It was the first American Athletic Conference game at Bright House Networks Stadium, and the Knights (6-1, 3-0 The American) did not disappoint, registering 45 points in the opening half, scoring on their first nine possessions and finishing with 527 total yards of offense. The 2013 team became just the second ever at Â鶹ԭ´´ (1988) to score at least 20 points in its first seven outings.

The 62 points for the Knights against the Huskies (0-7, 0-3) were the eighth most in Â鶹ԭ´´ history. The Knights, who entered the top 25 following last Friday’s thrilling 38-35 win at No. 8/6 Louisville, forced four turnovers and limited the Huskies to only 91 yards on the ground.

“I challenged the kids all week to stay hungry and get after the game,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought we went out there and did a really good job in the first half. We were productive on offense and on defense. I challenged them to think of it as six championship games. Today was one, now you have five left. Each week, you have to treat it like a championship game.”

In less than three quarters of work, Blake Bortles set a career-high with four touchdown passes, the most in a game since Ryan Schneider had four vs. Ohio Nov. 30, 2002. Bortles completed his day 20-of-24 for 286 yards with four touchdowns. Â鶹ԭ´´ alum and current Chicago Bears star Brandon Marshall was in attendance and watched Bortles throw a pair of scoring tosses to Jeff Godfrey, who also added a late touchdown reception to become the first Knight since Marshall in 2005 to score three times in a game via the air.

“Blake did a great job finding me and the o-line did a great job blocking,” Godfrey said. “I am getting better every day in practice, just going out there and getting open and making plays for the team.”

Receiving the kickoff for the 13th straight game, Â鶹ԭ´´ immediately marched down the field with a 7-play, 60-yard drive thanks to five methodical rushes and one completion. The Knights capped it off when Storm Johnson bounced off a pair of would-be tacklers to get to the outside and easily jogged into the endzone from 10 yards out for a 7-0 lead.

Little did anyone know what was about to happen the rest of the first half.

UConn tried to answer on its first drive, highlighted by a 57-yard rush from Lyle McCombs, which was the longest Â鶹ԭ´´ had given up all season. That set up a 40-yard field goal by Chad Christen. But not backing down, the Knights used a long play of their own with a 50-yard strike from Bortles to Breshad Perriman to return to the redzone. Three players later, Bortles escaped pressure in the backfield and scampered his way to a 10-yard touchdown run and a 14-3 lead early in the first quarter.

“We were definitely in sync as a unit and we moved the ball down the field and executed,” Bortles said. “I think as a unit, we were feeling (great) and we were able to execute what we were doing.”

The Huskies defense had little time to rest after Â鶹ԭ´´ forced a 3-and-out. Following a 26-yard punt return by J.J. Worton, the offense again had little trouble padding to its lead. Ultimately on 3rd-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Bortles saw a blitz coming from the left side, spun away and hit an open Johnson running toward the endzone for a 21-3 cushion with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Â鶹ԭ´´ looked to be in control until a UConn punt bounced off a Knight and the Huskies were able to recover on the Â鶹ԭ´´-24. The visitors converted the turnover into points by way of a McCombs 9-yard touchdown run.

Now holding a 21-10 advantage in the second quarter, the Black and Gold once again got on the scoreboard, this time on a career-long 50-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt. The momentum stayed with the Knights as Terrance Plummer continued his impressive season on the ensuing UConn possession, stripping quarterback Tim Boyle on 3rd-and-9 as he was about to send the ball downfield. With the ball destined to hit the ground, Troy Gray came flying in for a diving interception.

Taking over at the UConn-31 with the pick, Â鶹ԭ´´ needed just three plays to bring it to 31-10 as receiver Rannell Hall notched his first rushing touchdown of his career on a 17-yard burst with 4:17 to play in the half. A little more than three minutes later, Bortles went 4-for-4 for 44 yards during his drive and found a wide open Godfrey in the left corner of the endzone, bolstering the lead to 38-10.

