No. 13 BYU, UCF bring explosive offenses to Boca Raton Bowl
(AP Photo/George Frey, Pool)Preparing for the Boca Raton Bowl proved a bit of a slippery slope for the Central Florida Knights. All part of Heupel’s plan to bring a dose of fun to the bowl game with some of the customary pageantry halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “A really good football team,” Heupel said. “Kind of reminds me of why you don’t play football in Provo in December,” Sitake joked. They're 0-3 in Florida bowl games, including losses in the 1976 Tangerine Bowl, 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl and 2014 Miami Beach Bowl.
Gabriel leads potent UCF offense past Houston 44-21
HOUSTON – Dillon Gabriel passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, UCF rushed for another 300-plus and the balanced, high-octane offense swamped Houston 44-21 on Saturday. Gabriel, who leads the nation in yards passing per game, was 19 of 33 for 328 yards with a pair of TD passes to Ryan O'Keefe. Houston (2-2, 2-1) lost for the first time in conference with Clayton Tune throwing two interceptions that resulted in 14 UCF points. Tune was 21-of-41 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. Tune capped a quick, 82-yard fourth-quarter drive with a touchdown toss and two-point conversion pass, closing to 37-21 with 4:17 remaining.
Tulsa snaps No. 11 UCF's 21-game home winning streak, 34-26
Tulsa players pose on the middle of the field after a win over Central Florida during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Tulsa's win snapped UCF's 21-game home winning streak. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tulsa snaps No. 11 UCF's 21-game home winning streak, 34-26
Tulsa players pose on the middle of the field after a win over Central Florida during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Tulsa's win snapped UCF's 21-game home winning streak. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)ORLANDO, Fla. – There is something about UCF that brings that best out of Tulsa. Zach Smith threw three touchdown passes and Tulsa erased an 18-point first-half deficit to beat No. 11 UCF 34-26, snapping the Knights' 21-game home winning streak Saturday night. “Turnovers were huge in the football game,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said.
Week 5 Preview: Top-25 matchups in SEC; ACC title rematch
including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Huskers get tough draw; UCF rising star
Most notable on the Big Ten's schedule was how Nebraska will start the season: at Ohio State and home for Wisconsin. Nebraska had both Ohio State and Penn State on its original nine-game, pre-pandemic conference schedule, along with Rutgers. Nebraska has lost five straight against Ohio State, which has became a yearly rivalry since the Big Ten went to an East-West division structure. It might not have been the plan to cut Ohio State, the league's clear favorite and defending champ, some slack. When the SEC redid its schedule to make it 10 conference games, the league ended up feeding its weaker teams to its powerhouses.
Gabriel rallies UCF past Houston 44-29
ORLANDO, Fla. - Dillon Gabriel passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Tre Nixon, and ran for a score as Central Florida dominated the second half and beat Houston 44-29 on Saturday. Houston jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Mulbah Car's 37-yard TD run and a 45-yard field goal by Dalton Witherspoon. Gabriel scored on a 22-yard run midway through the second quarter to put the Knights up 21-17, but Witherspoon kicked two field goals in the final 4 minutes and Houston (3-6, 1-4) took a 23-21 lead into halftime. Bentavious Thompson scored on a 43-yard run, Gabriel and Nixon hooked up for a 34-yard score and Thompson added a 2-yard TD run for a 42-23 lead heading into the final quarter. Clayton Tune completed 18 of 30 passes for 179 yards with one TD and one interception for the Cougars.