UCF manhandled Temple in a 34-14 victory that featured an output of a season-high 466 yards of total offense, improving to 3-0 in conference play to remain atop The American standings, along with East Carolina.

“I thought offensively and defensively we put together the best game so far this year working as a team,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought they were very productive on defense and the offense was productive at making plays when they had to. It was a good win against a good football team. We have to continue to get better. This past week at practice made a big difference with the offense, putting them in pads and making sure they understood what football is about as far as the contact aspect of it. They took the challenge and brought it to the game today.”

After a week’s worth of recaps of his iconic catch from last year’s game at Temple, it was only fitting for J.J. Worton to score the first touchdown of the evening. On third-and-long, he caught a pass from quarterback Justin Holman, steadied himself and worked his way to the right sideline to take it 25 yards into the end zone.

UCF’s defense set up another scoring opportunity not long after when defensive back Jacoby Glenn stripped Temple wide receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick of the ball. Defensive back Brandon Alexander recovered the fumble to put the Knights in the red zone. Shawn Moffitt eventually converted a 23-yard field goal, and with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter, UCF had already claimed a 10-0 lead.

UCF had running back William Stanback to thank for its final scoring drive of the quarter. He accounted for 23 yards off six carries during an 11-play, 58-yard march down the field. He followed it through to the end zone, when he hit a wall of Temple defenders in the backfield but continued to rumble his way in for the 1-yard touchdown and give UCF a 17-0 lead.

Temple responded in the opening minutes of the second quarter when a double-reverse pass to quarterback P.J. Walker kept the Owls’ drive alive on third-and-eight, setting them up on UCF’s 5-yard line. Walker hit Romond Deloatch with a 3-yard pass for Temple’s first touchdown, 17-7.

The Knights refused to let the Owls shift the momentum. Breshad Perriman came through, not once but twice, for UCF on its next drive, first hauling in a 19-yard reception on third-and-14. Holman then found the receiver streaking down field for a 54-yard touchdown, much to the delight of the crammed student section waiting for him in the south end zone. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Knights claimed a 24-7 edge.

Temple’s special teams helped close the gap when Samuel Benjamin blocked a punt for the second time this year, scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown, 24-14.

Although another punt was blocked and UCF nearly lost possession on an interception that was overturned, the Knights snapped out of their lull just before the halftime break. Miles Pace re-ignited some fire when he sacked P.J. Walker on third-and-11 for a much-needed stop that gave UCF the ball back with 2:34 remaining – just enough time to tack on a few more points.

“Coach pushes us every day. Even if we’re tired, we have to keep going. It’s a bend, but don’t break defense,” Pace said. “We’re just strong. Strong up front, strong at linebackers, everyone plays their gaps, everyone fits and we just stop them in the red zone.”

Holman led the team through a hurry-up offense by utilizing his arsenal of receivers. Josh Reese, gain of 16. Rannell Hall, gain of 11. Hall again, gain of 19 into the red zone. Reese, gain of 11, first and goal. With the clock winding down, UCF settled for another field goal from Moffitt, this time a 19-yarder for a 27-14 lead.

Much of the third quarter was played in the middle of the field until 14 seconds remaining when Stanback broke into the end zone on a 2-yard rush that punctuated a 9-play, 52-yard drive and piled on to the lead, 34-14.

The defense shined in a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter that saw Glenn intercept Walker’s pass on fourth down in the right corner of the end zone that ended any hope of a comeback for Temple.

“This win was very important, just because of the fact that our defense played a phenomenal game and our offense played a phenomenal game,” Alexander said. “The coaches still saw some little mistakes, but for the most part everyone had a collective game and did a great job out there. It was just a wonderful feeling that we actually can play like that. From the first quarter to the fourth quarter everything just took care of itself and everyone took care of their jobs.”

They needed a game-changer.

His 58-yard kickoff return gave new life to the UCF offense. It sent the black-clad fans into a frenzy. It was the bass of a rally cry that proved to be exactly what the Knights needed to fuel a 31-24 comeback overtime victory on Thursday night in front of a audience.

