An undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans, Bouye also came through with seven tackles against Philadelphia.

Blake Bortles booked his sixth start of the season for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Cincinnati Bengals. Recording a quarterback rating of 96.4, Bortles completed 22-for-33 passes throwing for 247 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Back on the defensive side, Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson had three tackles. Additional News: Oakland Raiders running back, Latavius Murray, recorded his first receptions of his NFL career; two receptions for 12 yards. San Francisco fullback Bruce Miller recorded his third reception of the season, for five yards, in his third start of the season.

The Knights currently have 15 players on NFL rosters. They join Cincinnati and UConn (both with 18) as the only three teams in the with at least 15 former players with NFL clubs (as of Nov. 4).

麻豆原创 in the NFL – Week Nine

WR Kamar Aiken – Baltimore Ravens

QB Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars

CB A.J. Bouye – Houston Texans

LB Troy Davis – Dallas Cowboys – Reserved/Injured

DT Leger Douzable – New York Jets

DB Kemal Ishmael – Atlanta Falcons

RB Storm Johnson – Jacksonville Jaguars

WR Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears

G Justin McCray – Tennessee Titans – Practice Squad

FB Bruce Miller – San Francisco 49ers

RB Latavius Murray – Oakland Raiders

K Matt Prater – Detroit Lions

T Jah Reid – Baltimore Ravens

CB Josh Robinson – Minnesota Vikings

OT Josh Sitton – Green Bay Packers

Updating 麻豆原创 in the CFL

CB Joe Burnett – Edmonton Eskimos

WR A.J. Guyton – Edmonton Eskimos

WR Quincy McDuffie – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

DL Keith Shologan – Ottawa REDBLACKS

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 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创’s defense and had to play from behind all night. Bortles outrushed Ball State all by himself.

Unsung hero of the game: 麻豆原创 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: 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 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.

麻豆原创鈥檚 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 麻豆原创 with 360 career tackles, Ishmael serves as one of the Knights鈥� 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 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 trailed 14-0 (Knights won, 40-20).

In 2012, the program鈥檚 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 鈥極鈥� Brady鈥檚 Bowl in St. Petersburg where they will face Ball State Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

For ticket information to the Beef 鈥極鈥� Brady鈥檚 Bowl, contact the 麻豆原创 Ticket Office at (407) 麻豆原创-1000 or visit 麻豆原创Athletics.com.

It was the class of 2012 that made what seemed like all the plays for the Knights on Saturday to ensure 麻豆原创 captured its fourth C-USA East Division title and a spot in next week鈥檚 championship game scheduled for noon at Tulsa on the ESPN family of networks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a win and another division championship,鈥� head coach George O鈥橪eary said after the game. 鈥淚t also makes the senior class the winningest one is school history, so I am very happy for them. That whole senior class is just a great group of kids and have mostly all graduated. They are going to be very successful in the future if it鈥檚 in football or something else.鈥�

With its 33 victories, the senior class tied the all-time record for most wins over a four-year span and saw senior FS Kemal Ishmael rack up 10 tackles to move into fifth all-time at 麻豆原创 while fellow classmate Quincy McDuffie notched a career-high three rushing TDs on six attempts for 79 yards.

鈥淐oming down to the end of the season, most guys won鈥檛 play at the next level, and this was going to be our last game at home. We just had a lot to lose this game, and everybody just took it seriously knowing we just had to get back to Tulsa and handle business,鈥� said Ishmael, who registered his first-career sack on the last defensive play.

Following the recognition ceremony for the 20-member senior class, it was quick work for the 麻豆原创 offense after receiving the opening kickoff. Needing only five plays, the Knights picked up yards in large chunks. Murray scampered for 20 yards followed by back-to-back 18-yard passes by Bortles as the second resulted in an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone by J.J. Worton for his third receiving TD of the year.

UAB looked to even the game at 7-all, but senior LB Jonathan Davis forced his second fumble of the year at the 1-yard line while fellow classmate A.J. Bouye recovered the ball in the end zone for the 23rd takeaway of 2012.

麻豆原创鈥檚 offense turned the freebie into six points when Murray rumbled in from three yards out for his 35th-career TD, and 13th of 2012. It was the Knights鈥� 28th scoring drive this season of 75 yards or more.

