MEMPHIS, Tenn. — UCF quarterback Mikey Keene earned the start Saturday as the No. 25 Knights won on the road, 35-28, over the Memphis Tigers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Keene started over John Rhys Plumlee, who left last week’s game vs. Cincinnati in the second quarter following a third-down run. Plumlee didn’t return to the field as Keene led the Knights to their first win over the Bearcats since 2018.
UCF coach Gus Malzahn said earlier this week it would be a game-time decision whether or not Plumlee would start. Ultimately, Malzahn stuck with Keene and the decision paid off.
Standouts
UCF
— Mikey Keene: The sophomore from Arizona finished 22 of 28 for 219 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
— RJ Harvey: He led the Knights with 151 rushing yards on 17 carries and a touchdown, including a 61-yard run in the second quarter.
— Kobe Hudson: The Auburn transfer caught two of Keene’s touchdown passes. He led the Knights with 85 receiving yards on six receptions.
Memphis
— Seth Henigan: The sophomore quarterback completed 26 of 39 passes for 284 yards with one interception. He led the Tigers with 69 rushing on 16 carries and one touchdown.
Noteworthy
— Memphis kicker Chris Howard (14 of 14) and UCF kicker Colton Boomer (10 of 10) had yet to miss a field goal so far this season but both missed in the first half. Howard missed two while Boomer came up short on a 64-yard attempt.
— Keene’s touchdown to Kobe Hudson in the second quarter was the first touchdown pass by a UCF quarterback since the Temple game on Oct. 13.
— When Isaiah Bowser threw a 4-yard jump pass to Stephen Martin early in the second quarter, it was Bowser’s first career passing touchdown and Martin’s first career touchdown catch.