“It got the momentum going for the offense, and just the team in general. We were able to punch it in after that,” Hall said. “I felt it from the crowd on my way to the sideline. I saw everybody jumping up. I knew we had the momentum back on our side.”

Following Hall’s return, everything started clicking back into place. Running back William Stanback found the end zone on a 2-yard run for UCF’s first touchdown since the end of the first quarter. Linebacker Terrance Plummer forced and recovered a fumble that put a halt to a BYU scoring threat in the red zone. Wide receiver Josh Reese somehow caught a spectacular 37-yard touchdown reception while falling to the ground with a defender draped all over him.

Quarterback Justin Holman connected with Stanback for the go-ahead touchdown in the extra period. The Knights’ defense came up with a goal-line stop to seal what was just the in program history.

“That was a heck of a ball game,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought the resiliency of the team was outstanding. When you go down 17-10, 24-10, and you come back, it shows that you have some perseverance with your team.”

Holman played admirably, completing 30-of-51 attempts for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. But it was Plummer who stole the show. The senior linebacker, whose uncle passed away a day prior, was the heartbeat of the team with 17 tackles, 1 sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and the subsequent recovery.

“Last year, my closest friend died in a homicide. My uncle died yesterday. I was crying and I told my mom, `What am I going to do?'” Plummer said. “She said, `You have to play your heart out for your uncle and for your friend.’ I just went out there. I have brothers behind me, but I didn’t tell them that because I didn’t want them to worry about me. At the same time, I loved my uncle and I loved my friend, so I just wanted to go out there and play.”

Holman started 5-for-5 on the Knights’ opening drive, including a string of passes to Breshad Perriman, J.J. Worton and Jordan Akins that moved the chains on each completion.

Facing fourth-and-one on the five-yard line, Holman took it upon himself to deliver the first touchdown as he catapulted into the end zone after defensive back Jordan Johnson attempted a low tackle.

UCF’s defense forced the Cougars to go 3-and-out, and Worton’s 32-yard punt return set up the Knights in BYU territory. Holman extended his hot start to 8-of-8, helping advance his team to the 25-yard line. Kicker Shawn Moffitt then matched his season-long field goal. The 42-yarder padded the Knights’ advantage to 10-0 with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.

The Cougars finally cracked into the red zone with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, but UCF’s defense ensured that they wouldn’t stay there for long. On first-and-10, quarterback Christian Stewart aired it out to the front-left pylon and Jacoby Glenn stretched out to snag his third interception of the season – a career-high – for a touchback.

BYU did manage to get on the scoreboard before the end of the half, marching the ball downfield on a 10-play drive that ate up 41 yards. Plummer prevented the Cougars from picking up a first down on third-and-3 with a tackle for loss. BYU called upon Trevor Samson to convert a 32-yard field goal with 5:12 to go, making it 10-3.

Stanback resuscitated UCF’s offense, which had stalled in the second quarter with four-consecutive three-and-out drives. His 14-yard reception gave UCF a first down, and Hall put the Knights into scoring position at the 23-yard line with his 16-yard catch.

But BYU came up with a big stop thanks to Sione Takitaki’s sack and fumble recovery to close out the half which left UCF with a 10-3 edge at the break.

The Cougars opened up the half with Colby Pearson’s 4-yard game-tying touchdown catch on third-and-goal, halting the UCF defense’s streak of keeping opponents out of the end zone for nine-consecutive quarters.

BYU put UCF on its heels by capitalizing on a misfortunate fumble on a punt return. Scott Arellano’s 27-yard punt hit a Knight’s leg, allowing Algernon Brown to recover the ball, which set up his team on UCF’s 25-yard line. Paul Lasike rushed 10 yards on BYU’s first play before Stewart connected with Devin Mahina for a touchdown, 17-10.

Things snowballed for UCF as Holman’s first pass of the next drive was intercepted by Skye Povey. He picked up 15 yards before he was brought down and a personal foul penalty bumped up the Cougars to the 14-yard line. Once again, Stewart found Mahina for a touchdown and just like that, the Cougars held a 24-10 lead.

