Timmy McClain went 20-of-28 passing for 321 yards and two touchdowns to lead UCF to a 48-14 win over Villanova on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.
McClain also rushed nine times for 44 yards, while RJ Harvey had 14 carries for a game-high 85 yards and two touchdowns to help the Knights improve to 3-0.
UCF scored three times in the first quarter to take a 17-0 lead.
Following a 26-yard field goal by Colton Boomer with 9:21 left in the first, the Knights put together an eight-play, 45-yard drive that ended with Jordan McDonald’s 1-yard rushing touchdown. A 15-yard scamper from McClain on third-and-11 kept the drive alive and, five plays later, McDonald punched it in.
After Nikai Martinez picked off Wildcats quarterback Connor Watkins and returned the ball to the Villanova 2-yard line, the Knights took a 17-0 lead on another 1-yard touchdown run by McDonald with 1:01 remaining in the first quarter.
UCF took a 24-0 lead with 7:47 remaining in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Harvey, then made it 31-0 with 5:04 to go until halftime when McClain found Javon Baker for a 25-yard touchdown.
The scoring play was set up by a 58-yard completion from McClain to Kobe Hudson.
Boomer then converted a 41-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining in the first half to give Central Florida a 34-0 lead.
With 5:12 left in the third quarter, Harvey scored on a 24-yard touchdown run to finish off a nine-play, 87-yard drive that gave the Knights a 41-0 lead.
Villanova (2-1) got on the board with 13:42 remaining in the game on a 3-yard TD run by Watkins, but UCF made it 48-7 just over two minutes later thanks to a 36-yard touchdown pass from McClain to Jaylon Griffin.
Villanova made it 48-14 on an 11-yard touchdown run by TD Ayo-Durojaiye with 4:44 to go.
Watkins completed 9 of 23 passes for 144 yards and the interception.
–Field Level Media
