NCAAF

UCF Knights at West Virginia Mountaineers

· NCAA - Football
4-7, 1-4 Away
Final
21 - 31

CJ Donaldson has two short TD runs, West Virginia beats UCF 31-21 to become bowl eligible

UCF Knights vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: Full Highlights

There haven't been many victories at Mountaineer Field this season. But this one was enough to help the Mountaineers become eligible for a bowl game.

“I definitely tried to soak it in a little more than than I usually do,” Greene said. “That’s the most special tradition in all of college sports.”

Greene threw a touchdown pass in his final home game, CJ Donaldson had two short TD runs and West Virginia beat UCF 31-21 on Saturday.

West Virginia (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) avoided losing for the fifth time at home, which hasn’t happened since 1990. Whether the win was enough for embattled coach Neal Brown to keep his job remains to be seen. Brown is 37-34 in six seasons.

“I'm just happy for our guys, happy for our seniors, happy to get to six,” Brown said. “We've been up and down. Like, I don't hide from that. We're going to strive to get to seven.”

UCF (4-7, 2-6) is assured of its second straight losing season under coach Gus Malzahn.

“Obviously, when you don't go to a bowl, that's a really tough deal to swallow," Malzahn said. "And there's a lot of disappointed guys in the locker room right now.”

Donaldson, averaging 53 rushing yards per game, finished with 96 yards. He came out determined with 56 yards on his first four carries, including a 1-yard run on West Virginia's opening series.

West Virginia cornerback Dontez Fagan then recovered a fumble by UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk, and Donaldson ran for 28 more yards on the next series that was capped by Jahiem White’s 3-yard TD run.

Early in the game, Donaldson “was kind of like in a different mode,” Greene said.

Greene struggled in the passing game for most of the first half, then went 4 of 6 for 65 yards just before halftime, hitting Rodney Gallagher with a 12-yard TD toss for a 21-7 lead.

Rizk went 11 of 21 for 172 yards, including a 45-yard scoring strike to Kobe Hudson. RJ Harvey, the Big 12’s leading rusher, ran for 130 yards and two scores, including a 9-yard TD run that brought UCF within 31-21 with 5:20 left.

But the ensuing onside kick didn't go the required 10 yards. Greene then converted a pair of fourth-down passes and West Virginia ran out the clock. Greene finished 13 of 21 for 118 yards and added 49 rushing yards.

“The kid's a winner,” Brown said of Greene. "He competes. I'm really happy for him that he performed and won in his last game here. I think he deserves that. I hope our fans appreciate him. He hasn't always played clean football, but man, he's laid it on the line for the Mountaineers every single time he's suited up. And so, a fitting end for him."

The takeaway UCF: The Knights outgained West Virginia 348 yards to 318 but now have lost seven of eight games following a 3-0 start.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers won despite being stuck in many third-and-long situations on offense against a solid effort from UCF's defensive front.

Up next UCF: Hosts Utah on Friday night.

West Virginia: Finishes the regular season at Texas Tech next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch UCF Knights vs. West Virginia Mountaineers?
  • TV Channel: Knights at Mountaineers 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

WVU TD 1st Period 10:34 CJ Donaldson Jr. 1 Yd Run (Michael Hayes II Kick)
WVU TD 1st Period 1:47 Jahiem White 3 Yd Run (Michael Hayes II Kick)
UCF TD 2nd Period 8:37 RJ Harvey 2 Yd Run (Grant Reddick Kick)
WVU TD 2nd Period 0:15 Rodney Gallagher III 12 Yd pass from Garrett Greene (Michael Hayes II Kick)
WVU TD 3rd Period 12:10 CJ Donaldson Jr. 1 Yd Run (Michael Hayes II Kick)
UCF TD 3rd Period 5:38 Kobe Hudson 45 Yd pass from Dylan Rizk (Grant Reddick Kick)
WVU FG 4th Period 12:15 Michael Hayes II 35 Yd Field Goal
UCF TD 4th Period 5:20 RJ Harvey 9 Yd Run (Grant Reddick Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2116.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUCF https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/277.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWVU
21 1st Downs 20
3-9 3rd down efficiency 8-18
1-2 4th down efficiency 4-4
348 Total Yards 318
172 Passing 118
11/21 Comp/Att 13/21
8.2 Yards per pass 5.6
176 Rushing 200
34 Rushing Attempts 54
5.2 Yards per rush 3.7
8-58 Penalties 2-30
1 Turnovers 0
1 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
22:10 Possession 37:50

Game Information

Milan Puskar Stadium

Location: Morgantown, WV
Attendance: 40,722 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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