GAINESVILLE — For a team widely thought to be in crisis, the Florida Gators demonstrated control from the opening whistle in Saturday night’s in-state showdown with UCF.
The visiting Knights, instead, are suddenly spiraling after another promising 3-0 start.
Graham Mertz threw for 179 yards and a touchdown, and Florida sacked KJ Jefferson five times and held the Knights to 108 rushing yards in a comfortable 24-13 win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. UCF (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) dropped to 0-3 all-time in the Swamp, making their first trip since Florida’s national championship season of 2006.
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“I know we didn’t play good tonight, and I know we didn’t play good the (week) before, but we’ve got a lot of winners in that locker room,” Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. “We’ve got to solve some things, so I expect us to play better.”
Those expectations, however, lack evidence. In the Knights’ last 12 quarters of football, they have held the lead for 36 seconds. They have trailed by at least three scores in each of their previous three games.
Florida Gators edge Tyreak Sapp (94) sacks UCF Knights quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 5, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Florida (3-2, 1-1 SEC) produced points on four of its six first-half possessions, building a 24-3 halftime lead. Jakobi Jackson and Montrell Johnson Jr. tacked on rushing touchdowns for the Gators.
Grant Reddick, filling in for the injured Colton Boomer (ankle), made his first two field goals. RJ Harvey had the Knights’ lone touchdown, a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. Jefferson went 12 of 22 for 165 yards and an interception.
Here are three takeaways from UCF’s squandered shot for a memorable…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/offense-fizzles-ucf-football-loss-054545311.html
Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal
Publish date : 2024-10-06 05:45:45
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