Blake Bortles led the UCF Knights to a dramatic last-minute comeback over the Temple Owls. UCF escaped with a 39-36 win and remain both undefeated in the AAC and in line for an automatic BCS bowl bid.
UCF vs. Temple 2013 results: Knights avoid upset, remain in line for BCS
UCF avoided a major upset with a last-second field goal. The Knights beat Temple, 39-36, but it was far from a comfortable victory.
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Bortles got into an unexpected shootout with P.J. Walker, who carved up the Knights defense for most of the game. The two teams traded blows in the first half, scoring a combined 38 points in the second quarter. Bortles hooked up with J.J. Worton and William Stanback for touchdowns, but Walker responded with a rushing touchdown of his own and hit Robbie Anderson for a 30-yard score before halftime. UCF went into the locker room with a leading, 22-21.
Temple took the lead again in the third quarter thanks to another Anderson touchdown. Anderson went 75 yards for the score and the Owls led, 28-22. That lead held until the fourth quarter. Bortles led an 84-yard drive and found Worton again for a 38-yard touchdown to take a 29-28 lead with 6:37 left, but Temple came right back with an 80-yard drive of their own. They got the lead back, but Bortles was not fazed. He led another drive late in the game and hooked up with Worton for an insane one-handed grab in the end zone.
The Knights got the ball back with less than 30 seconds left and Bortles took over again, lobbing a 64-yard bomb to the five-yard line. UCF kicked a chip shot field goal as time expired to avoid the huge upset.
Box Score Hero: P.J. Walker had a valiant effort, throwing for 382 yards and four touchdowns, but J.J. Worton was the story of the day. He finished with 10 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Rankings Ramifications: UCF remains undefeated in the American, but they struggled to put away one of the worst teams in the conference. Pollsters won’t be impressed, making it unlikely that the Knights will move up from their No. 19 polls ranking. But it probably won’t matter.
But Did They Cover? The Knights were favored by 17 points. Temple made some brave gamblers very happy by beating the spread.
Next Week’s Schedule: UCF vs. Rutgers, Temple vs. UConn.
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