Game recap: Plumlee shines, UCF pounds Kent State to open 1st Big 12 Conference season

ORLANDO — After over a year of build up, UCF officially kicks off its debut season in the Big 12 Conference tonight in the Bounce House against Kent State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Along with Cincinnati, BYU and Houston, UCF accepted an invitation into the league in September of 2021 after Oklahoma and Texas announced their intentions of leaving the league for the SEC. The Sooners and Longhorns will make the jump next year with four more schools — Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado — being brought in to replace them.

So, for this year and this year alone, the Big 12 is a 14-team league and the Knights will begin their slate against an old conference foe in the Golden Flashes. UCF and Kent State were foes in the Mid-American Conference from 2002 to 2004 and overall the schools have met four times with each winning twice. The Golden Flashes were picked to finish last in the league's East Division and the Knights enter as a five-touchdown favorite.

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3 THINGS TO WATCH: UCF football opens debut Big 12 season at home with Kent State

John Rhys Plumlee leads UCF to 56-6 throttling of Kent State

The final gun finally sounded, signaling the end of a 56-6 win for the Knights over the Golden Flashes, representing a high note to the start of UCF's maiden season in the Big 12 Conference.

Plumlee shook off two interceptions and a fumble, hitting on 22 of 30 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns while adding 90 more yards on eight carries and another score. Johnny Richardson led the Knights' stable of runners, picking up 100 yards on 12 carries while RJ Harvey piled up 134 total yards and two touchdowns.

All told, the Knights outgained Kent State 723-240 including a 389-98 advantage on the ground.

UCF driving again as third quarter ends

Kent State picked up a field goal late in the third quarter, but it's a band aid over a bullet hole entering the fourth.

The Knights have the ball with a first down at the Golden Flashes' 37-yard line, looking to build further upon a 42-6 advantage. UCF has already piled up 595 yards of total offense with 338 of that coming on the ground.

RJ Harvey rips 48-yard TD run, Knights lead 42-3

RJ Harvey is back in the end zone, rumbling 48 yards for a score to put UCF up 42-3 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.

Harvey has both of the Knights' second-half scores after being on the receiving end of a 50-yard touchdown toss from John Rhys Plumlee earlier in the quarter. All told, Harvey has 134 total yards to go with his two end zone trips.

John Rhys Plumlee finds RJ Harvey on 50-yard TD toss, UCF leads 35-3

The UCF defense forced a three-and-out and the offense did its part, going 78 yards in just five plays, eclipsing 1:57 of game time to take a 35-3 lead.

John Rhys Plumlee stayed hot, finding RJ Harvey on a corner route and hitting him in stride, culminating in a 50-yard touchdown connection. It was Plumlee's third scoring toss to go with a rushing touchdown and 310 combined yards. It marked the first TD reception of Harvey's career and the seventh receiver to catch a pass on Thursday night.

Halftime: UCF leads Kent State 28-3 behind John Rhys Plumlee

Halftime arrived at the Bounce House in Orlando with homestanding UCF holding a 28-3 lead over Kent State.

Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee had 154 yards passing, 90 yards rushing and three total touchdowns at the break to counter an interception and a fumble. The Knights were on the right side of several lopsided statistics including total yards (357-99), rushing yards (203-27) and first downs (18-8).

Xavier Townsend led all receivers with 81 yards and a score on five receptions with tight end Alec Holler also on the receiving end of a touchdown throw from Plumlee.

UCF finishes late touchdown drive, takes 28-3 lead before half

John Rhys Plumlee hit Alec Holler on an 18-yard dart, capping a 94-yard march in eight plays and just 1:06 of game time, giving UCF a 28-3 lead with under a minute to go before half time.

It was Plumlee's second touchdown throw to add to one on the ground and was set up by an interception from UCF's DeJordan Mask deep in Knights territory.

