Game recap: UCF Knights football loses to Louisville after Malik Cunningham touchdown run
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Friday nights are usually reserved for high school football, but the UCF Knights wanted to use it to exact some revenge. Alas, it was the same story as last season vs. Louisville.
UCF welcomed the Cardinals to the Bounce House on Friday night. The Cardinals won their meeting in 2021 on a late interception returned for a touchdown. That game also saw quarterback Dillon Gabriel leave early with a broken clavicle, ending his season.
Gabriel is now at Oklahoma. Replacing him in Orlando this season is John Rhys Plumlee, a transfer from Ole Miss who threw for five touchdowns in his UCF debut against South Carolina State.
Louisville was coming off a 31-7 loss to Syracuse.
Follow updates from Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Chris Boyle down below.
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11:12 p.m. | Louisville holds on to beat UCF 20-14
John Rhys Plumlee drove the Knights down to the Louisville 37-yard line. But a fourth-and-5 throw into a cloud of Cardinal defenders fell incomplete, and Malik Cunningham knelt the ball to finish off the 20-14 win.
Both teams are now 1-1.
11:05 p.m. | Jarvis Brownlee Jr. interception in the end zone stops UCF drive
The Knights got the ball into the red zone, but a John Rhys Plumlee pass to Jaylon Griffin on fourth down was picked off with less than 3 minutes left. Officials reviewed the play for several minutes, but the ruling was upheld.
UCF held Louisville to a three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:47 remaining at their own 43-yard line.
10:50 p.m. | Malik Cunningham throws incomplete to Marshon Ford, giving UCF one last chance
A fourth-down attempt near midfield nearly paid off for Louisville, but Ford could not hold onto the pass by Cunningham. Louisville was in that position after a running-into-the-kicker penalty on a punt attempt gave the Cardinals a fourth-and-4.
UCF takes over in Louisville territory with about 5 minutes to go.
10:30 p.m. | Louisville drains clock as field goal pushes lead to 6
James Turner kicked a 35-yard field goal after Malik Cunningham again drove the Cardinals deep into UCF territory. The Knights still trail by just a touchdown, 20-14 with about 9 minutes remaining.
10:10 p.m. | Holding call erases John Rhys Plumlee's 75-yard TD pass
For the second time tonight, UCF had a touchdown taken off the board due to a holding call.
John Rhys Plumlee hit Javon Baker for a 75-yard score that would have put the Knights back in front, but Ryan Swoboda was guilty of a hold back around the line of scrimmage.
Instead, UCF punted for the fifth straight drive. Louisville leads 17-14 at the end of the third quarter.
UCF has committed nine penalties for 91 yards.
10:05 p.m. | Malik Cunningham breaks free for 43-yard TD run
Just when it appeared UCF's defense had him contained, Malik Cunningham sprinted to daylight for a 43-yard, go-ahead touchdown run.
Cunningham went untouched down the left sideline, and the Cardinals have quickly struck for consecutive scores to take a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
UCF has punted on its last four possessions as Louisville's defensive front has consistently harassed John Rhys Plumlee.
10 p.m. | Malik Cunningham's deep pass sets up Louisville field goal
Malik Cunningham connected on a 37-yard pass to Tyler Hudson, Louisville's longest play of the night from scrimmage, but UCF's defense held the Cardinals to a field goal.
James Turner, who missed earlier from 41 yards, knocked through a 35-yard kick to pull Louisville within 14-10.
UCF's first drive of the second half ended in a three-and-out, and the Cardinals have consistently pressured John Rhys Plumlee in the pocket. The Ole Miss transfer is 12-of-21 passing for 85 yards, though he's rushed for a team-high 60 yards on 12 attempts.
9:15 p.m. | Johnny Richardson touchdown called back, but UCF still leads 14-7 at halftime
UCF will take a 14-7 lead into halftime, thanks to Isaiah Bowser's pair of touchdown runs, but it's easy to feel the Knights should be up by more.
Johnny Richardson's 53-yard touchdown catch was erased due to an offensive holding call on a downfield block. A promising drive, one which could have given the Knights some much needed breathing space, ended without points as Daniel Obarski pushed a 33-yard field goal attempt wide right.
