{"id":22908,"date":"2017-10-01T01:18:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-01T05:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.ngscsports.com\/?p=22908"},"modified":"2020-08-20T11:55:08","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T15:55:08","slug":"22908","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ngscsports.com\/2017\/10\/01\/22908\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Declaws Memphis Tigers, 40-13"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 49 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

ORLANDO –<\/strong>The air was thick with hype as the University of Central Florida hosted the Memphis Tigers at Spectrum Stadium.<\/p>\n

This match had potential to be “the unstoppable force versus the immovable object” battle every football fan hopes<\/a> for in a struggle to stay undefeated. For both teams, this was the first game facing a fellow member of the American Athletic Conference.<\/p>\n

Either squad was also undefeated going into this game with Memphis at 3-0 and the Knights at 2-0. And both squads rolled to the stadium with victories against Power 5 conference teams recorded this season. As it turned out, we got a blowout instead of a battle as the Black and Gold declawed the Tigers, 40-13.<\/p>\n

UCF’s opening drive started on their eight-yard line.\u00a0 After\u00a0three first downs, the Knights faced a 3rd and 12.\u00a0 Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton\u00a0dodged edge pressure from the Tigers that he\u00a0turned into a will-imposing 12-yard jaunt to continue the drive. \u00a0After\u00a0five 1st downs, Memphis\u00a0held their opponents out of the end zone for a 4th and\u00a0one on the goal line.\u00a0\u00a0Head Coach Scott Frost opted to forego the field goal\u00a0which paid off when Taj McGowan blasted through to cap off a 17-play, 92-yard\u00a0drive\u00a0for a 6-0 lead after a missed two-point conversion.<\/p>\n

McGowan finished with another strong showing posting 12 carries for 63 yards on the night. Milton would finish the night 19-for-31 for 253 yards and a trio of touchdown passes while adding 88 yards on 11 carries.<\/p>\n

Memphis’s offense came onto the field with their first drive to answer the early score led by Tiger quarterback, Riley Ferguson.\u00a0 The only blues they felt then were their team colors\u00a0marching straight down the field like a knife through warm butter for 71 yards\u00a0in less than three minutes.\u00a0 Running back Patrick Taylor capped the drive with a two-yard run for six. Taylor recorded\u00a0nine carries for 29 yards as the second leading rusher for his school behind star runner Darrell Henderson and his six for\u00a048-yard performance\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Later in the first quarter, the Tigers would end a drive with a pair of blunders that would impact their performance into a downward spiral.\u00a0 On a 3rd and one\u00a0at the UCF 34-yard line\u00a0with less than\u00a0eight\u00a0minutes\u00a0in the quarter,\u00a0Ferguson hit Tiger\u00a0wide receiver Anthony Miller\u00a0 in the hands for a sure first down which was dropped.\u00a0 Thinking they wouldn’t be denied, Memphis Head Coach Mike Norvell opted to go for it on 4th down. Knights Defensive End Tony Guerard tackled the runner for a loss of six yards giving his team the ball on their 40-yard line.\u00a0 The Knights failed to capitalize with a\u00a0Milton interception in the end zone for a touchback hauled in by the Cats DB TJ Carter, but Memphis still lost out on a opportunity for points of their own.<\/p>\n

The score stayed 7-6 in favor of the Tigers until the Knights kicker, Matthew Wright, booted in a 28 yarder making the score 9-7.\u00a0 On the next drive, Memphis began to move the ball with a promising chance to answer a UCF score once again to change the lead.\u00a0 Riley Ferguson completed 71 yards on\u00a0four consecutive completions to get the ball on\u00a0the Knights’ five-yard line.\u00a0 After an incompletion from a pass defended in the end zone, last year’s AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Shaquem Griffin strip-sacked Ferguson.\u00a0 UCF’s linebacker Pat Jasinski recovered the fumble to end the Tigers drive. From that play on, the\u00a0Memphis field general\u00a0seemed nervous in the pocket for the rest of the game recording three interceptions on his stat sheet<\/a> that also featured 27-49 for 55 percent and 321 yards with a touchdown on the game’s final play.<\/p>\n

Before the end of the half, UCF would post two more touchdowns from running back Adrian Killins on a 96-yard blaze\u00a0and a Tre’Quan Smith reception for 34 yards to light up a 23-7 halftime score.\u00a0 Killins’ score is the longest play from scrimmage in school history.<\/p>\n

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“NOBODY IS GOING TO STOP THIS GUY”<\/p>\n

Truer words may not have been spoken ????<\/p>\n

AK…96YDS…????#UCFast<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/66g1XMlNsk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UCF Football (@UCF_Football) October 1, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n