SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 27, 2012
Central Florida 54, Marshall 17: Quincy McDuffie returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and Latavius Murray rushed for 156 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Knights became bowl-eligible for the fifth time in eight seasons.
Blake Bortles rebounded from two early interceptions to finish 15-of-21 for a career-high 277 yards and two touchdowns for Central Florida (6-2, 4-0 Conference USA), which has won four straight.
McDuffie gave the Knights their first lead with a 97-yard return in the first quarter and added a 98-yard touchdown to open the second half. Murray scored on runs of 2, 75 and 42 yards and also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass en route to his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato, who entered the game leading the nation in completions per game (35.57) and passing yards per game (378.71), went 35-of-62 for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
Central Florida has won eight straight against Marshall, beating the Thundering Herd each season since both teams joined Conference USA in 2005.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bortles threw an interception on his first pass of the game, snapping a streak of 147 consecutive passes without a pick that tied Daunte Culpepper for the second-longest streak in school history (Vic Penn, 162). … McDuffie has three kickoff return touchdowns (99, 98 and 97 yards) this season, matching the school's single-season record. … Central Florida had never before recorded two kickoff return touchdowns in one game.