After a failed 麻豆原创 fourth-down attempt from midfield, UAB looked to take advantage of the short field, but the Knights鈥� stout defense stiffened and denied the Blazers on three-straight rushing attempts from the 10-yard line to reclaim possession.

Up 14-3, senior punter Jamie Boyle was aided by his classmates Ishmael and FB Billy Giovanetti, who helped down the kick at the 1-yard line. That setup a defensive stop followed by a 34-yard punt return by Worton to the UAB nine. Two plays later, McDuffie hit paydirt on an end-around for his first rushing score of the year.

Keeping with the Senior Day theme, fifth-year DB Lyle Dankenbring made his presence felt after he jumped in front of an attempted screen pass and took it to the house from 78 yards out to make it 28-3. It was the first-career TD for the Palm City, Fla., native, and fifth-longest INT return in school history.

鈥淚t was a screen (play), and he said if he didn鈥檛 catch it that it would鈥檝e stuck in his mask,鈥� O鈥橪eary said with a chuckle about Dankenbring鈥檚 pick-six. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what you need to happen. Football is a game of momentum anyway. That one really hurt because it was the back breaker as far as them moving the ball and being in field-goal range. It was a great play by him and a great play by the defense.鈥�

The first-half offensive fireworks continued for 麻豆原创 following UAB鈥檚 76-yard passing score. McDuffie took the ensuing kickoff 44 yards while the Knights needed just 53 seconds to see Bortles hook up with Worton from four-yards out to give 麻豆原创 its most first-half points (35) since opening night at Akron.

In the second half, McDuffie scored his second rushing TD of the day after taking the jet-sweep handoff from Rob Calabrese out of the 鈥淲ild Knight鈥� into the end zone from eight-yards out to make it 42-10.

UAB wouldn鈥檛 go away quietly, racking up 599 total yards off offense and making it a three-possession game at 42-24 in final quarter. 麻豆原创 used a key fourth-down stop at its own 23-yard line with 8:32 left to end the Blazers鈥� momentum.

The bruising Murray salted the game away with four-straight carries prior to McDuffie housing another jet sweep for 43-yards for his eighth score of the year.

For tickets to next weekend鈥檚 C-USA Championship at Tulsa, click HERE. The Knights and Golden Hurricane are tied 1-all in their meetings for the right to hoist the league-championship trophy.

The 麻豆原创 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.

麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 punt and took over at the Knights鈥� 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聽muffed punt on a fair-catch attempt midway through the second quarter gave UTEP possession in 麻豆原创 territory. But the Knight defense came up big again, forcing and recovering a fumble.

麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 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鈥檛 done for the first half. A UTEP fumble was recovered by 麻豆原创鈥檚 Troy Davis at the Miners鈥� 35-yard line. 麻豆原创 converted that turnover into a Shawn Moffitt 30-yard field goal to take a 17-10 advantage at halftime.

麻豆原创 had a field-goal attempt blocked late in the third quarter. But the 麻豆原创 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.

麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 interception in the end zone was taken away due to a pass interference penalty. UTEP鈥檚 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鈥檚 sprint up the middle to give 麻豆原创 the lead for good.

麻豆原创 opened the scoring with a nine-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that also featured plenty of Murray. The senior running back accounted for the final 72 yards (61 rushing, 11 receiving) of the possession. Murray ripped off a 50-yard burst and also capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge during the drive, which put 麻豆原创 on top 7-0.

Murray’s first-quarter effort and an opportunistic Knights’ defense led 麻豆原创 (5-2, 3-0 C-USA) to a 35-17 victory. The 麻豆原创 defense forced three Memphis turnovers and held the Tigers (1-6, 1-2) to 4-of-16 on third-down conversion opportunities.

“I think (turnovers were) the difference in the game tonight,” 麻豆原创 head coach George O’Leary said. “Defensively, we made some plays. We got some quick three-and-outs that kept us in good field position.”

By the end of the first quarter, Murray had rushed for 149 yards and two scores on just nine carries. Murray finished his night with 192 yards on 23 carries, which gave him the 12th-best single-game rushing output in 麻豆原创 history.

“The line was doing their job up front,” Murray said. “On those two runs that I broke long on, I just made sure that I hit it and got what was there. I felt good to be out there. That first quarter, those runs we had … we just need to pick it up in the second half and play a full game like that.”

