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Smith Powers UCF To 56-20 Blowout

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The Associated Press

Published: September 23, 2007

ORLANDO - Central Florida's Kevin Smith ran 22 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns, then took most of the second half off as his Knights rolled past Memphis 56-20.

UCF coach George O'Leary used two quarterbacks - with explosive results. Backup Michael Greco, a 6-foot-3 junior college transfer taking his first snaps for UCF, completed 11 of 12 passes for 151 yards. He ran 10 times for 77 yards and scored twice on the ground.

Starter Kyle Israel was 6-for-9 for 137 yards and a touchdown - a 72-yard pass to Kamar Aiken that put UCF (2-1, 1-0 Conference USA) ahead 49-0 early in the third quarter.

The Knights held Memphis (1-2, 0-1) to 290 yards - including just 57 in the first half. Greco's 50 yards rushing at halftime was better than the Tigers' whole team, which had 41 at the break.

Memphis didn't get on the board until 11:16 left in the third quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Martin Hankins to Carlos Singleton. Matt Reagan missed the extra point, hitting the left upright.

NORFOLK STATE 38, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 31: Daryl Jones ran for four touchdowns, and scored from a yard out with 36 seconds remaining to give Norfolk State (2-1, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) a win against visiting Bethune-Cookman (2-2, 0-2).

The Spartans were trailing 31-23 when Jones scored on a 1-yard run with 3:32 left to play and Casey Hansen's 2-point conversion pass to Jamar Johnson tied the game.

Jimmie Russell threw for one touchdown and ran for 100 yards and another score for the Wildcats, but his lone interception of the day cost his team, setting up Norfolk State's final TD.

KANSAS 55, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 3: Todd Reesing threw for 368 yards and Aqib Talib set a team record with a 100-yard interception return, leading host Kansas (4-0) past Florida International and handing the Golden Panthers their 16th loss in a row.

Reesing tossed a 19-yard TD pass to Derek Fine and also scored on a 9-yard run as the Jayhawks, with four straight blowouts, got off to just their second 4-0 start in 26 years. The only Big 12 team to play all four nonconference games at home, Kansas has outscored Central Michigan, Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo and FIU 182-23.

JACKSONVILLE 55, UNC-PEMBROKE 10: Rudell Small tied a school record with five touchdowns to power host Jacksonville (1-2) past UNC-Pembroke (1-3). The 45-point margin of victory was the largest in Jacksonville history, eclipsing the 44-point win by JU against LaSalle (58-14) in 1998.

Small, a freshman, scored on runs of 3, 2, 27 and 4 yards in the first half and added an 8-yard run in the third quarter in his first collegiate start. Small finished with 112 yards on 19 carries, tying the school mark of five TDs set by Greg Portee against LaSalle in 1998.

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