Report by Isaac Robinson - November 3rd, 2019
SO CLOSE! Swarm lose by 2 to undefeated UCF
Jeff Thomas threw for 355, leading his team to the win
Knights win on the final play from scrimmage -- 2 turnovers from Henderson, but otherwise stellar performance
Westlake, OH -- "We almost had them.", said Dion Barkley after his team lost a heartbreaker to now 9-0 UCF in front of their home crowd. "But almost don't count."
Despite 355 passing yards from
Jeff Thomas and a fantastic 104 yard, 3 TD game on the ground from
Rob Peterson, the Swarm did almost win it, losing by 2 points as it came down to literally the last few plays of this one.
UCF held leads of 14 and 10 points in this one before the Swarm battled back and led by a point, but a defensive error gave the Knights the break they needed to win this one.
UCF drew first blood, as sloppy play from the Westlake State offense, including a
B.J. Henderson fumble, allowed the Knights to take a 14-0 lead with Peterson finding the endzone twice. Westlake State went 3 and out to open the second quarter, but Jeff Thomas was picked off by senior safety
Shannon Wilkinson, and that woke the Swarm up, as they'd score in just 4 plays, with Henderson finding
Xavier Meeks for a 17 yard score. UCF kicker Geoff Williams would then miss a 49 yard field goal try, and the Swarm went right back down the field, scoring again, this time courtesy of
Mark Montgomery from 4 yards out.
Meeks evaded defenders to find the endzone
The Knights answered, as a few big completions set up a 1st and goal at the 1, which Thomas punched in himself. Henderson had 1:03 and all 3 timeouts to work with, and 40 seconds later he found Josh Roach for a 32 yard score that tied it at 21 entering halftime.
UCF kicked a field goal to open the scoring in the second half, and then
J.D. Floyd jumped a curl route and nearly took it back to the house, giving his offense a short field, which they took full advantage of, as Peterson would find the endzone for the 3rd time, making it 31-21 in UCF's favor. Henderson bounced back, completing all 7 of his throws on the ensuing possession, a 12 play, 83 yard drive that
Johnny Nash capped off by punching it in at the goalline. UCF punted, but Westlake State couldn't capitalize, going 3 and out, and then star wideout
Adam Goddard burned
Kevin McFarland for a 33 yard grab that jumpstarted a drive that would end in a 31 yard field goal from Williams to make it 34-28, UCF. Goddard, who came into the game averaging over 130 yards receiving, ended up with 7 grabs for 81 yards.
Henderson put his head in his hands after throwing this pick
The next drive for the Swarm ended up stalling, and they had to settle for a field goal from 38 yards. The ball was fairly central, and
Joe Romero's kick looked good initially, but the senior sliced the kick just wide, and UCF still led by 6. The Knights punted though, and on perhaps the biggest drive of the season, B.J. Henderson showed his clutch gene, completing 6 of 8 passes and picking up a first down with his legs, before handing it to Montgomery at the 5 for the go-ahead score with 56 seconds to go.
By the time Thomas and the offense started their drive, there were 46 seconds left. They had all 3 timeouts, but the Swarm just had to avoid giving up a field goal, and they had a season-defining win. Thomas threw to
Quinton Coleman for a gain of 12, but then Goddard would drop a pass, and a toss to Peterson went for just 7, keeping the clock running. In a seemingly head-scratching move, D.J. Durkin decided not to call time. Maybe he knew something we didn't. Taking the snap from the gun, Thomas dropped back. He felt pressure, as an excellent bull rush from
Bryan Young (who was once again held sackless) forced him to step sideways, and he uncorked a deep ball in the direction of
Bryant Wilcox. Kevin McFarland was there, but he must have misread the flight of the ball, as he totally overran it, and Wilcox broke off of his route, making the grab and going down at the 6 for a gain of 51 yards. That set up a 23 yard chip shot, and Williams drilled it with a second to go, putting UCF in the lead.
Kevin Campbell tried to lateral it on the kickoff, but UCF got their hands on it, ending the game.
Ugh... rough way to lose
The loss means that in order to win the division, Westlake State have to win out, and UCF would have to lose twice. Cincinnati has the best shot at making that happen, as the Knights play the 8-1 Bearcats next week in Orlando.
We caught up with B.J. Henderson after the game.
Once again, the offense took care of business, with 5 touchdowns and what should have been a 38 yard field goal, but the defense couldn't get the stops they needed. Kevin McFarland was burned twice for huge plays that ultimately led to scores, and the Swarm sacked Thomas just once. Bryan Young, who still leads the nation in sacks, hasn't gotten one since the Swarm's win over USF, and his teammates haven't picked up the slack. With Young graduating, the Swarm could struggle to pressure opposing QBs next season.
Westlake State remain at home next week, hosting 3-6 FAU as they'll attempt to keep their division hopes alive and cement their case for a bowl bid.
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