Enter Hall. His 58-yard return carried UCF to BYU’s 37-yard line. Facing fourth-and-one, Holman inched his way to the 10-yard line to make it first-and-goal. He found Justin Tukes for an 8-yard reception and Stanback punched it in, 24-17, with 5:37 remaining.

The Cougars rolled into the red zone on 13 plays into the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Plummer forced a fumble and recovered the ball. Although the Knights came up short in converting the turnover to points, the stop allowed them to eventually tie the game with 10:17 remaining thanks to Reese’s steady hands. On a free play, with BYU jumping offside, Holman threw it deep to Reese, who made a spectacular catch to tie things up, 24-24.

Moffitt missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal that was blocked with four seconds on the clock, forcing overtime.

BYU won the coin toss for the extra period and elected to play defense first. UCF headed toward the south end zone and its rowdy student section.

“The crowd was outstanding tonight. There is a reason we were down in the student end,” O’Leary said. “You have a choice. They won the toss, so we got to pick the end. We pointed to the student end right away. There is a noise factor down there that helps. I thought it was just a great football night.”

Holman made some magic happen as he bounced around for a 6-yard rush while picking up a facemask penalty that fast-tracked his team to the 8-yard line. Time and again, the Knights relied on Stanback as their target, and with his four-yard touchdown reception, he helped grab a 31-24 lead that forced BYU to match on its possession.

Stewart managed to pick up a first down with his completion to Mahina at the 13-yard line. But the Cougars could not tie it. UCF’s defense held strong inside the 5-yard line for the dramatic win.

In a game that featured eight turnovers, it seems only fitting that an interception helped deliver the No. 17/19 UCF football team’s 23-20 win over USF under Friday night’s lights in an ESPN-televised broadcast at Bright House Networks Stadium.

The Knights (10-1, 7-0) clung to a 23-20 lead as the Bulls (2-9, 2-5) marched across midfield with roughly 90 seconds remaining. On 3rd-and-6, quarterback Mike White looked down the field once again.

UCF defensive back Jordan Ozerities couldn’t have picked a better time for his first interception of the season. He snatched the ball and kept on running deep into USF territory, locking up his team’s seventh-straight win, matching the 2002’s squad’s school-record stretch.

With the win, the Knights are one step closer to securing their first BCS bowl bid.*

“It’s a good win. I’m glad it was against USF because it will leave something to the rival games in the future,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “I think this game will grow to be a great game as far as interest level for everybody from the Orlando and Tampa areas. It just doesn’t have a lot of age to it yet. Once it starts having some type of tradition to it I think it is going to be one of those games that people will talk about.”

UCF struggled early with three turnovers on its first four possessions of the game, which allowed the Bulls to carry a 6-3 lead into the second quarter.

The Bulls hoped to make some magic happen on 4th-and-2 at UCF’s 8-yard line, but fortune decided to favor the Knights this time as USF fumbled the snap. Linebacker Justin McDonald’s recovery allowed UCF to spend the next seven minutes cutting up 92 yards en route to its first touchdown of the game.

Bortles found Justin Tukes in the corner of the end zone for the tight end’s first touchdown of the season and a 10-6 lead with 1:22 remaining in the half.

UCF’s first-half work wasn’t done yet, thanks to a defensive effort that forced the Bulls to go three-and-out. Shawn Moffitt capped the half with a 24-yard field goal for a 13-6 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Bulls made the Knights pay for Bortles’ fumble midway through the third quarter by driving 29 yards straight into the end zone. Chris Dunkley ran 13 yards on an end around for the touchdown that tied the game at 13-13 with 5:43 to go in the third.

Rannell Hall’s 69-yard kickoff return after the score sent the lulled crowd into a frenzy. Although the Knights had to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Moffitt, it did allow them to regain the lead, 16-13, with 4:06 remaining in the third.

USF responded with a 77-yard drive that was capped by Marcus Shaw’s 1-yard rush for a touchdown not even a minute into the fourth quarter. Coupled with the PAT, USF took its largest lead of the game, 20-16.

The next 13 minutes tested the heart of every Knights’ fan watching the game. Scoreless possessions were exchanged. Bortles was intercepted with less than seven minutes remaining. USF’s kicker Marvin Kloss missed a 51-yard field goal wide right.