Â鶹ԭ´´ finally put an end to the first half, taking a Sean Maag interception and turning it into another seven points with the second Bortles-to-Godfrey connection, a 9-yard strike for the 45-10 halftime mark. Bortles wrapped up the opening stanza by going 19-for-23 with 225 yards, three touchdown passes and a touchdown run as Â鶹ԭ´´ amassed its most points in any half since 50 in the first half against Akron Nov. 3, 2001.

“I thought we needed to get out there and score early, just so you don’t give them any breath of fresh air,” O’Leary said. “We did what we needed to do on the first drive, we took it down and scored and were very efficient.”

Not wanting to let up on the gas, the Knights’ first offensive possession of the second half provided the home fans even more to cheer about when Worton snagged a pass from Bortles, broke two tackles on the 50 and sprinted home for his longest reception of his career, a 61-yard touchdown to bring it to 52-10.

“We are trying to keep our foot on the gas pedal,” Godfrey said. “I think we did a great job, coming back home, putting on a great show for the fans.”

After UConn’s third turnover which saw Michael Easton pop the ball loose out of McCombs’ arms and Maag recover, true freshman Justin Holman entered his second career game as the Â鶹ԭ´´ quarterback. He promptly led it on a drive where Moffitt closed it out on a 35-yard field goal. That moved the junior to a perfect 9-for-9 on the season.

“It is not just me, it is really the whole defense,” Maag said of the takeaways. “Every week, we are trying to get at least four turnovers as a defense.”

The Knights would utilize the situation to bring in several more players off the bench, giving them much-needed playing time since Â鶹ԭ´´’s last four games were decided by seven points or less. And the defense would be tested in the third as the Huskies began a drive on their own 20 only to reach the Â鶹ԭ´´-2. Following a false start, UConn went for it on fourth down and Casey Cochran’s pass fell incomplete to keep it at 55-10.

However the Huskies attempted another drive on the young defense now in the game, and this time succeeded on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Cochran to Brian Lemelle with 10:11 remaining in the game. Holman found Godfrey for a 5-yard scoring strike with 2:50 left in the contest.

Riding a three-game winning streak, Â鶹ԭ´´ now enters its third and final bye week of the season before it hosts Houston Saturday, Nov. 9, to cap off Homecoming week. Game time is slated to be announced on Monday. Tickets are available by calling 407-Â鶹ԭ´´-1000 or by visiting Â鶹ԭ´´Knights.com

Â鶹ԭ´´ led 34-24 late in the game. But with under four minutes remaining, a special teams miscue set up Penn State (2-1) for a possible comeback. A snap over punter Caleb Houston’s head led to a loss of 18 yards after Houston picked up the ball and got a short kick off. Three plays later, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg found wide receiver Allen Robinson in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 34-31, as close as Penn State had been since the first quarter.

The Nittany Lions elected to kick off deep and Â鶹ԭ´´ took over at its own 25-yard line after a touchback with 2:51 remaining. A 13-yard pass from quarterback Blake Bortles to receiver J.J. Worton gave Â鶹ԭ´´ a first down and created just enough of a cushion for the Knights to run out the clock. On fourth down with two seconds remaining, Bortles took the snap, ran back 14 yards, dropped to the turf and ignited a celebration on the Â鶹ԭ´´ sideline.

“I knew we’d be all right,” Bortles said of his mindset as the team took the field with an opportunity to run the clock out and seal the victory. “They hadn’t stopped us all night.”

“Give credit to our players,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach George O’Leary said. “We came to win a game and we got a great win. They’re celebrating right now. I told them before the game, they’ll feel either great joy or great sadness and they’re feeling great joy right now.”

Â鶹ԭ´´ racked up 507 yards of offense in the contest. Bortles and Johnson led the way on offense. Bortles completed 20-of-27 passes for 288 yards and three scores, with one interception.

Â鶹ԭ´´ entered the contest 0-7 against current Big Ten programs. The Knights are now 3-0 for the first time since 1988.

