UCF opened AAC play with a 41-19 win over SMU on Wednesday night inside FBC Mortgage Stadium.
The game was a tale of two halves as the Knights trailed 13-10 at the break but flipped a switch by outscoring the Mustangs 31-6 after halftime.
After totaling 145 yards of offense in the opening half, UCF recorded 339 in the second frame while scoring on 4 of 7 offensive drives.
UCF’s defense allowed SMU to record 476 total yards but found success in key moments. The Mustangs struggled on third and fourth downs and turned the ball over twice.
Knights coach Gus Malzahn spoke highly of his team’s performance.
“Hats off to SMU,” he said after the win. “They’re a really good team. We played our best game. In the second half, we started opening up the offense and got some rhythm going.”
With the win, Malzahn earned his first win against the Mustangs in his second meeting against the program.
Before the Knights turn their attention to Temple next Thursday night, here’s what we learned from UCF’s 22-point win:
1. John Rhys Plumlee responds again
The rollercoaster of a season for the UCF quarterback shifted upward again vs. SMU.
After throwing for just 49 yards against Georgia Tech, Plumlee crossed 300 yards for the third time this year. Two of the three 300-yard performances have come after he’s thrown for less than 150 yards in the week prior.
Plumlee was accurate again as well, matching his season-high competition rate at 69% while averaging 10.4 yards a pass.
Things began to click for him midway through the second quarter when he completed 5-of-5 passes for 59 yards on a drive that resulted in an Isaiah Bowser rushing touchdown to tie the score at 10 with 5:49 left.
Then Plumlee caught fire. Here’s a breakdown of his numbers:
First half: 10-of-17 for 90 yards, 0 touchdowns
Second half: 10-of-12 for 226 yards, 2 touchdowns
While he wasn’t as effective running the ball vs. SMU — recording a season-low 27 yards on 11 carries — Plumlee showed once again that he can bounce back from a poor passing performance.
The key, of course, moving forward will be keeping it up.
“That’s the standard of this offense,” Plumlee said. “We’re looking to build on that, but yes I think that is sustainable.”
2. Ryan O’Keefe is still dangerous
After ending last year on a high note, recording 85 yards on 7 catches and 1 touchdown to go with 110 yards on 4 carries against Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl, O’Keefe started this season much slower.
Prior to Wednesday night, he had yet to record more than 75 receiving yards in a game and still was searching for his first touchdown of the season.
He finally found that first score and more against the Mustangs.
O’Keefe returned to his old ways by totaling 117 yards and a team-high 2 touchdowns.
The senior showed off his speed when he caught a jet sweep pass behind the line of scrimmage from Plumlee and turned on the burners to score from 58 yards out early in the fourth quarter.
O’Keefe’s success helped other Knights, such as Javon Baker (138 yards) and Kobe Hudson (53), in the passing game as well. Although they didn’t score, they recorded individual season-high receiving yards.
“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands,” Malzahn said about O’Keefe. “The speed sweep put the game away. Our best players need to play their best games.”
3. Andrew Osteen remains in the mix
After being replaced by Australian native Mitch McCarthy in the last two games, Osteen returned to the field to share punting duties with him.
While McCarthy booted the ball 5 times for 207 yards to average 41 yards a punt, it was the placement of Osteen’s two punts that made the difference.
Osteen was surgical in landing both of his punts inside SMU’s 5-yard line — the second of which UCF’s defense forced a safety by sacking Tanner Mordecai in his own end zone.
“That was two of the bigger plays of the game,” Malzahn said about Osteen’s punts. “[The safety] helped change the game. Osteen did a great job.”
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
