The UCF Knights Once Again Win The War on I-4 over the USF Bulls

By on November 27, 2021
Photo-Mark Matson

Under a cloudy sky at the Bounce House, the home of the University of Central Florida Knights, the home team did just enough to seal a win over the University Of South Florida Bulls in the War On I4. Aptly labeled as both teams are on either ends of this stretch of highway that bisects the state. With the win the Knights took their fifth straight win in the series.

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

The Knights started the game off a with a well-balanced attack on a 57-yard 10 play drive that mixed both passing and running equally. But the South Florida Bulls defense stiffened when it counted, and the drive stalled at the 18-yard line. With a chance to score first, kicker Daniel Obarski missed on a 35-yard field goal attempt.

Photo-Mark Matson

After a series by the South Florida Bulls that netted -1 yard. The Knights were back on the attack and drew first blood with an eight play 63-yard drive that put the Knights up 7 – 0 on a Parker Navarro 3-yard run.

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

The South Florida Bills would come right back and tie things up with a twelve play 72-yard drive that would take 6 minutes off the clock and close out the first quarter. The drive was capped off with quarterback Timmy McClain running it in himself. While the drive was successful, the Bulls committed several penalties on it which would be part of their undoing throughout the game. With multiple false starts and ineligible man downfield penalties this squarely put them on their backfoot at all the wrong times.

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

With Both teams equally punting twice and missing a field goal attempt in the second quarter it looked like the half would come to an end tied. With the South Florida Bulls punting, Knights punt returner/wide receiver Titus Mokia-Atimalala returned the ball thirty-nine yards to the South Florida Bulls 27-yard line. Quarterback Mikey Keene and the rest of his Knights teammates drove the final twenty-seven yards in six plays and capped it off with a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Brandon Johnson to pull ahead 14 – 7 with just 11 seconds left in the first half.

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

The first two series of the second half by the South Florida Bulls were both solid drives. But were both stalled by false start penalties that ultimately netted the team two field goals to draw the to within one point. When the Knights had a chance to respond they did with a well timed ten play 61-yard drive that took up 5:24 of the clock. They drove down to the South Florida Bulls 14-yard line but could only come away with a field goal to put them up 17-14.

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

With less than three minutes to go and eighty yards to the end zone, the game was put on the shoulders of South Florida Bulls true freshman quarterback Timmy McClain. After a quick completion and a sack, McClain was chased out of the pocket and made a poor throw that was intercepted, but the play was negated by an offsides by the Knights. After the South Florida Bulls made it down to the twenty-six-yard line, McClain used his feet on successive plays to get down to the Knights three-yard line setting up an exciting and improbable finish to the game.

Photo-Mark Matson

But that would be as far as they would get as the Knights defense sacked McClain who went down to his knee and threw the ball which was picked off. As the referees reviewed the final play of the game, they determined that McClain was down negating the interception, but time had expired giving the Knights the win.

Photo-Mark Matson

With the win the Knights finished the season 8-4 with an undefeated record at home as well as getting at least eight wins in the last four out of five seasons. While the South Florida Bulls end the year at 2-7 and 1-7 in AAC play. But McClain has shown flashes of more and this should be an improved team next season

More Pics from The Game From Mark Matson

Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson
Photo-Mark Matson

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