Johnson rushed for 117 yards and one TD, while also finding the end zone on a reception. J.J. Worton pulled in seven receptions for 101 yards, as well.

“We had a good plan and we executed it,” Bortles said. “We blocked up front, the receivers ran good routes and I just had to distribute the ball to the right places.”

Defensively, Terrance Plummer tallied 11 tackles and forced a huge fumble in the fourth quarter. Plummer’s forced fumble came with 5:43 remaining in the game against Penn State running back Zach Zwinak. The fumble was recovered by Sean Maag at the Â鶹ԭ´´ 27 to thwart a Penn State scoring threat.

“I got to the running back and as I brought him down, I just tried to strike at the ball,” Plummer said of his big forced fumble. “I didn’t know we got it until everyone was cheering. It was a good moment.”

“I thought when we got that fumble recovery, it was going to be a difference-maker,” O’Leary said. “But Penn State bowed up. It’s nice to get a big win like that going into a bye week. I’m just happy for the Â鶹ԭ´´, for the program, the fan base and the people that were up here. We had a good crowd up here from Â鶹ԭ´´.”

To open the contest, Â鶹ԭ´´ ran nearly seven minutes off the clock and traveled 89 yards in 13 plays. The drive was keyed by a huge 3rd-and-9 completion from Bortles to Godfrey. Three plays later, Bortles found Johnson in the right flat for a 4-yard touchdown, putting the Knights up 7-0. The Nittany Lions answered on the ensuing possession. A 44-yard strike from Hackenberg to Robinson keyed the drive, which was capped by a 4-yard plunge from Zach Zwinak to tie it at 7-7.

Johnson put together the longest run of his Â鶹ԭ´´ career to put the Knights on top 14-7. He busted off a 58-yard scamper around right end, stiff-arming a defender in the final 10 yards and tight-roping the sideline before reaching paydirt. The Knights went on top 21-7 on a 5-yard, diving, foot-dragging catch in the back corner of the end zone by Worton. Jeff Godfrey put the Knights in position to score with a 49-yard run on the second play of the possession. Penn State added a 47-yard field goal late in the second to leave Â鶹ԭ´´ with a 21-10 lead at the intermission.

The third quarter was like a prize fight, as the Knights and Nittany Lions traded blows. Â鶹ԭ´´ extended its lead to 28-10 early in the third quarter. First, Bortles hit Worton for 44 yards down the middle of the field. He then found Josh Reese on the sideline for a 25-yard scoring strike. Penn State answered just four plays later. A 46-yard Hackenberg-to-Robinson pass set up a 9-yard Zwinak scoring run, pulling the Nittany Lions back within 11 points, 28-17.

Shawn Moffitt then added a 31-yard field goal with 2:30 left in the third to put the Knights up 31-17. Penn State pulled within seven, as close as it had been since the second quarter, when Zwinak scored his third TD of the game from one yard out. The score capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive for the Nittany Lions and made it 31-24 with 13:35 remaining in the contest.

Â鶹ԭ´´ answered that score when Moffitt added another field goal – this one from 36 yards out – with 8:10 left in the contest, putting Â鶹ԭ´´ on top 34-24, setting the stage for the wild finish.

It was the first shutout for Â鶹ԭ´´ since defeating Memphis 41-0 on October 29, 2011. It was also the first time the Knights had held an opponent under 200 yards of total offense since the 2011 season. Â鶹ԭ´´ out-gained the Panthers 390-173, averaging 6.6 yards per play, compared to just 3.0 for FIU.

“I thought we started off a little bit slow,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach George O’Leary said. “But we made some big plays on offense. We gave them some yards on defense, but got stingy when we had to get stingy. We’ve just got to keep getting better in certain facets of the game. I thought we played with good effort. We got a chance to play a lot of kids tonight.”

