It may not have been as pretty as most fans would have liked but a win is a win and the Knights are now 8-3 on the season. UCF went up 34-17 with 10:43 left in the fourth quarter on a 26 yard field goal by Dylan Barnas. Tulane was able to turn a few dropped passes and a bobbled snap by the placeholder into 14 unanswered points. An illegal touching penalty on Tulane during their onside kick would eventually seal the deal for UCF.

Highlights

Four Downs

Tulane is actually a solid football team. The Green Wave aren’t a doormat of an opponent like they’ve been in the past. This is a bowl eligible team that was on a seven game home winning streak. Heck, Auburn only beat them 24-3 in Jordan-Hare Stadium earlier this season.

Otis Anderson is the X factor. The junior utility man has really grown into a key part of this offense. His big plays in the run game and the passing game were a big reason UCF was able to come away with a victory tonight. He ended the day with 121 yards of total offense topped off by a rushing touchdown. Oh yeah, let’s not forget about his 36 yard punt return.

Run, DG! Run! True freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel had his best running game of the season. He totaled 58 yards on 12 carries and was UCF’s leading rusher on the afternoon. He was also able to pick up SEVEN first downs with his feet which is something UCF coaches and fans alike have been waiting to see.

Time to hit the passing machine. Dropped passes were a big issue for UCF against Tulane. It was also an issue in the loss to Tulsa two weeks ago. If UCF wants to win out this season, all of the skill position players are going to need put a focus on pass catching, especially the running back group. Seeing dropped passes by Adrian Killins and Greg McCrae was very uncharacteristic.

Up Next

UCF finishes their regular season at home against South Florida this Friday at 8:00pm in Orlando. It will be senior night for fan favorites such as Jordan Johnson and Adrian Killins.