Duke Watson rushed 14 times for a career-high 177 yards and scored two touchdowns to help UCF come from behind to beat Georgia State 44-30 on Saturday in Orlando.
The Knights (2-1) converted a pair of second-half interceptions to break a 27-27 tie. Curtis Tackett’s pickoff set up Keyone Jenkins’ 4-yard touchdown run, and Demari Henderson’s interception set up Will Stone’s 24-yard field goal, giving UCF a 37-27 lead with 8:42 left.
Georgia State’s Samer Layous kicked a 49-yard field goal with 1:52 remaining, his third of the game, to trim the lead to 37-30.
UCF recovered the onside kick and added another touchdown on Jenkins’ 3-yard run with 1:24 remaining.
Jenkins, starting at quarterback in place of the injured Alonza Barnett II, completed 7 of 17 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown, and rushed eight times for 25 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia State (2-1) was led by quarterback Cameran Brown. He completed 30 of 47 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns, both to Rodshaun Dorsey, and two interceptions and rushed 12 times for 17 yards. Qwantavius Wiggins rushed 11 times for 125 yards and one touchdown.
UCF set the tone early. Georgia State gambled and came up short on fourth-and-1 at its own 34 and the Knights scored six plays later on Watson’s 14-yard touchdown run. UCF followed with a 29-yard field goal from Stone to take a 10-0 lead.
That sparked the Georgia State offense, which produced three touchdowns and a field goal on its final four possessions of the half — including a 78-yard touchdown run by Wiggins — to grab a 24-20 lead.
UCF regained the lead when Watson scored on a 63-yard run on the first play of the second half, only to have Georgia State tie the game 27-27 on Layous’ 35-yard field goal.