The victory was important for the Knights who were part of a 17-10 loss at FIU during 2011. It was also important for Â鶹ԭ´´ student-athletes from the Miami area, such as senior wide receiver Jeff Godfrey, who hauled in four passes for 33 yards.

“It means a lot,” Godfrey said. “We know what happened to us last time we came down here. We didn’t want that to happen again. We came out and got the job done on both sides (of the ball).”

While the Â鶹ԭ´´ offense started a bit slowly, the Knights’ defense stifled FIU through the first quarter. The Knights eventually grabbed a 7-0 edge with 7:02 left in the first quarter when Blake Bortles bull-dozed into the end zone on a quarterback sneak from one yard out. The drive was kept alive by a long scramble from Bortles on third-and-15 and a 34-yard connection between Bortles and Rannell Hall.

One play into the second quarter, the Knights increased their advantage to 14-0. Storm Johnson reached pay dirt from two yards out. Â鶹ԭ´´ had two touchdowns on the board before FIU managed a first down. The Panthers’ first set of fresh downs came on their first possession of the second quarter.

Â鶹ԭ´´ increased its lead to 17-0 on a 37-yard Shawn Moffitt field goal that came midway through the second quarter. The drive included a gorgeous tip-toe catch on the sideline from Hall for a 28-yard gain.

The Knights increased their advantage to 24-0 when Johnson scampered in from 15 yards out with less than 4 minutes remaining in the first half. The drive was set up by a 59-yard bomb from Bortles to Hall that put Hall over 100 yards receiving for the game. He finished with a career-best 127 yards on the night.

Â鶹ԭ´´ held that 24-0 advantage at the intermission. FIU missed a 34-yard field goal on the last play of the half, the closest the Panthers came to scoring in the contest.

Following a bad FIU snap that ended up being recovered by Â鶹ԭ´´ at the FIU 17-yard line, Johnson scored third TD of the night – a career-best – to put Â鶹ԭ´´ up 31-0. Four minutes later, Bortles found J.J. Worton from 5 yards out to make it 38-0 after three quarters. That put a cap on Bortles’ night, as he finished 12-of-19 for 214 yards and the one score.

Johnson rushed for 89 yards on 18 carries to go with his three scores. William Stanback added 55 yards on the ground. Terrance Plummer led the Knights’ defense with seven solo stops. Jordan Ozerities tallied six tackles, including two for loss of yardage.

Â鶹ԭ´´ is back on the road again next week. The Knights travel to State College, Pa. for a Saturday matchup with the Big Ten’s Penn State Nittany Lions.

Newman eventually beat out approximately 115 participants in the longest throw competition and then the punt return contest to snatch up both prizes Thursday.

“I was showing off at the end, especially on that diving catch,” smiled Newman, who caught three difficult punts from the machine to cap off the night. “I didn’t really need to do that but I was showing off a little. (For next year) I am going to train ahead of time for sure, kind of like getting ready for a marathon so I can win everything, and hopefully they will add more competitive sports and then I can win more.”

After everyone registered, they gathered for some introductions of the football staff led by head coach George O’Leary. Offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe explained offensive formations, snap counts and personnel, while defensive coordinator Jim Fleming taught defensive gaps, zones and mechanics. The group eventually went inside Nicholson Fieldhouse and separated into different positions, such as receiving, kicking and throwing. One of the players helping out was senior wide receiver Jeff Godfrey.

“It is very fun to see everyone compete, who can throw the ball the farthest and how they are catching punts. It’s really exciting out here. It’s a great turnout tonight,” Godfrey said.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics Hall of Fame member and wide receivers coach Sean Beckton agreed.

“Tonight was a very good event,” Beckton said. “Everyone got to see a lot of the different aspects of how a football program is run, and they had a chance to get out and interact with some of our players and learn some of the skills to help them understand the game even more.”

At the end of the event, the two big competitions took place with Newman stealing the show.

“I think tonight’s fantastic,” she said. “I was a late add-on to come with a friend and I love it. I would recommend it. It’s been great.”

