MORGANTOWN, WV. — Somewhere deep in West Virginia’s hollers under a cold, dismal gray sky, UCF’s season ended.
Sure, the Knights have one game remaining against Utah next week, but any hope of salvaging something positive from the unbelievably frustrating season quietly ended in a 31-21 loss to West Virginia.
UCF’s slim hopes of making a postseason bowl were squashed after the Mountaineers rushed for more than 200 yards. This means the program is guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the second consecutive year and snap a streak of eight straight bowl appearances.
Running back RJ Harvey, the only bright spot in an otherwise horrendous season, finished with a team-high 130 yards and two touchdowns. His two-yard touchdown run out of a Wildcat formation with 8:37 in the second quarter got the Knights their first game points.
Quarterback Dylan Rizk struggled early in his third start of the season, missing his first two throws and later fumbling a handoff between himself and running back Myles Montgomery that ended with West Virginia’s Dontez Fagan recovering, ending a possible scoring opportunity.
The Mountaineers (6-6, 5-3 Big 12) showcased why they are one of the top rushing teams in the Big 12, gashing the Knights for more than 7 yards per carry. CJ Donaldson Jr. had 71 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown that started the scoring for WVU.
West Virginia added a second score when sophomore running back Jahiem White plowed in for a 3-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 14-0 with 1:47 in the first quarter.
Harvey’s touchdown sliced the lead in half with 8:37 left in the second quarter.
But WVU put together a 12-play drive, capped off by a Garrett Greene pass to receiver Rodney Gallagher III for an over-the-shoulder grab for a 12-yard touchdown catch with 15 seconds left in the half.
It was the Knights’ fourth straight game in which they surrendered points in the final minute of the first half.
West Virginia took the opening kick in the second half and drove 55 yards before Donaldson busted through the line for his second touchdown to push the advantage to 28-7 with 12:10 left in the third.
UCF (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) cut the lead to 28-14 midway through the third when Rizk double-pumped and found a wide-open Kobe Hudson for a 45-yard touchdown. It was Rizk’s fifth touchdown of the season and the fourth score of the season for Hudson.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com