Obarski, who edged out freshman Colton Boomer for the placekicking job in camp, is 0 for 2 on the season. His career conversion rate is 60.6%, with a long of just 40 yards.
UCF's defense responded after a deflating opening drive. The Knights have allowed 281 total yards, but have held Louisville to 2-of-7 on third down and forced a fumble on what shaped up to be a long run by Tiyon Evans.
Evans limped off the field, but returned late in the second quarter. He's scored both of Louisville's touchdowns so far, including a 7-yarder to open tonight's scoring.
8:25 p.m. | Isaiah Bowser's 2nd TD gives UCF lead
John Rhys Plumlee sliced and diced Louisville with his legs, setting up Isaiah Bowser's second touchdown run of the night — a 2-yarder to put the Knights ahead of Louisville, 14-7, early in the second quarter.
It's the sixth multi-touchdown game in Bowser's career, and his second this season.
Through three drives, UCF is averaging 9.8 yards per carry. Plumlee leads the team with 54 yards on four attempts.
Prior to the Knights' eight-play, 77-yard scoring drive, the defense forced a key third-down stop on the fringes of the red zone. Justin Hodges tackled Malik Cunningham for a loss, and James Turner missed a 41-yard field goal wide right.
8 p.m. | Isaiah Bowser runs for TD; UCF, Louisville tied
UCF needed very little time to respond from Louisville's opening touchdown.
John Rhys Plumlee and Javon Baker connected for two key third-down conversions, and Isaiah Bowser punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7.
Bowser, who now has three TDs on the young season, was one of five UCF starters who left last year's game with Louisville injured.
Ryan O'Keefe had the drive's most explosive play, breaking loose for a 27-yard run.
7:45 p.m. | Tiyon Evans gives Louisville quick 7-0 lead over UCF
Malik Cunningham and Louisville's offense methodically marched down the field and sucked the life out of the Bounce House on the game's opening drive.
The Cardinals capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with Tiyon Evans' 7-yard TD run up the gut.
Cunningham, who struggled in last week's loss at Syracuse, looked as dangerous as he did a year ago against UCF. He went 3 of 3 for 45 yards, and rushed for 26 yards to erase a potentially troublesome offensive pass interference call.
UCF will receive the ball with just over 10 minutes left in the opening quarter for its first drive, down 7-0.
7 p.m. | Stephen Martin announced as starting WR for UCF
UCF's announced starting lineup features an interesting switch at wide receiver.
Stephen Martin, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirt sophomore, joins Ryan O'Keefe and Javon Baker in the receiving corps. That would leave out Kobe Hudson, one of the Knights' more high-profile additions from the transfer portal.
Hudson, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior, led Auburn in 2021 with 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. He was held without a catch in last week's win over South Carolina State.
Martin played seven games last season, logging one reception for 14 yards.
6 p.m. | Rain passes as UCF, Louisville warm up
Teams are on the field for early warmups and, thankfully, afternoon showers in East Orlando have temporarily subsided.
UCF will be without wide receiver Amari Johnson (ankle) for the second straight game. There are no changes to the Knights' depth chart from their 56-10 opening victory over South Carolina State.
As for Louisville, 247Sports reported that senior nose tackle Jermayne Lole is expected to miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury. Lole, a 6-foot-2, 320 pound Arizona State transfer, did not play at all in 2021 due to a triceps injury.
In three previous seasons for the Sun Devils, Lole totaled 123 tackles (20 for loss), 11 sacks, and eight pass breakups.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with temperatures in the mid-70s and just a 20% chance of precipitation after 8, according to AccuWeather.
Where and when will the UCF Knights play Louisville Cardinals?
Where: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando
When: 7:30 pm ET
How can I watch UCF Knights vs. Louisville Cardinals on TV, streaming?
TV: ESPN2
Live stream: ESPN+, WatchESPN app
How can I listen to UCF Knights vs. Louisville Cardinals on radio?
Radio: 96.9 The Game
Online radio: iHeartRadio, TuneIn
What's the latest betting line for UCF Knights vs. Louisville Cardinals?
UCF is a 5.5-point favorite over Louisville according to Oddsshark.com, a betting odds aggregator. The over-under for UCF-Louisville is 61.5 points.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF v Louisville football | Game recap, analysis
