If remembering November in college football is about checking boxes, then UCF did a bunch of that Saturday afternoon in Memphis:
--Win a conference game on the road for the first time in 2022 (after that plan didn't go so well two Saturdays earlier)? Check.
--Keep your team in the hunt for a league title-game appearance? Check.
--Avoid any hint of a question at quarterback (Mikey Keene seems hellbent on making that a moot point)? Check.
--Watch as players like running back RJ Harvey and receiver Kobe Hudson play their best football of the year? Check.
--See the banged-up Knight defense survive a handful of personnel changes? Check.
--Love the way one of the more unheralded stars on the roster (tight end Alec Holler) takes matters into his own hands to essentially end the football game with a critical third-down conversion in the final minutes? Check.
--And ultimately appreciate the manner in which the Knights preserved their newfound rankings (with a resulting bigger target on their backs)? Check.
All that and more unfolded at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium as Keene threw two picture-perfect touchdown passes in the final period to prompt a 35-28 UCF victory over a game Memphis team that had an extra week to prepare.
Check and check.
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"Expect them to come out swinging," cautioned UCF defensive coordinator Travis Williams before the contest kicked off.
"They're coming off a bye week. Be ready for that. Stay locked in. Stay with that locked-in mentality."
Added offensive line coach Herb Hand, "This is one more opportunity for us. We've worked our (butts) off to get to this point. No steps back! Set a new standard in terms of execution and physicality!
"Everybody remembers what you do in November."
Head coach Gus Malzahn delivered the final charge: "When you hit the sideline, our hair's on fire. That fistfight mentality. Let's bring the juice, man. Let's go!"
The opening possession could not have unfolded any more smoothly.
Keene completed all three of his throws and led the Knights 78 yards in nine plays--with Harvey adding the finishing touch with a 22-yard touchdown run.
Memphis came right back with a 75-yard drive of its own.
Game on.
Next came a series of early critical exchanges that fell in the Knights' favor:
--After the Tigers drove to the UCF six, Anthony Montalvo made a critical stop for a one-yard loss on fourth and one.
--On the second-to-last play of the opening period, Keene threw an interception from his own four.
--On the first play of the second period, the Knights got the ball right back after a Seth Henigan pass bounced around and fell into the hands of UCF corner Davonte Brown.
Two plays later Harvey scurried 61 yards to the Memphis 25, followed by a helpful offside against the home team on fourth and one.
Running back Isaiah Bowser delivered a nifty four-yard jump pass to Stephen Martin to make it 14-7 for UCF.
Then the two teams exchanged 75-yard TD drives—with Keene connecting with Hudson for the 24-yard Knight score that made it 21-14 for Malzahn's group.
In a crazy end to the opening half, two field-goal kickers (UCF's Colton Boomer and Memphis' Chris Howard) who had been perfect on their 24 combined three-point attempts, missed a combined three times over a 1:50 span.
By halftime Harvey already had more rushing yards (121) than any UCF back had amassed in an entire game in 2022.
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"We are good," Williams told his defensive players at intermission. "We took their best shots. We're gonna do what we do. Stop the run. Play our brand of ball. Keep doing your thing."
Malzahn finished the talking: "Best second-half team in college football. We're gonna win the game. Let's put these guys away."
After three and outs by both squads, Memphis drew first blood in the third period with a 77-yard march that tied the game at 21.
UCF managed only 38 total yards in that third quarter.
But Keene was at his best with the game on the line, completing five of seven throws for 58 yards in the final period (two for scores).
On third and 10 at the Memphis 13, a second TD pass to Hudson gave the Knights a seven-point lead.
After a Divaad Wilson interception and a Mitch McCarthy punt to the Memphis nine, Keene went back to work—this time connecting on a teardrop throw to Javon Baker in the absolute corner of the end zone for a two-score lead.
That enabled the Knights to withstand one more Memphis score as the Tigers completed four straight passes for 59 yards.
On third and nine with two minutes to go, UCF clinched the verdict on the "Holler Hop" as a slow-developing drop-off throw to the Knights' tight end produced a 10-yard gain after Holler summersaulted past a Memphis defender for the first-down yardage.
After one final timeout by the Tigers, three Bowser runs ended the contest.
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"I couldn't be more proud of you," said Malzahn in a rowdy postgame locker room.
"It's hard as crap to win on the road in college football. We got their best and we found a way to win."
Three-red-zone stops and two interceptions by UCF proved critical.
After six periods of stellar play, Keene (22 of 28 for 219 with three TD passes) apparently has no plans for doing anything other than delivering exactly what the Knights need.
Harvey had a career-best 151 yards, Bowser added 67, Ryan O'Keefe caught 10 balls for 75, Hudson six for 85—and linebacker Jason Johnson did his thing with 13 tackles.
The Knights were outgained and allowed three more first downs than they collected.
It didn't matter.
"Now we're set up for a big one next week," Malzahn admitted, alluding to the 8-1 Tulane team that is next on the agenda.
Memphis had won 11 straight games since 2014 coming off bye weeks.
The streak ended early Saturday evening.
Check.