No. 17 UCF rallies for 39-36 win over Temple

November 16, 2013|By Iliana Limón Romero, Orlando Sentinel

No. 17 UCF rallied for a dramatic 39-36 win at Temple, earning the victory with a 24-yard Shawn Moffitt field goal as time expired. 

The game has featured 10 lead changes, with Temple pushing UCF on both sides of the ball.

Blake Bortles connected with J.J Worton for an acrobatic 30-yard touchdown pass. Shawn Moffitt hit the extra point to tie the wild back-and-forth game with 1:06 left in the contest. 

UCF's defense then earned a stop and the Knights got the ball back with 19 seconds left on the clock. 

Bortles connected with Rannell Hall for a 64 yard gain through the heart of the Owls defense, moving the ball to the Temple 6-yard line. After the Knights spiked the ball, Moffitt hit the game-winning field goal with two seconds left. 

"Just great," UCF coach George O'Leary said when asked by ESPN's broadcast crew about the play of Bortles and his receivers late. "Outstanding throws, outstanding catches. Just very happy for our team, but we're very fortunate today."

UCF improved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the American Athletic Conference, while Temple dropped to 1-9 overall and 0-6 in AAC play. 

When he was asked what the come-back win meant for his program, O'Leary said, "It puts us still in first place. And credit to Temple. I thought they played a whale of a game."

The Knights are 8-1 for the first time in school history. The team has already earned highest top 25 rankings in school history, checking in at No. 17 in the latest BCS standings, No. 15 in the Associated Press top 25 poll and No. 19 in the USA Today coaches' poll.

Despite entering the game with just one win, Temple challenged UCF from the opening kickoff. 

After UCF's first offensive drive sputtered, the Knights pinned Temple at the 1-yard line. UCF's Troy Gray and Jordan Ozerities would later wrap up Zaire Williams in the end zone for a safety. The Knights claimed a 2-0 lead with 6:39 left in the first quarter. UCF got the ball at about midfield after the ensuing kickoff. 

The Knights used two long runs to get inside the 5-yard line, but they could not punch the ball into the end zone. Moffitt hit a 20-yard field goal to give UCF a 5-0 lead with 3:35 left in the first quarter.

Temple pounced on its next possession, nearly pulling off a trick play for a touchdown. A few players later, Owls quarterback P.J. Walker connected with Jaime Gilmore for a 32-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made the score 7-5 with 13:48 left in the second quarter. 

Bortles and Will Stanback got the UCF offense back on track. Bortles passed to Stanback, who is from Uniondale, N.Y., and had a lot of fans in the stands, for a 49-yard touchdown. Moffitt hit the extra point to make the score 12-7 with 11:08 left in the second quarter. 

The Knights' secondary, however, continued to struggle against the Owls. Walker rushed for a 3-yard touchdown and Temple hit the extra point, taking a 14-12 lead with 6:15 left in the second quarter.  

Storm Johnson gave the Knights a jolt with a career-long 73-yard run before getting pushed out at the 8-yard line. Johnson appeared to rush for an 8-yard touchdown on the next play, but UCF was called for holding. Under pressure, Bortles would eventually connect with Worton for a 4-yard touchdown catch. With the extra point, UCF reclaimed the 19-14 lead with 3:56 left in the second quarter. 

Temple would counter with a Walker 30-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Anderson. With the extra point, the Owls pulled back ahead 21-19 with 2:13 left in the second quarter. 

Bortles connected with J.J. Worton for two dramatic passes, narrowly staying in bounds to extend a late drive. Bortles tried to connect with Jeff Godrey in the corner of the end zone, but the ball sailed high and Godfrey couldn't haul it in for a touchdown. Moffitt hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Knights a 22-21 as time expired during the second quarter.

UCF stalled on its first possession of the second half, but the defense came up with a stop.

The Knights later drove the ball to the Temple 1-yard line, but Bortles could not connect with a pair of tight ends in the end zone on fourth down. The Owls took over with 4:50 left in the third quarter. 

Temple dodged a potential safety and drove the ball 99 yards to score on the Knights. Walker connected with Anderson for a 75-yard touchdown. With the extra point, Temple took a 28-22 lead with 3:31 left in the third quarter. 

After both teams stalled early in the fourth quarter, UCF came up with a big stop on defense and scoring drive when the Knights needed it most. 

Bortles connected with Worton for a 38-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point, UCF claimed a 29-28 lead at the 6:37 mark in the fourth quarter. 

Brandon Alexander, a former walk-on from Orlando's Evans High, delivered an interception on the next possession that quickly gave the Knights the ball back.

However, UCF's offense quickly was forced to punt.

Walker connected with Chris Parthemore for a 7-yard touchdown, then went back to him for the two-point conversion. Temple took the 36-29 lead with 2:04 left in the game. 

Bortles and Worton, however, would give UCF a big lift and tie the game within the next minute. The UCF defense got another stop and Bortles led the game-winning drive.

Check back soon for postgame coverage. 

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