Plan your game days this fall with the Knights, and experience one of the best schedules in program history. Season tickets start at $99. Order today at or call 407-Â鶹ԭ´´-1000.

Last year, quarterback Blake Bortles served as one of the primary focal points during the spring contest as he was beginning his first season as the Knights’ starting signal-caller. The Oviedo native ultimately put together one of the finest performances by a Â鶹ԭ´´ quarterback in school history, guiding the Knights to a 10-4 record and a Conference USA East Division title. He also was the MVP of the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Now a junior, Bortles has to smile knowing all of the weapons he has on offense, highlighted by Â鶹ԭ´´ returning five of its top six wide receivers from a year ago. On the other side of the line, though, the Black and Gold lost several key players, and that will be one of five things to watch this Saturday.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR SATURDAY

Young Defense

Early Enrollees

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Special Teams

Plan your game days with the Knights, and experience one of the best schedules in program history in the best available seat locations at Bright House Networks Stadium. 2013 season tickets start at $99. To secure your Â鶹ԭ´´ football season tickets, visit Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com or call 407-Â鶹ԭ´´-1000.

It was over when: After Ball State kicked a field goal to make the score 28-10, the Cardinals attempted an onsides kick. It didn’t work, and Â鶹ԭ´´ needed just seven plays to turn that good field position into a touchdown. Blake Bortles found J.J. Worton for a 7-yard touchdown pass and a 35-10 lead. You couldn’t blame Ball State coach Pete Lembo for gambling, because his defense had no answers all night long for the Knights, who led 28-7 at halftime and controlled both sides of the ball.

Game ball goes to: Bortles. The sophomore quarterback bounced back from a rough day in the Conference USA title game loss to Tulsa for a terrific all-around performance. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for 79 yards and a score. Bortles did a great job of extending plays with his feet, especially in the red zone, and he didn’t turn the ball over. Running back Latavius Murray caught two of Bortles’ touchdown passes and ran for another.

Stat of the game: 68. That’s how many rushing yards Ball State had in the game. The Cardinals averaged 214 rushing yards per game this season but couldn’t find much room against Â鶹ԭ´´’s defense and had to play from behind all night. Bortles outrushed Ball State all by himself.

Unsung hero of the game: Â鶹ԭ´´ freshman receiver Breshad Perriman had five catches for 90 yards, helping set up two first-half scores. Perriman had only 298 receiving yards in the regular season.

What it means: Â鶹ԭ´´ won its second bowl game and first since downing Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl. The Knights seniors became the winningest class in school history with their 34th victory. A 10-win season should set the program up well for its entry next season into the Big East, however that league may end up looking. … A strong season by Ball State ended with familiar disappointment. The program is now 0-6 all time in bowls.

The last time the Knights earned two major awards was in 2010 when Bruce Miller was voted as the defensive player of the year while Jeff Godfrey was the offensive player of the year.

Since Â鶹ԭ´´ joined the league in 2005, it boasts three C-USA Defensive Player of the Year awards, the most of any school. Miller picked up that distinction in back-to-back seasons from 2009-10. The Knights, meanwhile, are tied atop the chart with East Carolina with two C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year accolades. KR/PR Joe Burnett received the honor in 2008.

For the rest of the C-USA individual award winners, visit ConferenceUSA.com.

Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Postseason Conference Players of the Year Since 2005

C-USA Defensive Player of the Year

C-USA Offensive Player of the Year

C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year

C-USA Freshman of the Year

Ranking third all-time at Â鶹ԭ´´ with 360 career tackles, Ishmael serves as one of the Knights’ three team captains in 2012. He leads the team in tackles for the third-straight year with a personal-best 116, and ranks tied for first in C-USA with three fumble recoveries as well as tied for fifth with three interceptions. Ishmael has started 48-straight games since his true freshman campaign in 2009.

On his final snap at Bright House Networks Stadium, Ishmael notched his first-career sack in the win over UAB. He also produced one of the top moments in stadium history when he intercepted a pass in double overtime to seal the victory against Southern Miss.