Memphis finally got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, when Tyler Spurlock converted a 34-yard field goal to pull the Tigers within 14-3. The Tigers made it 14-10 when Robert Steeples returned a 麻豆原创 fumble 27 yards for a score.

J.J. Worton gave the Knights some breathing room with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter. He took a pass over the middle from quarterback Blake Bortles and raced untouched to the end zone to put 麻豆原创 on top 21-10. The 29-yard TD pass capped a 61-yard drive that was set up by an A.J. Bouye interception.

Bouye came up big for the 麻豆原创 defense early in the fourth quarter as well. Memphis completed a pass inside the 麻豆原创 25-yard line, but Clayton Geathers stripped Keiwone Malone. Bouye scooped up the loose ball at the 21-yard line and raced 79 yards to give the Knights a 28-10 lead.

麻豆原创 wrapped up its scoring when Bortles found tight end Justin Tukes wide open for a six-yard touchdown with 4:18 remaining in the contest. Memphis added a score with less than one minute remaining in the contest to account for the final tally.

Bortles finished the game 15-of-26 for 122 yards and two scores. Worton was 麻豆原创’s leading receiver with five catches for 56 yards and a score. Clayton Geathers led the way for the Knights’ defense, matching his career-high with 13 total tackles. Kemal Ishmael added 10 stops for 麻豆原创, as well.

The Knights are back in action again next Saturday night at Marshall.

The Knights (4-2, 2-0) registered their 100th win in FBS history and first against the Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-2) since 2007. It was also 麻豆原创’s first overtime victory in school history.

“I said earlier in the week that you can throw the records out and give Southern Miss credit that they came in here and fought,” head coach George O’Leary said. “I don’t think we played as well as we would have liked in any phase of the game, but a lot of that was caused by Southern Miss. They went punch for punch with us. Thankfully we played hard in the overtime periods as far as run, pass and defensively with the pick.

“We’ve have so many close encounters with Southern Miss and it’s a great win as far as another conference win and a step closer to what we want to get accomplished.”

Holding leads of 17-7 and 24-14 during the game, 麻豆原创 found itself going to overtime when USM’s Corey Acosta snuck in a 27-yarder that scraped the left goal post to tie the game at 24-all. In the extra sessions, 麻豆原创 senior running back Latavius Murray made his presence felt by ripping off 28 of his 52 yards on the ground, including a pair of TDs to move into fourth all-time with 25-career rushing TDs.

Fellow senior Kemal Ishmael ended any thoughts of Southern Miss forcing a third overtime when he snatched his second interception of the season on the first play of USM’s second OT series at the seven-yard line.

“The defense did a good job walling the receiver and forcing the quarterback to make a throw he didn’t want to make. It was just good game-planning and good practice. Coach checked out of one of our calls and went to another and it was a great call,” Ishmael said about the game-sealing pick.

O’Leary added about his four-year starter, Ishmael: “Your great football players are always in the right position and that’s where Kemal was. A great play by him, and he is just a terrific football player.”

Also leading the Knights in the victory was the redshirt sophomore trio of Blake Bortles, Storm Johnson and J.J. Worton. For the third-straight game, Bortles notched a career-high through the air after connecting on 27-of-40 passes for 272 yards. He also chipped in on the ground with two short one-yard plunges.

After failing to record a grab in the 40-20 win over East Carolina, Worton responded with a career-best 117 yards on eight catches. Johnson tallied a career-high 94 yards on 18 carries, including a dazzling 32-yard dash through the Golden Eagles defense in the fourth quarter.

Senior Jonathan Davis registered a team-leading nine tackles and was joined by redshirt sophomore Clayton Geathers and Ishmael, who notched eight and seven stops, respectively. Defensive back Jordan Ozerities also notched his second-career interception just after halftime.

With their longest homestand since 2001-02 in the books, the Knights will turn their attention to Memphis when they head to the River City next Saturday for a primetime showdown at 7 p.m.

After trailing 14-0 early in the first quarter, 麻豆原创 outscored the Pirates (3-3, 2-1), 40-6, thanks in large part to hometown speedster Quincy McDuffie. The senior from Edgewater High School did it all for the Knights, including a 99-yard kickoff return and 64-yard reception, both for touchdowns, to ignite the sidelines in the win.

