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3rd Quarter Report
After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, UCF looks much better today on their home field. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Houston 27-10. UCF's offense has been firing on all cylinders thus far, outscoring their total from last Saturday with time still left to play.
If UCF keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 6-6 in no time. On the other hand, Houston will have to make due with a 4-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Preview
Houston has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the UCF Knights at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Houston is expected to lose this one by 13.5 points, so we'll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
Houston scored first but ultimately less than Oklahoma State in their game on Saturday. They took a 43-30 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cowboys. Houston was up 23-10 in the second but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Despite the loss, Houston got a solid performance out of Donovan Smith, who rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. Isaiah Hamilton got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, UCF missed an extra point against Texas Tech on Saturday and it came back to haunt them. UCF and Texas Tech were almost perfectly matched up, but UCF suffered an agonizing 24-23 defeat. UCF got off to an early lead (up 14 with 0:11 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren't able to maintain that momentum.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from John Rhys Plumlee, who rushed for 84 yards, and also threw for 249 yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of RJ Harvey, who rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Houston has yet to win a contest at home this season, leaving them with a 4-7 record. As for UCF, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
Not only did the pair lose their last games, but neither team managed to cover the spread. Looking forward, UCF is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 13.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: UCF is expected to win, but their 2-5 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.
