UCF defeated Western Michigan 31-27 on Saturday, marking their first Mid-American Conference win in school history. After starting the season 0-3, the Knights have won their last two games, and don’t plan on ending that streak just yet. 

“Since we had that [0-3] start, we’ve talked about winning out,” said UCF Coach Mike Kruczek. “This was No. 2. We’ve got seven more to go.” 

The Knights success is owed in large part to the excellent play of Ryan Schneider, who has thrown for 750 yards in his past two games. With tailbacks Alex Haynes and Keith Williams sidelined with ankle injuries, UCF was forced to run an abundance of passing plays against Western Michigan. Schneider showed he was up to the challenge, completing 31 of 45 passes for 341 yards. 

Although the Broncos intercepted Schneider twice, they were unable to stop his 12-yard touchdown pass to Doug Gabriel with 14:30 left in the game. The score gave UCF its first lead of the day, and they would not relinquish it. 

Schneider and the Knights offense showed their efficiency with  a 76-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ate almost seven minutes off the clock. The impressive march was capped by a Matt Prater field goal with 5:46 left in the game, giving the Knights a 31-27 lead. 

The UCF defense allowed the Broncos to score touchdowns on their first two possessions of the day, but would give up nothing on their last. Chad Munson’s pass towards the corner of the end-zone could have given Western Michigan the lead with 36 seconds remaining. Instead, it was intercepted by Asante Samuel at the 2-yard line, and UCF came away with its first road victory in more than a year. 

“They picked on the wrong guy,” said Kruczek when asked about Western Michigan’s decision to throw in Samuel’s direction on their last possession. 

Samuel and the Knights defense were stingy in the second-half, giving up just 6 points and allowing the offense to put the Broncos away. The Knights recorded 4 sacks on the day to go along with 3 interceptions, and will need to keep making big plays if their winning streak is going to extend past next week. 

The Knights will play host on Saturday to Toledo, the defending league champion.

Return to Home