Game recap: UCF's hopes for AAC championship game take massive hit in 17-14 loss to Navy
Behind a late-season three-game win streak, the UCF Knights have done their part to throw some chaos into the American Athletic Conference standings, heading into Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff against Navy at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando.
UCF (8-2 overall, 5-1 AAC) has one loss in the standings, as do Tulane, who lost to the Knights 38-31 last week, and Cincinnati, who lost to UCF 25-21 in October. Should all three teams win out, the Knights would have the tiebreaker against both teams, having beaten them, so they would reach the conference title game. Their opponent would come from whichever team wins the Tulane-Cincinnati game next week.
The Knights now have a healthy John Rhys Plumlee at quarterback, as his play against Tulane showed. Plumlee torched the Green Wave on the ground, with 176 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns – and added a TD pass.
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Navy (3-7, 3-4) are as cold as UCF is hot right now, as the Midshipmen have lost four of their last five games. They lost their starting quarterback, Tai Lavatai, on Oct. 29 in a win over Temple, though backup Xavier Arline led Navy's run-heavy offense in a near-comeback in a 35-32 loss to Notre Dame last week.
1:30 p.m. | John Marshall sets Navy records, UCF trails after 3 quarters
UCF has one quarter to salvage the day, and keep hold of first place in the American Athletic Conference. The Knights trail 17-14 entering the fourth, struggling to block Navy's hybrid linebacker/safety John Marshall.
Marshall has four sacks for the Midshipmen, the program's single-game record. In the process, he set the school's single-season mark with 10.5.
UCF has outgained Navy 277-183, with all of the Midshipmen's yards gained on the ground.
1:10 p.m. | Navy capitalizes on Mikey Keene fumble
Navy regained the lead over No. 20 UCF, aided by a fumble from quarterback Mikey Keene.
John Marshall's well-timed blitz resulted in a strip-sack and, eventually, a 45-yard field goal from Bijan Nichols. Navy leads the Knights 17-14 with 7:24 left in the third quarter.
Keene, who took over for John Rhys Plumlee, misfired on two his three throws after the field goal. Mitch McCarthy flipped the field with the Knights' longest punt of the season, 56 yards, to the Midshipmen's 14.
12:55 p.m. | Mikey Keene enters, throws TD pass
Gus Malzahn made a surprising quarterback switch at halftime, reinserting Mikey Keene into the lineup. And it's paid immediate dividends.
Keene completed all three attempts on his first drive, including a 45-yard bomb to Ryan O'Keefe and a 28-yard TD strike to Javon Baker. John Rhys Plumlee, however, tossed the game-tying two-point conversion to Baker, knotting the score with Navy at 14 apiece.
This is the first time all season Malzahn has, seemingly, made a performance-based choice at the QB spot. Plumlee was 11 of 18 for 107 yards and an interception in the first half.
12:20 p.m. | Navy scores late TD, leads 14-6
Orlando is officially on upset alert.
Vincent Terrell Jr. scored an 8-yard touchdown on a sweep, giving Navy a 14-6 lead with 1:33 left in the first half against No. 20 UCF. The Midshipmen entered the day with a 3-7 record, losing four of its previous five games.
The Knights, by contrast, came into Saturday morning's kickoff in control of its own destiny within the American Athletic Conference — courtesy of last weekend's win over nationally ranked Tulane.
Wins in UCF's final two games would guarantee home field advantage for the Knights in the AAC championship.
11:45 a.m. | Colton Boomer kicks 21-yard FG for UCF
UCF pieced together a 13-play drive, but was forced to settle for three points.
Colton Boomer knocked through a 21-yard field goal, cutting the No. 20 Knights' deficit against Navy to 7-3 with 12:27 left in the second quarter.
The Knights missed a couple of touchdown chances. Ryan O'Keefe couldn't hang onto a deep shot into the end zone, and John Rhys Plumlee threw a screen pass behind Johnny Richardson on third-and-goal at the 3-yard line.
Navy has a slight edge in total yardage, 91-79. Midshipmen fullback Daba Fofana has 68 rushing yards on eight car
11:25 a.m. | Navy strikes with 4th-and-goal TD
Navy quarterback Xavier Arline bulldozed across the goal line on 4th-and-goal from the 1, giving Navy a 7-0 first-quarter lead against No. 20 UCF.
The Midshipmen had not produced an opening-drive touchdown in their previous 10 games. Arline's score capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive, highlighted by a 46-yard rumble from fullback Daba Fofana.
UCF elected to punt on 4th-and-1 from its own 35. John Rhys Plumlee completed his first three attempts for 11 yards.
Where and when will the UCF Knights play the Navy Midshipmen?
Where: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando
When: 11 a.m., Saturday
How can I watch UCF vs. Navy on TV, streaming?
TV: ESPN2 (Channel 209 on DirecTV, Channel 143 on Dish Network), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app
How can I listen to UCF vs. Navy on radio?
Radio: 96.9 FM/AM 740 The Game, SiriusXM (Channel 201)
Online radio: SiriusXM.com
What's the latest betting line for xxxxx vs. xxxxxx?
Xxxxxx is a x -point favorite over xxxxxx according to Tipico, the oddsmaker for USA TODAY. The over-under is x points.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football score vs. Navy Midshipmen | LIve updates
