NCAAF Game Recap
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UCF at MarshallMon Dec 23, 2019 2:30 PM EST
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Central Florida is best known for a high-powered offense, but the Knights are capable of big plays on defense, too.
Richie Grant and Tre'mon Morris-Brash had first-quarter defensive touchdowns, Dillon Gabriel led three third-quarter scoring drives and UCF beat Marshall 48-25 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Monday.
"We finished the season the right way," UCF coach Josh Heupel said. "The turnovers were critical. I thought defensively we started about as fast as you can."
Grant had a 39-yard interception return on Marshall's third play from scrimmage 56 seconds into the game, and Morris-Brash recovered a fumble and ran it 55 yards for a score that helped UCF go up 21-0 with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Gabriel threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Otis Anderson, connected on a 75-yard score with Marlon Williams, and added a 3-yard TD run as UCF went ahead 45-22 with 6:39 remaining in the third.
Gabriel completed 14 of 24 passes for 260 yards as the Knights (10-3) reached 10 or more wins in a school-record third consecutive season. Williams caught seven passes for 132 yards and Greg McCrae had 80 rushing yards on 14 carries.
"We're happy with the 10-3, but at the same time we know what we could have done," Gabriel said.
Isaiah Green went 9 of 23 for 173 yards with a TD and had a rushing touchdown for Marshall (8-5). Brenden Knox, the Conference USA MVP, had 103 yards on 26 carries.
"I thought our kids fought their tail off," Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. "They fought the entire game."
Green had a 3-yard rushing touchdown and hit Willie Johnson on a 70-yard TD pass, and Justin Rohrwasser made a 50-yard field goal during the third quarter.
Marshall got within 21-7 with 12:28 to go in the second when Micah Abraham picked off backup quarterback Darriel Mack Jr.'s pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.
Abraham's father, Donnie, played his home games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-01) at Raymond James Stadium, the site of the Gasparilla Bowl.
McCrae had a 26-yard TD run early in the first and Dylan Barnas made a 36-yard field goal as time expired as UCF took a 24-7 halftime advantage.
THE TAKEAWAY
UCF: The Knights had no letdown after playing in New Year's Day bowl games the previous two seasons, beating Auburn two years ago in the Peach Bowl and losing to LSU in the last season's Fiesta Bowl.
"You look at this season, there's goals that we didn't accomplish, right?" Heupel said. "But I hope we never get to the point as a program and a fan base where fans and outside voices aren't really appreciative of what our kids do every single day."
Marshall: It was the first bowl loss for the Thundering Herd under Holliday, who entered 6-0 in bowls at the school. Knox, a sophomore, topped 100 yards rushing for the seventh time.
STRANGE STATS
UCF lead 21-0 after the first quarter despite being outgained 133-86. Marshall, however, had three turnovers. The Knights had a 168-0 yardage advantage during the second quarter and were outscored 7-3.
STANDOUT `D'
UCF linebacker Nate Evans finished with 12 tackles and a sack. Defensive back Antwan Collier made six tackles, recovered two fumbles and had an interception.
UP NEXT
UCF: Hosts North Carolina on Sept. 3 to open the 2020 season.
Marshall: Begins the 2020 season at East Carolina on Sept. 5.