Jordan McDonald plows in, UCF scores again to extend lead to 21-3

Running back Jordan McDonald took back-to-back carries out of the Wildcat formation, the first of which went for a first down, the second a touchdown. With his 2-yard scoring plunge, UCF extended its lead to 21-3 with 8:46 remaining until halftime.

The plunge capped off a 10-play, 74-yard drive taking up 3:45 of game time. Kent State had a chance to cut the lead to one score, but a 44-yard field goal attempt from Andrew Glass hit the left upright, giving the Knights the ball back at its own 26-yard line.

Kent State on the board, UCF still leading 14-3 late in first quarter

After a three-and-out on its first possession, Kent State is on the board via 45-yard field goal from kicker Andrew Glass. UCF still leads 14-3 with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Facing a fourth-and-7 from the Knights' 28, the Golden Flashes lined up to go for it until calling a timeout with the play clock running down. When play resumed, Glass trotted on and calmly booted a field goal to get Kent State on the board.

UCF's John Rhys Plumlee capped each of the Knights' first two scoring drives, hitting Xavier Townsend on a 9-yard scoring toss and scampering in himself on a 17-yard touchdown run.

John Rhys Plumlee scores rushing touchdown, UCF extends lead

After Ricky Barber came up with a sack to force a Kent State three-and-out, the UCF offense wasted no time, traversing 59 yards on six plays in just 2:50 of game time with John Rhys Plumlee finishing it off with a 17-yard touchdown scramble. Just like that, UCF staked claim to a 14-0 lead with 6:07 still showing in the first quarter.

Plumlee is off to a fantastic start in the team's first game as a Big 12 Conference member. The UCF signal caller is 5 for 6 for 50 yards, has five carries for another 55 markers and has a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. The Knights hold a 139-0 advantage in total yards.

John Rhys Plumlee throws TD pass to Xavier Townsend, UCF grabs early lead

UCF took its initial possession of the season and marched 75 yards in 11 plays, getting on the board with a 9-yard touchdown pass from John Rhys Plumlee to Xavier Townsend to go up 7-0. The drive took 4:04.

Townsend made three grabs for 41 yards on the drive, culminating in his first receiving touchdown as a Knight.

UCF wins toss, starts game, season on offense

The Knights won the coin toss and chose to receive, putting its offense and quarterback John Rhys Plumlee on the field first.

Game time temperature was 80 degrees in Orlando as the ball flew in the air. UCF was set to start its opening possession of the 2023 season on its own 25-yard line.

Warm ups complete, UCF band takes the field

The national anthem is imminent at FBC Mortgage Stadium, better known as the Bounce House, in Orlando with the UCF band on the field.

The Knights and Kent State Golden Flashes have finished warm ups with kickoff just about 15 minutes away. The game will air on FS1.

Quick stats: UCF gunning for eighth straight season-opening win

The Knights enter Thursday night as five-touchdown favorites and a win would extend a few nice streaks for both UCF and coach Gus Malzahn.

UCF is looking for an eighth straight win in its season opener while Malzahn is 11-0 in home openers in his head coaching career.

Storm passes through, game time unaffected

A severe thunderstorm came and went Thursday morning, but as of an hour before kickoff, the game's start time remained on track.

The Knights will host Kent state with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. It will be the first meeting betwixt the schools since playing as MAC rivals in 2004. Thursday will mark the first game for UCF as a member of the Big 12 Conference.

What time is the UCF football game?

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, August 31

Where: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, Florida

What channel is UCF vs. Kent State on TV, streaming?

TV: FS1 (Channel 219 on DirecTV, Channel 150 on Dish Network)

Live stream: FoxSports.com (cable subscription needed), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), fuboTV (7-day free trial)

Where can I find UCF football on radio?

Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game

Online radio: UCFKnights.com and YouTube (Spanish)

UCF game schedule 2023

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: John Rhys Plumlee leads UCF Knights to 56-6 win over Kent State. Recap