UCF Tops RedHawks In First Meeting

Kevin Deutsch 

Knightsnews Staff Writer

UCF proved it belonged amongst the top teams in the MAC Saturday, when they defeated Miami-Ohio 48-31. Although the season is nearly over and Marshalls’ win meant that the Knights would not finish first in the MAC East, UCF is excited none the less about ending their season on a positive note.

 “Beating Miami was big,” said UCF linebacker Chris Pilinko. “A lot of people picked them to finish ahead of us and they thought they were a better team. So that was big for us. Especially going on the road in the cold and beating them like we did. I think it showed some people that we’re a good team.”

Ryan Schneider was brilliant once again in the Knights pouncing of the RedHawks, throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Haynes also continued his success in the Knights ground game, rushing for a career high 156 yards and two touchdowns.

 “This is how we expected to play all year long.,” said UCF offensive lineman Taylor Robertson about the Knights’ offense. “Unfortunately it took us the last few games of the season to get going. The way we’re playing now is good and we want to finish out the year strong.”

Despite the total offensive statistics weighing heavily in the Knights’ favor, UCF did not look strong in the opening minutes against Miami-Ohio. The RedHawks got out to a 10-0 lead in the cold weather, and UCF looked as flat as the score suggested.

That’s when the offense and defense suddenly clicked, looking better than they had all year, and the Knights scored 35 unanswered points.

The deficit was too much for Miami to overcome, and in beating another quality football team, the Knights may have sent a message to their conference foes that they are here to stay.

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