A graduate of nearby Edgewater High School, McDuffie stands as the Â鶹ԭ´´ career kickoff return leader with 90 returns, 2,501 yards and six touchdowns. This season, he ranks first in the nation among qualified players with a 34.2-yard return average thanks to 582 yards on 17 returns.

McDuffie tied a NCAA record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns when he ran back returns of 97 and 98 yards against Marshall. He also returned a 99-yarder against East Carolina which completely shifted momentum after Â鶹ԭ´´ trailed 14-0 (Knights won, 40-20).

In 2012, the program’s final year in the league before moving to the BIG EAST next fall, the Knights won their fourth C-USA East Division title in eight seasons in the league. They also have earned their fifth bowl berth since 2005 as they will travel to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg where they will face Ball State Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

For ticket information to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, contact the Â鶹ԭ´´ Ticket Office at (407) Â鶹ԭ´´-1000 or visit Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com.

Â鶹ԭ´´ led 27-21 with just more than five minutes left in the game. Â鶹ԭ´´ was forced to punt and Jamie Boyle’s 44-yard kick was touched by the Knights. But the ball was not dead. Watts went back to the Â鶹ԭ´´ 46-yard line, picked it up and raced down the Tulsa sideline for a 54-yard touchdown. The Knights blocked the point-after-touchdown to keep the game tied at 27-27 and force the overtime period.

In overtime, Â鶹ԭ´´ had the ball first and was forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal attempt. But the kick was blocked, giving Tulsa the opportunity for victory with a score. Tulsa got a 17-yard run from Watts to give them a first-and-goal at the Â鶹ԭ´´ 6-yard line. Three plays later, Alex Singleton dove over from the 1-yard line to account for the winning score.

Â鶹ԭ´´ trailed 21-14 at halftime. But the Knights scored 13 points in the third quarter to grab the 27-21 advantage.

With just more than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Knights took advantage of a 5-yard punt into the stiff wind and took over at the Tulsa 27-yard line. Five plays later, Murray plunged in from two yards out. But the point-after-touchdown was blocked by the Golden Hurricane’s Trent Martin, keeping Tulsa in the lead, 21-20.

Third-down conversions were key on the Â鶹ԭ´´ drive to regain the lead late in the third quarter. On third-and-22 at the beginning of the possession, quarterback Blake Bortles found Breshad Perriman for a 39-yard gain through the air. Then, later in the drive on third-and-6 from the Tulsa 28-yard line, Bortles dropped back to pass, scrambled up the middle and went 28 yards untouched for the go-ahead score, putting the Knights on top 27-21. That score set up Watts’ punt return – the lone score of the fourth quarter – which forced the overtime.

Tulsa took advantage of good field position to take an early 7-0 lead. Green found wide receiver Thomas Roberson over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The drive went just 38 yards after Â鶹ԭ´´ punted 37 yards out of its own end zone into a wind blowing at more than 20 miles per hour. But it could have been worse. Â鶹ԭ´´ fumbled the opening kickoff at its own 32-yard line but Kemal Ishmael forced a fumble that was recovered by Brandon Alexander on a fourth-down play inside the Â鶹ԭ´´ 10-yard line to thwart the Golden Hurricane scoring threat.

On the second play of the second quarter, Bortles found Perriman along the end line of the end zone for an eight-yard scoring strike, tying the game at 7-7. Bortles was 4-of-4 passing for 56 yards on the 73-yard drive.

With just less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Bortles tossed his second touchdown pass of the game to give Â鶹ԭ´´ the lead. He bought time in the pocket, waited for a receiver to clear and found Quincy McDuffie with an eight-yard bullet for the score, putting the Knights on top 14-7.

