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AMES — More of the same for UCF football, which as of late means another loss.
The Knights fell to Iowa State, 38-35, on Saturday, marking the fourth-straight defeat for a program that started 3-0. For most of this matchup, it looked like UCF would end the downward spiral.
But, after leading for much of the game, the Knights’ lead slipped away in the final minute. There wasn’t anything UCF could do to come back after Iowa State jumped ahead with 30 seconds to play.
UCF Knights running back RJ Harvey (7) runs with the ball for a first down against Iowa State during the first quarter in the week-8 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.
“The reality is … it stinks that we lost that game,” head coach Gus Malzahn said. “But we played one of the top 10 teams in college football on their home field, and we had opportunities to win. We just didn’t win.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to take the next step. We improved last week … but we’ve got to find a way to take the next step and win the game.”
Here are three takeaways from UCF’s loss to Iowa State.
All about the ground game for UCF’s offense
When the Knights’ coaching staff benched KJ Jefferson, they sidelined a dual-threat quarterback — one who averaged 38.6 rushing yards per game.
That shouldn’t have been much of a concern, not with RJ Harvey on the field. But Jacurri Brown, who earned the starting job this week, looked like the perfect complement to Harvey’s success.
Brown finished with 154 yards and two touchdowns. Harvey picked up 196 yards and two more scores.
“RJ is one of the better running backs in college football, and he showed it again tonight,” Malzahn said. “And (Iowa State averages) what, 11 points a game or something. I mean, it’s one of the better defenses in college…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ucf-knights-football-3-takeaways-051555675.html
Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal
Publish date : 2024-10-20 05:15:55
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