Colton Boomer kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired as Central Florida eked out an 18-16 win over host Boise State on Saturday night.
The Knights (2-0) used their ground game to march down the field quickly, gaining 26 yards on four straight plays after Kobe Hudson’s 11-yard catch got them across midfield.
After calling its final timeout, Central Florida won it when Boomer’s fourth field goal curved through the uprights.
Before Boomer’s game winner, the Broncos took a 16-15 lead with 1:49 remaining on Stefan Cobbs’ 28-yard TD catch on third-and-10 from Maddux Madsen, but Boise State missed the two-point conversion.
R.J. Harvey’s 5-yard TD run with 7:55 remaining gave UCF a 15-10, but the Golden Flashes also missed the two-point conversion.
Cobbs and Madsen also made key plays during the 13-play drive to set up the score that regained the lead for Boise State.
Cobbs had a 14-yard reception on third-and-6 to get the Broncos past midfield with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining. With 3:17 to go, Maddux converted a fourth-and-2 after getting a 4-yard gain that moved Boise State to the UCF 28.
Harvey finished with 70 yards on 15 carries and a TD that was set by Kobe Hudson’s 53-yard catch on third-and-14 about two minutes earlier. Three players after Hudson’s big grab, Harvey scored his second TD of the season and seventh of his career.
UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee completed 16-of-24 passes for 272 yards. He also rushed 11 times for 73 yards.
After rushing for 389 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s 56-6 rout of Kent State in their season opener, the Knights gained 258 yards on the ground and accumulated 530 total yards of offense.
Boise State’s Taylen Green completed 9-of-19 passes for 144 yards before injuring his right leg. He was replaced by Maddux, who was 5-for-8 for 67 yards.
Boise State (0-2) followed up its 56-19 loss at Washington by gaining 384 yards.
Boomer kicked three field goals in the first half, including a 55-yarder with 61 seconds left as Central Florida survived a rocky opening 30 minutes by trailing only 10-9.
–Field Level Media
