The UCF football team set a new school record for points in a game in a 73-33 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday night at Spectrum Stadium. The Knights eclipsed the previous mark of 71 set against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 5, 1992. The Knights (7-0, 4-0 The American) found the end zone on offense, defense and special teams for the second time this season. The score certainly is more reminiscent of a basketball game than a football game, but for those who were there, it was a football shooting match for sure!

UCF opened the floodgates with a 31-point second period, which tied the school record for points in a quarter.

Taj McGowan started the second-quarter scoring barrage with a two-yard touchdown run. Matthew Wright, who broke the record for PATs in a game with 10, added a chip shot 20-yard field goal. Quarterback McKenzie Miltonstrolled in for a two-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining in the first half. Milton later connected on a 27-yard strike to Dredrick Snelson with 14 seconds to play in the half to put UCF up 45-26.

Austin Peay (5-4, 4-1 Ohio Valley) gave the Knights all they could handle early, scoring on their first two drives and returning a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Running back Kyran Moore accounted for 346 all-purpose yards, the most in the FCS this season. UCF responded on defense by forcing a pair of turnovers, including Shaquem Griffin’s first career touchdown on a fumble return in the second quarter.

UCF spread out the aerial attack on Saturday with 11 different players recording a reception.
• Tre’Quan Smith finished with five receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.
• Smith’s scoring catch was his ninth of the season, tying him with Breshad Perriman, Kamar Aiken, Mike Walker and Doug Gabriel for ninth in single-season touchdowns.
• Dredrick Snelson notched his first career multi-touchdown game, including an incredible snag between two defenders in the back of the end zone. He totaled 90 yards on five catches.

UCF Quarterback McKensie Milton put together another masterpiece on Saturday night, completing 24-of-26 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in the air with one rushing, and opened the game with 14 straight completions, falling one shy of the school record set by Daunte Culpepper on Oct. 11, 1997. Milton has thrown a touchdown pass in each of the last eight games.

After the game UCF Coach Scott Frost shared,  “Anytime you can win in this game it’s an accomplishment. Winning isn’t easy, I don’t care who you’re playing. I was really impressed with their team and what their coaching staff has done. I thought their offense played really well. That being said, I don’t think we played our best game. We made some mistakes and I’m not completely happy with our performance, but it’s good anytime you can play less than your best and get a win. It’s rewarding, and it’s a good thing, and it’s going to give us a lot to clean up and go to work on next week.”

Frost went on to comment about Mike Hughes, “Mike’s been an unbelievable addition to our football team, and he continues to make plays on defense and special teams. We’re lucky to have him on the team, and he is one of our best players.”

UCF returns to American Athletic Conference action next Saturday with a road trip to SMU.