Otis Anderson rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns, McKenzie Milton passed for 311 yards and No. 14 Central Florida pulled away from UConn for a 49-24 victory on Saturday.
Anderson had a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and helped the undefeated Knights break it open with a 65-yard touchdown run, making it 35-17 with 14:11 left.
UCF (9-0, 6-0 American Athletic Conference, CFP, No. 18) also got a solid performance from Milton, who was 24-for-36 passing. He tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Marlon Williams in the first quarter and a 41-yarder to Tre'Quan Smith with 7:43 left in the first half, helping the Knights to a 28-10 lead at the break.
After Anderson's second TD, Milton added a 4-yard touchdown run that made it 42-17 with 8:54 left.
David Pindell passed for 201 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score for UConn (3-7, 2-5), but the Huskies were unable to keep up with the high-scoring Knights. Pindell was inserted into the starting lineup in place of the injured Bryant Shirreffs.
Pindell's 9-yard touchdown run made it 28-17 early in the second half. UCF failed to score in the third, just the second time this season the Knights went scoreless in a quarter.
But they made up for it with a big finish. Noah Vedral's 35-yard touchdown pass to Cam Stewart made it 49-17 with 7:03 left.
Pindell led the Huskies with 21 carries for 96 yards. He was 18 for 31 through the air, also throwing an interception.
Smith also finished with seven catches for 120 yards for UCF.
THE TAKEAWAY
UConn: Pindell, a junior college transfer, was benched after starting the season opener. His dual-threat ability gave the Huskies the spark that they needed.
UCF: The Knights must improve their run defense if they hope to win the AAC title and make it to a New Year's Six bowl.
UP NEXT
UConn: The Huskies step out of conference play to take on Boston College on Saturday.
UCF: The Knights travel to Temple on Saturday for their final league road game.