And then, the breakthrough came.

On first-and-10 from his own 48-yard line, Bortles zeroed in on wide receiver Breshad Perriman streaking down the left sideline. Perriman used a double move on the Bulls cornerback to get behind him.

“The safety was late and the corner had been seeing our routes all game. So, the safety didn’t get over and Blake stuck it in there,” Perriman said. “When I broke on the first route, I felt like I had him because he jumped on it hard. I’m just glad he threw it to me.”

The 52-yard reception gave UCF a 23-20 lead with 4:46 remaining – still plenty of time for the Bulls to get one more score in before the clock ran out.

Ozerities ensured that never happened, and UCF went on to post its first 10-win regular season in school history.

The Knights play their final game of the regular season on the road Dec. 7 at noon on ESPN against SMU.

Thursday was Bortles’ night, plain and simple. And with the junior quarterback at command under the bright lights on , there was no way UCF was walking out of Bright House Network Stadium without another checkmark in the win column.

Bortles accounted for 367 of the No. 17/20 UCF football team’s 452 total yards in its 41-17 win over Rutgers. As a result, he led UCF (9-1, 6-0) to matching the program’s best record in conference play since joining a league in 2002.

“I thought it was a very good win for UCF. We dominated the first seven possessions with six scores,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought Bortles had an exceptional game as far as taking plays that were not there and making something out of them.”

UCF scored early and often from the get-go.

In the game’s first series, Bortles locked in on sophomore receiver Breshad Perriman streaking toward the left side of the end zone. The two connected before Perriman was pushed out of bounds to give UCF a 7-0 lead.

Junior defensive back Clayton Geathers’ interception at the 40-yard line in UCF territory on Rutgers’ next possession spurred the Knights on another scoring drive. UCF moved down field with ease, and running back Storm Johnson broke several tackles as he ate up 12 yards before diving across the end zone line for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season to make it 14-0.

In the first series of the second quarter, UCF freshman running back William Stanback trucked over RU freshman defensive back Anthony Cioffi to pick up 20 yards and advance the Knights to the 12-yard line. Four plays later, Johnson crept one yard for another touchdown and 21-0 edge.

“It was a classic lowering your shoulder and running through the guy… It was everything you teach,” O’Leary said of Stanback’s SportsCenter No. 1 Top Play. “He’s only a freshman, but if he keeps improving fundamentally, I think he is going to be a whale of a player. I really do.”

Rutgers (5-5, 2-4) struggled through its next possession until a fake punt to fullback Michael Burton sparked some life into the Scarlet Knights. He picked up 38 yards before he was brought down just outside of the red zone.

Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova found Brandon Coleman for a big gain, setting up first-and-goal on the 1-yard line. UCF’s defense was impenetrable for the first three downs, but the Scarlet Knights came through on their second fourth down conversion of the drive to get on the board, 21-7, with 5:59 to go in the half.

Bortles responded with a 7-yard touchdown run that capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive, which included his exceptional 31-yard toss to Worton.

“I just try not to get tackled, really,” Bortles said of his scrambling skills. “I know if I break out of the pocket, our receivers are going to find somewhere and I’ll be able to get the ball to them. That’s all I try to do is just stay alive and extend the play.”

Rutgers snuck in one more touchdown before halftime after blocking UCF’s punt attempt from its own 34-yard line. Freshman receiver Andre Patton landed on the ball in the end zone to inch the gap, 28-14.

The offensive deluge lightened up in the second half as the Knights settled for a 32-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt to increase their lead, 31-14, on their first drive after the break. It was the only scoring play for either team in the third quarter.

The Knights got some more out of their offense in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from Stanback and a 42-yard field goal from Moffitt. Meanwhile, Rutgers could only manage a 35-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining to rest the score at 41-17.

UCF plays its final home game of the season against rival USF at 8 p.m. on Nov. 29 on ESPN. If Cincinnati loses its matchup at Houston this Saturday, and UCF goes on to win against the Bulls, the Knights would clinch at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

The Knights trailed 36-29 with 2:04 remaining in the contest. But the Knights engineered a game-tying drive, going 70 yards in just four plays. The touchdown came on a 30-yard pass to J.J. Worton from Blake Bortles. Worton has made some huge, tough catches in his career. But this one-handed grab with full extension in the back of the end zone almost defied words.

