NORMAN, Okla. — The exhaustion was evident on John Rhys Plumlee’s face following UCF’s 31-29 loss at No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday. The fifth-year quarterback had given his all in leading the Knights to the cusp of a victory, only to watch it slip out of their hands.
It had been an incredible 12 hours for Plumlee, who was not only returning to the football field after five weeks of rehab on his right knee but also among 13 players and several coaches stricken by a viral bug.
“Sickness-wise, no excuses made,” said Plumlee, who finished 16 of 30 for 248 yards with two touchdown passes and a 1-yard touchdown run. “We had some guys fighting through ailments, which was inspiring to see. We could improve in many aspects, but we opened some eyes today.”
Plumlee needed four intravenous fluid treatments since arriving in Norman, including one at halftime, but still scored three touchdowns in the losing effort.
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Coach Gus Malzahn didn’t use the illness outbreak as an excuse, either, but did indicate the challenges his team faced.
“Last night, he didn’t make the meetings and went to sleep with an IV,” said Malzahn. “It was just one of those things. They didn’t let it bother them and just went with it.”
Plumlee said his knee felt good following the game.
UCF (3-4, 0-4 Big 12) didn’t look like the team manhandled by Kansas two weeks ago or a team projected to be a 19.5-point underdog.
Nate Billings/AP
Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) is stopped by Central Florida linebacker Walter Yates III (27) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
The Knights grabbed a 17-14 lead with 1:24 left in the first half, quieting an announced crowd of 83,476 and sending murmurs throughout Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) tied it heading into halftime, but UCF would outscore the Sooners 6-0 in the third quarter on a pair of Colton Boomer’s field goals from 48 and 46 yards. The defense stepped up to hold OU to just 69 yards.
Former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel would help Oklahoma breakthrough in the fourth, leading the Sooners on a 65-yard scoring drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Drake Stoops that put OU back on top 24-23 with 9:16 left.
Gabriel finished 25 of 38 with 253 yards and three touchdowns as the Sooners managed 442 yards, shy of their 506-yard average.
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Oklahoma’s Gavin Sawchuk added a 30-yard run to push the lead to 31-23 with 3:13 left.
But UCF would respond as Plumlee drove the Knights 75 yards in 1:57, finding receiver Javon Baker on a fade route to cut the lead to 31-29. The 2-point conversion, however, failed when Xavier Townsend was tackled short of the end zone on a screen pass.
“It’s a play that we’ve worked on back in fall camp and we felt good about it,” said Malzahn. “We had used one of our other 2-point plays on a [earlier] third down and had no other option to run it.”
Baker finished with a game-high 134 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns as UCF totaled 397 yards.
It was the third time in the past four games that UCF let a second-half lead evaporate. The Knights held a 24-21 advantage early in the third quarter against Kansas State before losing 44-31 and had a 35-10 lead over Baylor late in the third before losing 36-35.
“I told our kids I’m extremely proud of them,” said Malzahn. “This wasn’t the same team that played against Kansas. We’re disappointed that we didn’t win. We were right there and had an opportunity. Everybody saw that. But in the big picture, we’ve got a good football team.”
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Said linebacker Jason Johnson, who finished with nine tackles: “We’ve been great the first three quarters, and in the fourth quarter we’ve got to find a way to finish.”
UCF has dropped four consecutive games for the first time since 2015 and remains winless in the Big 12. The Knights will try for their first conference victory when they host West Virginia at FBC Mortgage Stadium next Saturday (noon, FS1) .
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.