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Passing
UCF | Att | Cmp | % | TD-Pa | Yds-Pa | LgPa | Int | Rat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D. Gabriel | 24 | 14 | 58.3 | 2 | 260 | 75 | 0 | 123.6 |
D. Mack Jr. | 7 | 3 | 42.9 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 10.7 |
Marsh | Att | Cmp | % | TD-Pa | Yds-Pa | LgPa | Int | Rat |
I. Green | 23 | 9 | 39.1 | 1 | 173 | 70 | 2 | 44.3 |
A. Thomson | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 110.4 |
Rushing
UCF | Att | Yds-Ru | Avg | LgRu | TDRu |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G. McCrae | 14 | 80 | 5.7 | 26 | 1 |
B. Thompson | 9 | 74 | 8.2 | 45 | 0 |
Marsh | Att | Yds-Ru | Avg | LgRu | TDRu |
B. Knox | 26 | 103 | 4.0 | 22 | 0 |
W. Johnson | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 | 0 |
Receiving
UCF | Rec | Yds-Rc | Avg | LgRc | TD-Rc |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M. Williams | 7 | 132 | 18.9 | 75 | 1 |
O. Anderson | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 35 | 1 |
Marsh | Rec | Yds-Rc | Avg | LgRc | TD-Rc |
W. Johnson | 1 | 70 | 70.0 | 70 | 1 |
A. Levias | 3 | 67 | 22.3 | 32 | 0 |
Fumbles
UCF | F | FL |
---|---|---|
M. Williams | 1 | 0 |
Marsh | F | FL |
A. Levias | 1 | 1 |
B. Knox | 1 | 1 |
Returning
UCF | KR | Avg | KRTD | LgKR | PR | Avg | TD | LgPR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M. Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5.5 | 0 | 8 | |
O. Anderson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 | |
Marsh | KR | Avg | KRTD | LgKR | PR | Avg | TD | LgPR |
L. Papillon | 6 | 23.0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
T. Keaton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 | 0 | 22 |
Punting
UCF | Punt | Yds | Avg | LgPu |
---|---|---|---|---|
A. Osteen | 4 | 158 | 39.5 | 46 |
Marsh | Punt | Yds | Avg | LgPu |
R. LeFevre | 4 | 191 | 47.8 | 51 |
Takeaways
UCF | Int | Yds | InTD |
---|---|---|---|
R. Grant | 1 | 39 | 1 |
A. Collier | 1 | 34 | 0 |
Marsh | Int | Yds | InTD |
M. Abraham | 1 | 75 | 1 |
Team Stats Comparison
UCF | Marsh | |
---|---|---|
Points For | 48 | 25 |
Total Yards | 587 | 361 |
Rushing Yards | 310 | 167 |
Passing Yards | 277 | 194 |
Passing Completions / Attempts | 17/31 | 11/25 |
Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 2 |
Fumbles - Lost | 2/0 | 4/3 |
First Downs | 25 | 19 |
Penalties - Yards | 10/93 | 8/67 |
Time Of Possession | 40:40 | 20:20 |
Third Down Conversions/Attempts | 7/16 | 7/15 |
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts | 1/2 | 0/1 |
Punts - Average Yards | 4/40 | 4/48 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter | UCF | Marsh | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UCF | 00:56 | TD | Richie Grant 39 yd interception return (Dylan Barnas kick) | 7 | 0 |
UCF | 05:48 | TD | Greg McCrae 26 yd run (Dylan Barnas kick) | 14 | 0 |
UCF | 08:00 | TD | Tre'mon Morris-Brash 55 yd fumble return (Dylan Barnas kick) | 21 | 0 |
2nd Quarter | UCF | Marsh | |||
Marsh | 02:32 | TD | Micah Abraham 75 yd interception return (Justin Rohrwasser kick) | 21 | 7 |
UCF | 15:00 | FG | Dylan Barnas 36 yd FG | 24 | 7 |
3rd Quarter | UCF | Marsh | |||
UCF | 02:10 | TD | Otis Anderson 35 yd pass from Dillon Gabriel (Dylan Barnas kick) | 31 | 7 |
Marsh | 05:27 | TD | Isaiah Green 3 yd run (Justin Rohrwasser kick) | 31 | 14 |
UCF | 07:50 | TD | Dillon Gabriel 3 yd run (Dylan Barnas kick) | 38 | 14 |
Marsh | 08:09 | TD | Willie Johnson 70 yd pass from Isaiah Green (Obi Obialo 2pt pass from Isaiah Green) | 38 | 22 |
UCF | 08:21 | TD | Marlon Williams 75 yd pass from Dillon Gabriel (Dylan Barnas kick) | 45 | 22 |
Marsh | 13:52 | FG | Justin Rohrwasser 50 yd FG | 45 | 25 |
4th Quarter | UCF | Marsh | |||
UCF | 05:59 | FG | Dylan Barnas 30 yd FG | 48 | 25 |
Game Information
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida |
Attendance: 28,987 |
Game Time: |
Weather: |