“Honestly it’s a blur right now to me,” Worton said after the game. “Everyone is talking about it. I’ll have to see if on film to remember it. I remember I caught it and after that everyone else was yelling and crazy. All glory to God right now. I couldn’t be more happy with the team right now. It’s a great day for UCF.”

But that play only tied the game.

Temple got the ball back with 60 seconds remaining and moved out toward midfield. But a pair of sacks ended the Owls’ possession and the punted to UCF. The Knights had it at their own 30-yard line with 19 seconds remaining and it looked like overtime was a certainty. But Bortles and Rannell Hall had other ideas. Bortles hit Hall for a 64-yard catch and run down to the Temple 6-yard line. The Knights, without any time outs remaining, had to sprint downfield and spike the ball to stop the clock and bring on Shawn Moffitt for the potential game-winning field goal.

“We got the ball back with another opportunity and Speedy (Hall) was the guy,” Bortles said. “It was just taking advantage of our opportunities.

Moffitt took the field with two seconds remaining and calmly drilled the kick as time expired, giving UCF the three-point victory.

“I’ve never had one before,” Moffitt said of his game-winning field goal. “I’m glad I got the opportunity. My holder, my snapper … I love them. They all picked me up afterward. It was just a great feeling.”

Head coach George O’Leary said victories don’t usually happen like that. But he and the Knights are certainly thankful for the win.

“I told the players when they go to church tomorrow, make sure they’re in the front pew,” O’Leary said. “Somebody’s looking out for them. That’s why you never, never give up. That’s the resiliency of the team. It worked out well. It’s a good win. It’s not the prettiest of wins. But we made some big-time plays at the end of that game.”

Bortles completed 27 of his 38 pass attempts for a career-best 404 yards and four touchdowns. It was the 10th-best passing day in UCF history. Worton recorded 179 receiving yards and three touchdowns, both career-best marks. Hall had a career-best 159 yards receiving, as well. Storm Johnson rushed for 122 yards to lead the ground game. UCF rolled up 657 yards of offense, while Temple piled up 518 yards of its own.

The Knights led 29-28 on Worton’s second TD reception of the day. But Temple wouldn’t go away. Owls’ quarterback P.J. Walker engineered an eight-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard toss to Chris Parthemore. Another Walker-to-Parthemore connection on the 2-point conversion put the Owls up 36-29.

Walker passed for 382 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26-of-44 attempts with one interception to lead Temple’s offensive output.

UCF opened the scoring with a safety. Punter Caleb Houston pinned Temple at its own 1-yard line. Two plays later, Troy Gray stuffed Zaire Williams in the end zone to give the Knights a 2-0 lead midway through the first quarter. UCF went up 5-0 on a Shawn Moffitt 20-yard field goal three minutes later.

Temple took the lead 7-5 early in the second quarter when running back Jamie Gilmore hauled in a 32-yard pass from quarterback Walker. UCF quickly regained the advantage as William Stanback took a screen pass from Bortles 49 yards to make it 12-7. Walker rushed three yards for a score with 6:15 left in the first half to put the Owls on back on top 14-12. Storm Johnson and the Knights answered quickly. Johnson went 73 yards around the left end to give the Knights a first-and-goal at the Temple 8-yard line. Three plays and a holding penalty later, Bortles found Worton for a 4-yard TD pass to put UCF back on top 19-14.

But the wild second quarter wasn’t over yet. Walker and Robby Anderson responded almost as quickly for Temple with a 30-yard touchdown pass, putting Temple back in front 21-19. UCF capped the back-and-forth first half with a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Moffitt to take a 22-21 advantage into the halftime intermission.

Walker hit Anderson for a 75-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, putting Temple on top 28-22. The drive went 99 yards in five plays, after UCF failed to score on a fourth-and-goal at the Temple 1-yard line on its previous possession. The Owls took that six-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Trailing 28-22 more than halfway through the fourth quarter, Bortles led an 84-yard scoring drive. He capped the drive with a 38-yard toss to Worton. Moffitt’s PAT put UCF on top 29-28 with 6:15 remaining, setting up the wild finish.

