Temple Gets Manhandled By UCF, Surrendering 70 Points for the First Time Since 2005
Written by: Zachary Silverstein
Photo by: Orlando Sentinel
The Owls went into Orlando hoping to show signs of progression after a much-needed bye week, but instead were handed a 70-13 defeat at the hands of the Knights.
The first quarter was a tightly contested back-and-forth. Temple opened the game with a 9-play, 66-yard drive that ended in a 26-yard field goal by Camden Price, who has replaced Rory Bell as the starting kicker.
The Knights then erupted for a big drive of their own. A 10-play, 74-yard drive which ended with a 9-yard touchdown run for quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.
The Owls answered quickly, regaining the lead after capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 7-yard receiving touchdown by wide receiver Jose Barbon. The Owls offense looked confident and comfortable.
The defense, however, struggled to continue its early season dominance, giving up another touchdown. This one coming on a 1-yard run by Plumlee, capping off a 72-yard drive which needed just three plays.
The only other first half points for the Owls came with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter when Camden Price drilled a 49-yard field goal to make the score 14-13 UCF. The game went downhill from there.
The Knights went on to score 21 unanswered points in three straight possessions. The scoring barrage featured a 1-yard rushing touchdown for running back Isaiah Bowser, a 25-yard receiving touchdown for wide receiver Kobe Hudson, and a 5-yard rushing touchdown for Plumlee. UCF led 35-13 at the half.
Plumlee finished the first half with three rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. He became the first UCF quarterback to accomplish this feat in the first half since Daunte Culpepper.
The scoring onslaught continued in the second half with yet another 35-point outburst by UCF.
The third quarter consisted of an 11-yard receiving touchdown by senior WR Ryan O’Keefe, a 68-yard receiving touchdown by O’Keefe, and then a 64-yard receiving touchdown by Hudson to cap it off. The score after three quarters was 56-13.
UCF pulled Plumlee late in the third quarter. He exited the game completing 18 of his 22 passes for 373 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Plumlee also ran for three touchdowns. His seven total touchdowns were the most in a game by a UCF QB since Culpepper in 1998.
It was also the first time an FBS QB had four passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a single game since Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2016, the season in which he took home the Heisman Trophy.
“That’s really cool to hear,” Plumlee said to ESPN sideline reporter Harry Lyles Jr. after the game. “It sounds good, and it sounds like it’s all me, but in reality, I think everybody knows that it’s everybody around the offense. It starts with [head] coach [Gus] Malzahn all the way down to offensive linemen, receivers, running backs. Everybody had a great game. Everything was clicking for us tonight.”
Once Plumlee exited the game, freshman quarterback Thomas Castellanos got an opportunity to shine, and he did just that.
In his short appearance against the Owls, Castellanos finished the game completing all six of his passes for 60 yards, as well as rushing three times for 88 yards. The highlight of his night was a 37-yard touchdown run in which he found a hole and then steamrolled through a Temple defender.
A little over seven minutes later, UCF scored its final points of the night on a 1-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jordan McDonald.
UCF finished the game with two receivers over 100 yards (O’Keefe with 111 and Hudson with 121). As well as having six different players responsible for at least one touchdown. It was complete domination by the offense as well as the defense, who held Temple scoreless the entire second half.
UCF was three points away from tying a school record for points scored in a game. For Temple, it was the first time they allowed 70+ points in a game since they lost 70-7 to Bowling Green on October 1, 2005. A season in which the Owls finished 0-11.
Temple will head home for a battle with Tulsa on Friday, October 21, at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm and can be watched live on ESPN2.
