Refreshed UCF offense snaps five-game losing streak, keeps Arizona reeling
The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — RJ Harvey rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns and new starter Dylan Rizk threw for 294 yards and another three touchdowns to help UCF snap a five-game losing streak, defeating Arizona 56-12 on Saturday.
UCF (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) looked refreshed and energetic for their annual Space Game after the team fired defensive coordinator Ted Roof and switched offensive play-calling duties from head coach Gus Malzahn to offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. earlier in the week.
The Knights tallied 602 yards of offense, their most since the first game of the season against FCS opponent New Hampshire.
“It was special,” Harvey said. “There was never any quit in this team. We’ve been through a rough stretch. We kept working and it finally paid off.”
The switch to Rizk, the fourth quarterback to start in the last five games, paid dividends as the team got the ball out quicker and moved the ball down the field. That was most evident at the end of the first half when Rizk completed a 48-yard Hail Mary pass to tight end Randy Pittman Jr. It was the senior’s first touchdown reception of the season and just his 17th reception of the season.
Pittman added another touchdown late in the game for five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns, all season highs.
After UCF struggled to spread the ball around throughout the season, Rizk completed passes to seven different receivers. That included a 40-yard touchdown throw to Jacoby Jones, who had five catches for 106 yards, his second straight game with at least 100 yards receiving. He had only two catches for 29 yards before his breakthrough last week.
The Knights were struggling to and finally found their breakthrough with the new quarterback.
“Being prepared is always a big thing,” Rizk said. “I know this offense very well. Just waiting for an opportunity to be prepared. I always knew my chance was coming and when it did, I seized the moment.”
The Knights still relied heavily on their ground game, rushing for 308 yards. Harvey accounted for 184 yards on 22 carries, scoring on runs of 17, 18 and 19 yards.
Arizona (3-6, 1-5) struggled to get much going offensively to match UCF’s newfound firepower.
Arizona finished with 261 total yards and only five rush yards. Quarterback Noah Fifita completed 24 of 33 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Star receiver Tetairoa McMillan finished with six receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. Chris Hunter had seven catches for 102 yards.
But Fifita was sacked four times and the Knights’ often-struggling defense recorded 10 tackles for a loss.
“A really hard day out there on the football field,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “They got after us in all three phases. It is just totally unacceptable. We need to coach better. We need to go through everything and get back to finding how we can execute in all three phases.”
Rizk-y debut
UCF has had a revolving door at quarterback this season, starting the team’s fourth starting quarterback of the season in Rizk, a redshirt freshman.
Rizk came into the game last week against No. 9 BYU and led two late touchdown drives to supplant Jacurri Brown as the starter. Rizk entered the game with only 11 pass attempts and 102 yards, all of those yards coming against BYU.
After cycling through KJ Jefferson, EJ Colson and Jacurri Brown, the strong offensive showing seems to have settled who will start at quarterback for the Knights for the foreseeable future.
Closing in on school records
McMillan continues to close in on several all-time receiving marks at Arizona. With six receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season. He became the first player in Arizona history with back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Additionally, RJ Harvey passed Alex Haynes for second on UCF’s all-time rushing yards list. He has rushed for 3,416 yards in his career at UCF. Kevin Smith holds the school record with 4,679 career rush yards.
The takeaway
Arizona continues to reel, losing its fifth straight game and sixth in its last seven. The Wildcats will need to win all three of their final games — vs. Houston, at TCU and vs. Arizona State — to reach bowl eligibility.
UCF looked refreshed on offense, not just with the switch to Rizk but also the change in play calling. After rotating through starting quarterbacks, Rizk had command over the offense, moving the Knights into scoring position and finishing drives. The Knights will need to win two of their final three games to become bowl-eligible.
Up next
Arizona is off next week before hosting Houston on Nov. 15.
The Knights travel to Arizona next week to face Arizona State.
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