The 2019 season had not lived up to all of UCF’s expectations, but Friday night’s prime time rivalry match-up gave the Knights a chance to extend a couple of big streaks.
And UCF did exactly that, topping rival South Florida 34-7 for its third straight War on I4 win and 21st straight home win. Dillon Gabriel had a solid outing, completing 23 of 39 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.
UCF’s offense got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, putting up just seven points in the first quarter. But it didn’t hurt the Knights too much as the Bulls’ offense was practically nonexistent.
USF was penalized seven times for 50 yards in the fist half alone, and didn’t come anywhere near the endzone as the UCF defense clamped down, earning an interception and seven tackles for loss before halftime.
The Knights’ offense finally got going in the second quarter, with Gabriel throwing accurate passes downfield and Adrian Killins cutting up the Bulls’ defense with ease. UCF went into halftime with a commanding 24-0 lead, with Killins having already rushed for over 100 yards.
The second half was much of the same for both teams, with UCF continuing to put up points while mostly holding off the struggling USF offense. The Knights went on to cruise to a 27-point victory.
UCF did not qualify for the AAC Championship, but will find out next week which bowl it will be invited to.