Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Notes | Press Conference
ORLANDO – The UCF football team bounced back in a big way on Saturday with a strong performance to take down No. 20 Cincinnati 25-21 on Homecoming at FBC Mortgage Stadium. With the win, the Knights snapped the Bearcats' 19-game winning streak against American Athletic Conference opponents, as Cincinnati looked to set the conference record for consecutive wins.
UCF (6-2, 3-1 AAC) picked up its first ranked win since the 2018 matchup against Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1) and first under second-year head coach Gus Malzahn. The Knights remained unbeaten in home AAC games in the last two seasons under Malzahn's direction, improving to 7-0. UCF is now bowl eligible for the 13th time in school history and the seventh consecutive year, the only team from the state of Florida that is bowl eligible at this point in the season.
"First of all, I'm just real proud of our team. This was a huge win for us," said Malzahn. "I think everybody know's that. Sometimes it's how you win that really can help you moving forward. I'm real proud of our team, you know, that's a championship program we beat.
"They went down and scored with three minutes left and took all the momentum, but then Mikey Keene came in and drove us down the field. It was one of those championship type of drives."
In his first action of the season, sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene came up big for UCF leading a pair of Knights scoring drives including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. After taking a hit in the second quarter, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was removed from the game and did not return but Keene turned in a stellar outing to lift the Knights to the victory.
Keene finished the game 15-for-21 with 176 yards, completing 71% of his passes.
After both teams punted on their opening drives, UCF struck first in the game after a seven-play, 53-yard drive capped by a 26-yard field goal from Colton Boomer. Three big runs by Plumlee, Ryan O'Keefe and Johnny Richardson set up the Knights' first score.
Running back RJ Harvey had the best game of his career, as he rushed 18 times for 84 yards with two touchdowns – all of which are career highs. He found the endzone late in the first quarter on a 26-yard run to give UCF a 10-0 lead.
Cincinnati kicked a pair of field goals in the second quarter to get on the scoreboard, as UCF led 10-6 at the intermission. It marked the sixth time this season that the Knights have led at halftime.
The UCF defense was strong throughout the game, led by senior linebacker Jason Johnson with seven tackles and junior defensive end Josh Celiscar with five. Celiscar sacked Cincinnati quarter Ben Bryant in the endzone in the third quarter for the Knights' second safety of the season to push the UCF lead to 12-6.
The Bearcats countered with a 10-play, 84-yard scoring drive to take their first lead of the day at 13-12 after a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to tight end Josh Whyle.
UCF jumped back out in front 18-13 after Isaiah Bowser scored on a three-yard run to cap a great drive that saw the Knights use 5:57 to march 77 yards down the field on 13 plays. Bowser has now recorded at least one touchdown in seven of eight games this season and leads the conference with 11 touchdowns.
Cincinnati answered on its next possession, as running back Ryan Montgomery found a hole in the UCF defense and raced 39 yards for the touchdown to give the Bearcats a 21-18 lead.
The Knights didn't panic; however, and put together a great drive to score what proved to be the game-winner. Keene hit Kobe Hudson for an 18-yard pass and then found O'Keefe for 26 yards on the next play to give UCF great field position. Javon Baker reeled in a 12-yard pass to put the Knights and the red zone and Harvey finished off the drive with a 17-yard run to put UCF ahead, 25-21.
"We talked all week that it's gonna be a physical game and the most physical team is going to win this ga me," Malzahn added. "We were a hair away from really dominating the game, but we beat a championship program."
The Knights defense shut down any thoughts of a late score, as K.D. McDaniel sacked Bryant and forced a fumble which was nearly recovered by UCF but resulted in a 20-yard loss for the Bearcats.
UCF will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 5, when the squad travels to Memphis. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.