Despite 23 days passing since its last game, UCF came out clicking on Saturday afternoon. The result was a 38-10 road victory over Maryland.
The Knights (2-0, 0-0 AAC) fell behind the Terrapins (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) 3-0 early, but came roaring back. Junior Taj McGowan ran for two touchdowns to put UCF up 14-3 at halftime before sophomore McKenzie Milton connected with senior Jordan Akins on a six-yard touchdown early in the second half. From there, the Knights rolled.
Junior kicker Matthew Wright added a field goal before sophomore Adrian Killins extended the lead with a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Junior transfer Mike Hughes put the exclamation point on the win with a 57-yard pick six late in the fourth quarter.
Both teams saw some unfortunate injuries early on. For UCF, it was sophomore running back Jawon Hamilton going down and not returning. For Maryland, it was freshman quarterback Kasim Hill. The loss of Hill limited the Terps offense in a big way, which led to a huge day for the UCF defense. The Terps put up just 197 yards and converted on just two of 13 third downs.
UCF finished the day with 428 yards, including 250 on the ground.
The 2-0 start is the first for the Knights since 2013, when they went 12-1 and won the Fiesta Bowl. Saturday also marked their first win over a Power Five opponent since Jan. 1, 2014 against Baylor.
UCF returns to Spectrum Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 30, to host Memphis. Kickoff for the conference opener is set for 7 p.m.