Bortles led UCF to what might be its best regular-season win in program history as the Knights scored a 34-31 win at Penn State. Bortles completed 20 of 27 passes for 288 yards and matched his career high with three touchdown passes, extending his streak to 11 consecutive games with at least one TD pass. Bortles, who has thrown for 816 yards and seven touchdowns for the Knights, ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in pass efficiency (199.5).

The Oviedo product is the first UCF quarterback to get a win over a Big Ten team in program history, and he has helped give UCF a 3-0 record for the first time since 1988.

The last weekly offensive award handed out to a Knight was last season when Latavius Murray (Oct. 22) was honored by Conference USA. Murray is currently suiting up in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. For Bortles, it was his first weekly award of his career.

Monday also featured the announcement of the College Football Performance Awards weekly accolades with juniors Rannell Hall and J.J. Worton receiving honorable mention status.

It was the first shutout for UCF since defeating Memphis 41-0 on October 29, 2011. It was also the first time the Knights had held an opponent under 200 yards of total offense since the 2011 season. UCF out-gained the Panthers 390-173, averaging 6.6 yards per play, compared to just 3.0 for FIU.

“I thought we started off a little bit slow,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “But we made some big plays on offense. We gave them some yards on defense, but got stingy when we had to get stingy. We’ve just got to keep getting better in certain facets of the game. I thought we played with good effort. We got a chance to play a lot of kids tonight.”

The victory was important for the Knights who were part of a 17-10 loss at FIU during 2011. It was also important for UCF student-athletes from the Miami area, such as senior wide receiver Jeff Godfrey, who hauled in four passes for 33 yards.

“It means a lot,” Godfrey said. “We know what happened to us last time we came down here. We didn’t want that to happen again. We came out and got the job done on both sides (of the ball).”

While the UCF offense started a bit slowly, the Knights’ defense stifled FIU through the first quarter. The Knights eventually grabbed a 7-0 edge with 7:02 left in the first quarter when Blake Bortles bull-dozed into the end zone on a quarterback sneak from one yard out. The drive was kept alive by a long scramble from Bortles on third-and-15 and a 34-yard connection between Bortles and Rannell Hall.

One play into the second quarter, the Knights increased their advantage to 14-0. Storm Johnson reached pay dirt from two yards out. UCF had two touchdowns on the board before FIU managed a first down. The Panthers’ first set of fresh downs came on their first possession of the second quarter.

UCF increased its lead to 17-0 on a 37-yard Shawn Moffitt field goal that came midway through the second quarter. The drive included a gorgeous tip-toe catch on the sideline from Hall for a 28-yard gain.

The Knights increased their advantage to 24-0 when Johnson scampered in from 15 yards out with less than 4 minutes remaining in the first half. The drive was set up by a 59-yard bomb from Bortles to Hall that put Hall over 100 yards receiving for the game. He finished with a career-best 127 yards on the night.

UCF held that 24-0 advantage at the intermission. FIU missed a 34-yard field goal on the last play of the half, the closest the Panthers came to scoring in the contest.

Following a bad FIU snap that ended up being recovered by UCF at the FIU 17-yard line, Johnson scored third TD of the night – a career-best – to put UCF up 31-0. Four minutes later, Bortles found J.J. Worton from 5 yards out to make it 38-0 after three quarters. That put a cap on Bortles’ night, as he finished 12-of-19 for 214 yards and the one score.

Johnson rushed for 89 yards on 18 carries to go with his three scores. William Stanback added 55 yards on the ground. Terrance Plummer led the Knights’ defense with seven solo stops. Jordan Ozerities tallied six tackles, including two for loss of yardage.

UCF is back on the road again next week. The Knights travel to State College, Pa. for a Saturday matchup with the Big Ten’s Penn State Nittany Lions.

