UCF Football: 3 takeaways from home takedown of Houston in Week 10

3. Houston came ready for a fight against UCF

Before the end of the first quarter, Houston already had 17 points on the scoreboard. Ahead of the game, the Cougars averaged fewer than 31 points over a full 60 minutes. That was especially impressive against a UCF defense that came into Week 10 holding opponents to only 21.6 points per game over their 6-2 start.

By halftime they were leading 23-21, as they racked up 206 rushing yards and 151 passing yards through the first two quarters of the contest. The Cougars held the ball for nearly 24 minutes against just 6:15 for the Knights, dominating the time of possession and limiting the opportunities available for a potent UCF offense to light up the scoreboard.

That fight was gradually stripped away from the Cougars, though, as UCF’s defense regrouped and made the requisite adjustments to shut things down after the intermission. After piling up 357 yards of offense in the first two quarters, Houston managed only 62 yards in the final two frames.

Houston came to Central Florida and knew exactly what they needed to do to contend for an upset on the road. They were able to execute that game plan for a while, but ultimately they were unable to maintain that high level of performance that provided the momentum in the first half. They finally found the endzone again with 2:52 remaining in the game, but a failed two-point conversion and a failed onside kick effectively sealed defeat for the Cougars.