Tulsa answered with 2:35 left in the first half. The Golden Hurricane went 75 yards on the drive, capped by a 7-yard run from Alex Singleton, tying the game at 14-14. Tulsa then grabbed a 21-14 lead at the intermission, driving 80 yards in 1:02. Ja’Terian Douglas went two yards to cap the drive with 0:00 showing on the second-quarter clock.

The Â鶹ԭ´´ defense forced four UTEP turnovers and also came up big following a few special teams miscues to help keep the Miners at bay. Leading the defensive effort were Ray Shipman with 14 total tackles, Kemal Ishmael with 10 stops and an interception and E.J. Dunston with seven tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Â鶹ԭ´´ led 24-10 in the fourth quarter. But a pair of UTEP touchdowns, one on a Blair Sullivan 2-yard run and one on a 69-yard Nathan Jeffery gallop tied it at 24-24 with less than seven minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Knights moved inside UTEP territory on a pass interference call. One play later, Murray squirted up the middle, broke loose and sprinted 46 yards for the game-winner.

With the game tied 7-7 early in the second quarter, UTEP blocked a Â鶹ԭ´´ punt and took over at the Knights’ 1-yard line. But the Knights’ defense stood tall, stonewalling two run plays and forcing an overthrow on third down. The Miners converted on a field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 12:48 left in the first half.

A muffed punt on a fair-catch attempt midway through the second quarter gave UTEP possession in Â鶹ԭ´´ territory. But the Knight defense came up big again, forcing and recovering a fumble.

Â鶹ԭ´´ opened the scoring on the first possession of the game. Blake Bortles scrambled to his left and found Jeff Godfrey free in the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown pass, giving the Knights a 7-0 advantage. Nathan Jeffery capped a 75-yard drive for UTEP to answer the Knights midway through the first period. A two-yard touchdown plunge for Jeffery tied the game at 7-7.

Bortles gave Â鶹ԭ´´ the lead late in the second quarter. He capped an 18-play, 88-yard drive with a 2-yard bootleg around the left end to put the Knights on top 14-10 with 28 seconds left until intermission. But the Knights weren’t done for the first half. A UTEP fumble was recovered by Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Troy Davis at the Miners’ 35-yard line. Â鶹ԭ´´ converted that turnover into a Shawn Moffitt 30-yard field goal to take a 17-10 advantage at halftime.

Â鶹ԭ´´ had a field-goal attempt blocked late in the third quarter. But the Â鶹ԭ´´ defense once again made plays when they had to. UTEP’s ensuing possession stalled, forcing a 47-yard field goal attempt that was wide left.

Â鶹ԭ´´ widened the margin to 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Knights drove 71 yards in four plays, highlighted by a Bortles-to-Rannell Hall 56-yard completion. Rob Calabrese took the snap, handed it to Quincy McDuffie, who then pitched it to Bortles, who was lined up as a wide receiver. Bortles then tossed it to Hall, who was finally dragged down inside the UTEP 20. Three plays later, Bortles scrambled 15 yards for the TD, diving across the goal line between a pair of Miner defenders.

UTEP answered that score with a 10-play, 79-yard drive. Miner QB Sullivan rushed for a two-yard score one play after a Â鶹ԭ´´ interception in the end zone was taken away due to a pass interference penalty. UTEP’s Nathan Jeffery tied the game at 24-24 the next time UTEP touched the ball on his 69-yard scoring run with 6:49 remaining.

That set up Murray’s sprint up the middle to give Â鶹ԭ´´ the lead for good.

Within a matter of minutes late last season, Bortles experienced both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows that a quarterback can feel when the Knights faced nationally ranked Southern Miss.

With Â鶹ԭ´´ trailing by seven points and facing a fourth-and-six with two seconds to play, Bortles fired a 25-yard strike that fellow redshirt freshman J.J. Worton hauled in despite being swarmed by three defensive backs.

But rather than kicking the tying extra point, Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach George O’Leary opted to ride the momentum of Bortles, who had completed seven consecutive passes to lead the Knights down the field for the touchdown. But when Bortles’ two-point pass was hurried because of the rush and fell incomplete, the moment of jubilation over the touchdown was replaced by the disappointment of defeat.