It was over when: After Ball State kicked a field goal to make the score 28-10, the Cardinals attempted an onsides kick. It didn’t work, and UCF needed just seven plays to turn that good field position into a touchdown. Blake Bortles found J.J. Worton for a 7-yard touchdown pass and a 35-10 lead. You couldn’t blame Ball State coach Pete Lembo for gambling, because his defense had no answers all night long for the Knights, who led 28-7 at halftime and controlled both sides of the ball.

Game ball goes to: Bortles. The sophomore quarterback bounced back from a rough day in the Conference USA title game loss to Tulsa for a terrific all-around performance. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for 79 yards and a score. Bortles did a great job of extending plays with his feet, especially in the red zone, and he didn’t turn the ball over. Running back Latavius Murray caught two of Bortles’ touchdown passes and ran for another.

Stat of the game: 68. That’s how many rushing yards Ball State had in the game. The Cardinals averaged 214 rushing yards per game this season but couldn’t find much room against UCF’s defense and had to play from behind all night. Bortles outrushed Ball State all by himself.

Unsung hero of the game: UCF freshman receiver Breshad Perriman had five catches for 90 yards, helping set up two first-half scores. Perriman had only 298 receiving yards in the regular season.

What it means: UCF won its second bowl game and first since downing Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl. The Knights seniors became the winningest class in school history with their 34th victory. A 10-win season should set the program up well for its entry next season into the Big East, however that league may end up looking. … A strong season by Ball State ended with familiar disappointment. The program is now 0-6 all time in bowls.

The UCF defense forced four UTEP turnovers and also came up big following a few special teams miscues to help keep the Miners at bay. Leading the defensive effort were Ray Shipman with 14 total tackles, Kemal Ishmael with 10 stops and an interception and E.J. Dunston with seven tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

UCF led 24-10 in the fourth quarter. But a pair of UTEP touchdowns, one on a Blair Sullivan 2-yard run and one on a 69-yard Nathan Jeffery gallop tied it at 24-24 with less than seven minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Knights moved inside UTEP territory on a pass interference call. One play later, Murray squirted up the middle, broke loose and sprinted 46 yards for the game-winner.

With the game tied 7-7 early in the second quarter, UTEP blocked a UCF punt and took over at the Knights’ 1-yard line. But the Knights’ defense stood tall, stonewalling two run plays and forcing an overthrow on third down. The Miners converted on a field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 12:48 left in the first half.

A muffed punt on a fair-catch attempt midway through the second quarter gave UTEP possession in UCF territory. But the Knight defense came up big again, forcing and recovering a fumble.

UCF opened the scoring on the first possession of the game. Blake Bortles scrambled to his left and found Jeff Godfrey free in the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown pass, giving the Knights a 7-0 advantage. Nathan Jeffery capped a 75-yard drive for UTEP to answer the Knights midway through the first period. A two-yard touchdown plunge for Jeffery tied the game at 7-7.

Bortles gave UCF the lead late in the second quarter. He capped an 18-play, 88-yard drive with a 2-yard bootleg around the left end to put the Knights on top 14-10 with 28 seconds left until intermission. But the Knights weren’t done for the first half. A UTEP fumble was recovered by UCF’s Troy Davis at the Miners’ 35-yard line. UCF converted that turnover into a Shawn Moffitt 30-yard field goal to take a 17-10 advantage at halftime.

UCF had a field-goal attempt blocked late in the third quarter. But the UCF defense once again made plays when they had to. UTEP’s ensuing possession stalled, forcing a 47-yard field goal attempt that was wide left.

UCF widened the margin to 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Knights drove 71 yards in four plays, highlighted by a Bortles-to-Rannell Hall 56-yard completion. Rob Calabrese took the snap, handed it to Quincy McDuffie, who then pitched it to Bortles, who was lined up as a wide receiver. Bortles then tossed it to Hall, who was finally dragged down inside the UTEP 20. Three plays later, Bortles scrambled 15 yards for the TD, diving across the goal line between a pair of Miner defenders.

UTEP answered that score with a 10-play, 79-yard drive. Miner QB Sullivan rushed for a two-yard score one play after a UCF interception in the end zone was taken away due to a pass interference penalty. UTEP’s Nathan Jeffery tied the game at 24-24 the next time UTEP touched the ball on his 69-yard scoring run with 6:49 remaining.

