College Sports

Cunningham rallies Louisville to 20-14 victory over UCF

Posted September 10, 2022 7:00 am

By COREY LONG

Louisville defensive back Kenderick Duncan, left, trips Central Florida running back Johnny Richardson during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Malik Cunningham used his arm and his legs to get Louisville's season on track.

The redshirt senior quarterback threw for 195 yards and rushed for 121 more, including a 43-yard scoring run in the third quarter, to lead Louisville to a 20-14 victory over UCF on Friday night.

'ť(Running) just opens up another dimension of our offense,'ť Cunningham said. 'œWe have great running backs and to add my legs and my arm to that...it's something we've been doing the last three years.'ť

Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said he told Cunningham that he was going to lean on him heavily against UCF.

'œI had to let Malik be who he is,'ť Satterfield said. 'œWe didn't really let him loose last week and that's on me. This week we let him play his game.'ť

The Cardinals (1-1) outscored the Knights 13-0 in the second half. Tiyon Evans rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Hudson had three catches for 67 yards.

'œTo win the way we did was great,'ť Satterfield said. 'œIt was tough, it was hard fought and our defense played outstanding. Central Florida is a great program and they have won a lot of games here.'ť

UCF (1-1) scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions, but struggled to get much going the rest of the way. The Knights had their best scoring chance with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter but quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was intercepted in the end zone by Jarvis Brownlee on a fourth-and-goal from the 5.

'œIt's not the end of the world as far as our season is concerned,'ť Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. 'œBut it feels like crap right now.'ť

Plumlee was 16-for-34 passing for 131 yards and rushed for 83 yards, but he was sacked four times. Isaiah Bowser rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

UCF was penalized 11 times for 111 yards.

'œThat's on me,'ť Malzahn said. 'œWe're an undisciplined football team.'ť

PICKING EACH OTHER UP

Louisville defensive lineman Jermayne Lole missed Friday's game with an injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Cardinals defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said the rest of the defensive line wanted to honor him with a strong performance. 'œThey saw one of their brothers went down and that inspired them,'ť Brown said. 'œThis is a close group and they play for each other.'ť

THE BIG PICK

Brownlee, a transfer from Florida State, got inside position on Knights wide receiver Jaylon Griffin and fought him for the football while remaining inbounds. 'œWe knew that they were going to come out with something tricky,'ť Cardinals safety Kenderick Duncan said. 'œWe just executed. Jarvis knew where he needed to be and he did his job.'ť

EXTRA POINTS

Cunningham has made 37 consecutive starts, a school record for quarterbacks ... UCF lost at home for just the third time in the past 34 games ... Louisville has scored in 267 straight games.

THE TAKEAWAY

Louisville: The Cardinals recovered from a poor effort in a 31-7 loss to Syracuse last week. Cunningham wasn't perfect, but showed a lot of toughness and leadership in guiding the offense to 421 yards. Louisville wants to be a threat in the ACC and now has some momentum going into next week's home opener against Florida State.

UCF: The Knights need to address their inconsistencies on offense and that starts with Plumlee. The Ole Miss transfer is a threat with his legs, but once Louisville's defense adjusted and forced him to throw from the pocket he could not deliver. It's a disappointing result for a team that was hoping to run the table.

UP NEXT

Louisville: The Cardinals will host Florida State next Friday.

UCF: The Knights are at Florida Atlantic next Saturday

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP's college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield directs players on the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Central Florida head coach Gus Malzahn has words with an official over a penalty during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisville, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Louisville defensive back Kenderick Duncan (27) is called for pass interference as he hits Central Florida tight end Alec Holler, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Central Florida defensive end Josh Celiscar, top, sacks Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Central Florida defensive tackle Ricky Barber, left, grabs Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) by the jersey during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Central Florida quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (10) looks for a receiver against Louisville during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Louisville running back Tiyon Evans (7) fumbles as he is tackled by Central Florida safety Quadric Bullard (37) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Central Florida running back Johnny Richardson, foreground, slips past a Louisville defender for a long run during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) scrambles away from Central Florida defensive end Josh Celiscar (88) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Louisville running back Tiyon Evans, top center, celebrates his touchdown against Central Florida with teammates, including Louisville tight end Francis Sherman (44), during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.