UCF football comes up just short in upset bid at No. 6 Oklahoma | 3 takeaways

UCF pushed the No. 6 team in the land to the brink Saturday afternoon, but it will have to wait at least another weekend to finally win in the Big 12.

Former Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel tossed three touchdowns and led a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives, and UCF came up empty on a potential game-tying two-point trick play in a 31-29 loss to Oklahoma.

UCF (3-4, 0-4) dropped its fourth game in a row, its longest losing streak in eight years dating back to a winless 2015 campaign, its last under George O'Leary. Oklahoma, meanwhile, improved to 7-0 for the third time in the last five years.

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"I'm extremely proud of our team, the way they fought. We were right there in the middle of it in the fourth quarter against one of the best teams in the country," Knights coach Gus Malzahn said.

"This wasn't the same team that played against Kansas. I'm proud of our coaches and our players. I'm disappointed we didn't win. We were right there. We had an opportunity. I think everybody saw that. In the big picture, I think we've got a good football team. We'll finish strong now. I will promise you that."

Here are three takeaways from an unexpected thriller, and a near-upset from the 17½-point underdog Knights.

John Rhys Plumlee fights through flu-like symptoms, delivers in clutch

One of 13 players who required an IV before kickoff, John Rhys Plumlee battled through flu-like symptoms, in addition to his lingering knee injury, to go all four quarters. Plumlee missed team meetings Friday night due to illness, Malzahn said.

He, and the rest of UCF's offense, endured a rough start with four consecutive three-and-outs and each drive lasting less than two minutes.

Plumlee punched in a one-yard option keeper to knot the score at 7 at the 11:49 mark of the second quarter, and found Javon Baker streaking all alone down the left sideline for an 86-yard TD to put the Knights ahead 17-14 late in the period. Baker blew a kiss to the Sooners sideline as he cruised toward the end zone.

Oklahoma regained the lead in the fourth on Drake Stoops' 11-yard screen, and padded its lead to 31-23 when Gavin Sawchuk surged for a 30-yard run to the end zone — though the running back hesitated to break the plane, concerned with giving UCF the ball with time to mount another drive.

Facing third-and-15 from UCF's 30, Plumlee rifled a pinpoint pass up the seam to Randy Pittman Jr. for a 39-yard gain into Oklahoma territory. He followed that with a 19-yard strike to Baker at the Sooners' 12.

Four plays later, with the game on the line, Plumlee found Baker once again with a touch pass in the end zone to give the Knights a chance to tie. But UCF elected for some of Malzahn's trademark trickery, and the Sooners snuffed it out as Xavier Townsend was dragged down before releasing a double pass.

"It's a play that we've worked all the way back in fall camp and felt really good about it," Malzahn said. "Obviously when a play like that doesn't work, you get questions. … We had used one of our other two-point plays on third down-and-goal, and we had another option to run it, but that's the way it goes sometimes."

Plumlee, who finished 16 of 30 for 248 yards, added: "I hate losing more than anything in the world … but I think we showed a little of who we are today, battling a lot of stuff. Sickness-wise, no excuses made. We had a couple guys fight through some ailments, and it was really inspiring to see. We can definitely be better in a lot of aspects, but I think we definitely opened some eyeballs today."

UCF defense stifles Sooners for 3 quarters, but fails to finish

After a disastrous six-quarter spell in which it surrendered 80 points to Baylor and Kansas, UCF's defense turned in its best Big 12 performance to date. The Knights held the Sooners 15 points below their season scoring average, tackled significantly better in the open field and collapsed the pocket on Gabriel more than a handful of times.

Lee Hunter, Tre'mon Morris-Brash and Malachi Lawrence registered one sack apiece, and the Knights combined for six tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Quadric Bullard secured a juggling, deflected interception in the third quarter that led to a go-ahead, 48-yard field goal by Colton Boomer.

"We got after (Gabriel) some and tried to keep him off balance, but he's a really good player," Malzahn said.

Through three quarters, UCF limited Oklahoma to 295 yards of total offense — and 115 on the ground, compared to the 399 allowed to Kansas. The Sooners trailed for more time Saturday than they had in their previous six contests combined.

But former UCF offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby solved the problems in the fourth quarter, and the Sooners effectively ran the ball between the tackles.

Down 23-17 with just over 11 minutes left, Sawchuk made a pair of third downs manageable with 7- and 8-yard runs across midfield. Marcus Major checked in later on the drive and twice gained 13 up the gut, leading to Gabriel's touchdown connection with Stoops.

Gabriel found Stoops twice for first downs on Oklahoma's next drive, and moved the chains on a crucial third-and-9 with a 19-yard completion to Nic Anderson. Sawchuk burst through the line on the next play for the 30-yard assumed dagger.

Oklahoma outgained UCF 147-84 in the fourth, with a noticeable disparity in the run game (74 to minus-4).

"For the most part of the day, we executed really well," linebacker Jason Johnson said. "It was a lot of base defense, and we were getting a lot of stops. Execution went down in the fourth quarter."

After nearly a month away, UCF returns to Bounce House

Five games remain in UCF's first Big 12 season, and it still needs three wins to achieve bowl eligibility. Fortunately, the Knights return home for the first time in nearly a month for another high-noon showdown next Saturday.

UCF welcomes in West Virginia for homecoming. The Mountaineers fell 48-34 to Oklahoma State on Saturday, and previously lost to fellow league newcomer Houston on a miraculous Hail Mary.

West Virginia won both of the previous all-time meetings between the two schools, most recently in 2004.

Knights fans will hope for a better conclusion next Saturday. The last time the Knights walked off their home field, it was after blowing a 28-point lead — its largest in program history — in a 36-35 gut punch to Baylor.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: 3 takeaways from 31-29 loss to Oklahoma Sooners