The Cincinnati Bearcats got two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter from Jerome Ford in the first quarter to pace them to a 56-21 win over the Central Florida Knights.
Short runs of one and two yards set up the No. 3 Bearcats for their sixth straight win of the season.
The unranked Knights, who have 24 former players in the National Football League came into the contest at 3-2. They will join the Bearcats in the Big 12 in 2023.
The Knights are playing with out starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had his clavicle fractured on September 17 against Louisville. Freshman Mikey Keene took over for Dillon. His third outing was against the stout Cincinnati defense.
Keene struggled in the first half until the end.
The Knights had just 32 yards of total offenso on its first six possessions. Ryan O'Keefe took a handoff and raced 51 yards to the Cincinnati 24. Keene threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Johnson to get on the scoreboard.
The problem was Ford had runs of 79 and four yards. Desmond Ridder threw a 13-yard strike to Alec Pierce to put Cincinnati ahead 35-0.
"Cincinnati can play with any team in the country. They have a great defense. They have a great offense. They could win the whole thing,” UCF coach Gus Malzhan said. Malzhan spent years coaching at Auburn
Ford finished with 189 yards on the ground. He is the last UC running back to score four touchdowns since Isaiah Pied in 2010. Pied was at the game today.
Coby Bryant returned an interception 76 yards in the second half. Ethan Wright added a two-yard plunge. Backup quarterback Ethan Prater scored the Bearcats eighth touchdown of the day.
Isaiah Bowser scored on a five-yard rush with :41 left in the third quarter for Central Florida with the Bearcats second team defense on the field. Mark-Antony Richards scored on a two-yard run for the Knights with 1:48 left.
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