Bortles has used the memory of that moment as motivation throughout the offseason.

“Me and J.J. have watched that together numerous times and just listening to the audio of them saying, `Worton comes down with it!’ is such a great feeling,” said Bortles, breaking into a smile. “And then every time we talk about the two-point play, it’s always the infamous `16-pivot’ that didn’t get converted for the win. That one still stings.”

The sting of that moment has driven Bortles throughout the offseason and caused him to set up optional workouts with his receivers and to become a better leader in the locker room. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound quarterback took control of the offense late last season and was at the controls throughout spring practice, evolving into the leader of the offense. He has worked hard – on and off the field – to become the player that Â鶹ԭ´´ can count on.

“This spring getting better in the locker room was the biggest thing I had to work on,” Bortles said. “Coach O’Leary emphasized to me that I need to be the guy in the locker room, being the guy that everybody can look to and being that coach on the field. The leadership role is something that I really strived to become better at in the spring.”

He certainly looked like a leader on the field in Saturday’s Spring Game, passing for 239 yards and a touchdown. He completed 27 of 45 passes, numbers that would have been even more impressive had Â鶹ԭ´´’s receivers not dropped 12 passes.

In addition to his progress on the field, Â鶹ԭ´´ senior tailback Latavius Murray has noticed a major difference in the way that Bortles commands the huddle. Starting his third year in the program, Bortles is more comfortable becoming the voice of the offense.

“Blake is a lot more confident and he’s really trying to take that leader role now,” Murray said. “Like coach said, when Blake is in the huddle it’s his huddle. You can just see that he’s a lot more comfortable. He knows he needs to be our leader in the huddle and on the field and I see that in him.”

Bortles, a native of nearby Oviedo, impressed Â鶹ԭ´´’s coaching staff last season with his readiness off the bench. He filled in nicely in relief in games against BYU, SMU and UAB, throwing two touchdown passes and regularly moving the offense. And he showed the coaching staff that he could be a dependable playmaker in the clutch with the performance at Southern Miss.

That night, Bortles hit on 24 of 34 passes for 248 yards and two touchdown passes. His TD toss to Ronnie Weaver put Â鶹ԭ´´ up 23-22 with eight minutes to play. After Southern Miss retook the lead, Â鶹ԭ´´’s hopes seem to die when Bortles’ screen pass was intercepted by a Southern Miss defensive linemen. But he didn’t blink at the setback, leading the team down the field and converting to Worton on the final play of regulation.

Being in a back-up role most of last season taught Bortles some important lessons about preparation and production.

“When you are a two you have to prepare like you are a one,” Bortles said of his former role on the second string. “Like coach always said, `You are a (sprained) ankle away from being the guy.’ I tried to always stay in my playbook and Jeff (Godfrey) and I were always staying together on the calls and the audibles. When Jeff went out I could keep the offense moving the way that he did.”

As for Godfrey, O’Leary has said that he might welcome him back to the program after the two meet this week. Godfrey led the Knights to a school-record 11 wins, a Conference USA title and a Liberty Bowl win in 2010. He started all 12 games last season, but left the program. Now, he’s expressed a desire to return to the Knights.

Whereas that might upset some quarterbacks, Bortles said he would welcome Godfrey back onto the team. Bortles said he would have no problem being in a quarterback competition for the starting job, and his commitment to Â鶹ԭ´´ out of high school should be proof of that.

“It’s like the same situation when I committed. I committed and then (Godfrey) committed and everybody wondered if I was going to de-commit,” Bortles recalled. “I was like, `He’s a great athlete and a great player and I can’t wait for the competition.’

“I hope (Godfrey) comes back,” Bortles said. “The only thing he does is make us better. It doesn’t matter if he plays quarterback or whatever he wants, but I look forward to him coming back. We’re friends and I know he’s a great athlete and I know he’ll make the team a lot better.”