Central Florida gets bowl win
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Blake Bortles is just one of the reasons why Central Florida feels good about its chances of being successful in the new-look Big East.
The red-shirt sophomore turned the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl into a personal showcase Friday night, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another to pace a 38-17 victory over Ball State in UCF’s final game as a member of Conference USA — a league the Knights won twice in eight seasons.
“He’s an outstanding player, and he scared me ... coming in with his feet and his ability to escape in the pocket and keep his eyes down the field and make plays,” Ball State coach Pete Lembo said.
“He did that basically from the beginning of the game until the end when he came out,” Lembo added. “I can’t believe that this guy’s not going to be a pro prospect if he continues to develop the way he has. So I’m very, very impressed with him and obviously the supporting cast.”
Bortles directed a balanced attack that gained 494 yards total offense. UCF’s defense did its part by holding the high-scoring Cardinals to their lowest point total of the season.
“Offensively, this is one of the best games we had all year,” Bortles said.
Bortles threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. The red-shirt sophomore also rushed for a career-high 80 yards and scored on a 6-yard run that helped UCF (10-4) build a 21-point halftime lead.
“I thought Blake did everything he needed to do by making the right decisions,” UCF coach George O’Leary said. “Basically, he made the right decisions that moved us down the field. He really showed tonight why he’s our guy out there.”
Bortles tossed first-half TD passes of 7 and 5 yards to Latavius Murray, who also scored on a 2-yard run. J.J. Worton’s 7-yard scoring reception made 35-10 late in the third quarter.
Ball State (9-4) was hoping to finish with at least 10 wins for the third time in school history, however its offense sputtered while being held 18 points below its season average. Keith Wenning threw a 7-yard TD pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter, but the Cardinals didn’t get into the end zone again until Snead scored on a 16-yard reception with 5 minutes remaining.
Bortles completed 22 of 33 passes without an interception to become UCF’s first 3,000-yard passer since 2002.
