Ryan Schneider threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, leading the Knights to a 28-17 victory over the Akron Zips. It was their first Mid-American Conference win at home, and the Citrus Bowl faithful were not disappointed with their teams’ field-general, or his homecoming attack.

Tavaris Capers, Jimmy Fryzel, and Mario Jackson were all on the receiving end of Schneider touchdowns, in a game where the UCF quarterback completed 22-28 passes. After an early interception, Schneider found his groove and had a streak of 11 straight completions.

The Knights running backs combined for just 81 rushing yards on the day, so success in the passing game was a necessity.

“I just try to drop back and find guys and throw it to them,” said Schneider. “It doesn’t really matter who it is. All the receivers stepped up today and played great.”

An efficient offense almost wasn’t enough for the Golden Knights, who were down 10-7 at the end of the first quarter after an Akron field goal, and a 5-yard touchdown pass from holder Jay Rohr to Micah Faler on a field-goal fake.

Alex Haynes’ 1-yard touchdown run early in the second half made the score 14-10, and UCF’s defense managed to keep them ahead for the rest of the game.

“We got stops when we had to,” said Knights defensive end Elton Patterson, who sacked Akron quarterback Charlie Frye three times.

The Knights were also aided by Akron mistakes. The Zips fumbled six times, twice resulting in a change of possession. Additionally, they were penalized 11 times for 81 yards and allowed 6 sacks.

 Despite all their errors, Akron managed to  keep the game close. Charlie Frye brought the Zips to within 4 in the third quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run, Making the score 21-17.

Tavaris Capers insured victory for the Knights though early in the fourth, catching a 35-yard touchdown pass from Schneider after a 9-play, 99 yard drive.

The win propelled the Knights to a 3-4 record, with two of those victories coming against conference opponents. Since their entrance into the MAC, the Knights have frequently been involved in tight games, their past three having been decided by a total of just 18 points.

“Man, I’m getting tired of these close ones,” said UCF tailback Alex Haynes. “We don’t need to have them all be close.”

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