That set up Murray’s sprint up the middle to give UCF the lead for good.

Looking to avenge a 17-10 loss from a year ago in Miami to the Panthers (1-2), UCF came out with a well-balanced attack that went well over 350 yards for the third-straight week. The Knights totaled 431 yards, including 170 on the ground and 261 through the air.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles had a career day with 251 yards on 20-of-30 passing, including a pair of TD passes to wideouts J.J. Worton (5 rec. for 94 yards) and Rannell Hall (2 rec. for 63 yards). On the ground, running backs Storm Johnson and Brynn Harveyran for 78 and 73 yards, respectively, with Harvey notching his 19th-career rushing touchdown.

“It’s a good win. I think you can always `what if?’ `What if it you fall on that ball, what if you do this.’ We go back and look at the tape and make the corrections and hopefully the kids can improve on those,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said after the game.

Taking in the first action from BHNS since Nov. 25 of last year, UCF fans packed the stands on a beautiful 87-degree afternoon. O’Leary was pleased with the turnout and especially enjoyed the raucous environment.

“I think (the fans) were great,” O’Leary added about the 40,478 in attendance. “I think they were loud and into the game. That is what you need. I was pleased with the student body. That’s where the traditions come from.”

UCF will enjoy its bye week prior to hosting its first SEC opponent in Missouri on Sept. 29. Game time is scheduled to be announced Monday afternoon.

After a dominant first half by UCF to limit FIU to just 26 yards and a 23-0 score, the Panthers’ halftime adjustments paid off as Jake Medlock, who completed just one pass in the first half, went 4-for-4 on the first drive after the break, including a 5-yard dump-off pass to running back Kedrick Rhodes to bring FIU within striking distance.

Two possessions following the FIU score, a duo of former UCF signal-callers put the Knights up, 30-7. After a 47-yard hookup between Bortles and Hall and an 11-yard rush by Harvey, senior Rob Calabrese took the snap in the “Wild Knight” formation and handed off to Jeff Godfrey, who made it a Miami-to-Miami connection when he hit Worton for the touchdown from 10 yards out. It was the 19th-career TD pass for the junior.

“That was amazing to get to throw the ball again,” Godfrey said about the play. “I haven’t thrown all preseason, so to go out there and throw that touchdown made me feel like a quarterback again.”

Worton added: “It was assigned that if it was man (coverage), then he (Jeff) would run it and I would block, which it was man, but he was generous enough to throw it to me and I made the play on it.”

FIU wouldn’t go away quietly as it received a pair of Darian Mallary rushing touchdowns to make it 30-20 prior to the point-after attempt. With the Panthers going for two to make it a one-possession game, the UCF defense stepped up and made Medlock miss on an attempt in the middle of the end zone.

That would be as close as the Panthers would get as the defense buckled down and salted the game away. UCF’s pass rush was relentless all game as senior Troy Davis sacked Medlock twice, including two forced fumbles which tied the UCF single-game record. Linebacker Terrance Plummer registered the Knights’ sixth fumble recovery of the season and led the squad in tackles for the second-straight game with 11.

UCF got on the scoreboard first on its second series of the game with a six-play, 49-yard drive fueled by a 36-yard connection from Bortles to Worton. Fullback Billy Giovanetti, who tied a career-high with three receptions in the game, caught a four-yard flare in the left flat and crossed the goal line for his second receiving touchdown of 2012, and third of his career.

The Knights tacked on two more after an FIU snap went over punter Jack Griffin’s head and out of the end zone. It was the first safety for UCF since Oct. 8, 2011, against Marshall.

Bortles set his new career-high for touchdown passes in a season in the second quarter on a 16-yard dart to the right flat to Hall, who did the rest of the work by breaking three tackles on his way to his third TD reception of the season. Harvey followed that up with his four-yard TD plunge before the end of the half.

UCF football season tickets are currently available for as low as $140, while single-game tickets and flex plans are also on sale. For more information and to place an order, call the UCF Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com. Attending a UCF football game is a great way to celebrate birthdays, corporate outings or any special occasion. Please ask about group packages today.