.
The defense was even better on third downs
That same UCF defense that was stellar all game long was even better on third down. The Knights opened the game with eight straight stops on third down, which made for 10 straight overall, dating back to the third quarter of the win over FIU.
Maryland finished just 2-of-13 on third down conversions. In two games, UCF's opponents are converting just 16 percent of third downs (4-of-25), which ranks third in the nation.
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