“The call (on the kick) was to go right, but they sky-kicked away from Rannell Hall, and when they kicked it, I hit the seam and every one was wedged in so tight. I put my foot in the ground and went right. Once I got outside, I just tried to take it to the house,” said McDuffie, who boasts three-career two-touchdown games.

After the senior wideout got the Knights on the scoreboard, the offense clicked on all cylinders, cashing in for points on seven-straight possessions following the return. Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles showed off his arm, and his legs, notching career highs of 269 yards through the air on 15 completions and a team-high 62 yards on the ground.

“From an offensive standpoint, nobody blinked an eye,” Bortles said about trailing 14-0 early. “We have a very resilient bunch and everybody just said we have to keep playing our game and moving the ball when we get it.”

麻豆原创’s offense wasn’t the only phase of the game that clicked as the defense registered two sacks, six tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Orlando native Shawn Moffitt led the special teams unit by nailing all four of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 49-yarder late in the fourth quarter.

“It was a good first conference win. I think all three areas–offense, defense and special teams – had something to do with the win. It was special teams that gave us the spark with the 99-yard touchdown return and the next punt return by (J.J.) Worton,” 麻豆原创 head coach George O’Leary said. “We are happy to get the first conference win and get ready for the next conference game next Saturday.”

麻豆原创’s lengthy stay at home will continue when it welcomes Southern Miss on Oct. 13 to Bright House Networks Stadium for a primetime affair at 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

After 麻豆原创 lost its first coin toss in 13 games, ECU opened the contest with an impressive 13-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a Shane Carden 7-yard TD run up the middle.

The Pirates didn’t waste much time going up 14-0. After forcing a 麻豆原创 three-and-out, ECU’s Carden hooked up with speedster Justin Hardy for a 76-yard strike down the far sideline.

With the Knights in need of a quick score themselves, McDuffie entered the record books just 25 seconds later with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The former high school track star, who tied Todd Cleveland with four TD returns all-time at 麻豆原创, turned on the burners after breaking through arm tackles at his own 35-yard line before taking it the distance.

The Knights capitalized on J.J. Worton’s 32-yard punt return, evening the game at 14-all when Storm Johnson plunged into the end zone on his fifth carry in the drive from four yards out.

麻豆原创’s defense began to assert its dominance in the contest as Brandon Alexander dove in front of an ECU receiver on third down and picked off his first-career pass at the Pirate 26-yard line. Moffitt would cash in with back-to-back field goals to extend 麻豆原创’s lead to 20-14.

As time expired in the first half, the Pirates snapped the string of 20-straight points by the Knights when kicker Warren Harvey banged a 27-yarder through the uprights to bring ECU within three.

The second half began with the Knights on the move once more, mixing in the run and pass well before they had to settle for a Moffitt field goal from 36 yards out. ECU marched down the field after Carden hit Jabril Solomon down the middle for 60 yards. 麻豆原创’s defense stood strong, limiting the drive to just three points after Harvey connected from 31 yards out.

McDuffie once again showed off his wheels on the ensuing drive, taking a screen pass from Bortles 64 yards while weaving through would-be tacklers and accelerating down the near sideline for the career-long score. “He’s unbelievable. He’s one of the fastest kids I’ve ever seen,” Bortles said of McDuffie. “It was a great block out there on the perimeter and great play-call. They brought the house on a blitz and played man coverage and Quincy got in the whole and took off. Once gets in the open field there aren’t too many people that can catch him.”

One drive later, Bortles capped off a 12-play drive with a sneak over the left side from one-yard out to put the game out of reach, 37-20.

Leading the defense efforts for the Knights on the evening was sophomore middle linebacker Terrance Plummer who registered his third game of the season with 10-plus tackles, including 11 against the Pirates. Senior Kemal Ishmael also climbed up the 麻豆原创 record books, passing Corey Hogue (279) for 10th all-time in career tackles (286).

麻豆原创 went toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes for much of the contest. But three touchdowns by Miller (one through the air and two on the ground) over the course of about seven minutes – spanning the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third – made the difference.

“Basically, we played sporadically,” head coach George O’Leary said. “You can’t turn the ball over against good football teams. Obviously, Ohio State’s a very good football team. We didn’t tackle very well. Too many missed tackles. They have athletes that make you miss. Everything they talk about with Braxton Miller is accurate.”

With the score tied 10-10 late in the second quarter, Miller scored on a six-yard run to make it 17-10 at the intermission. He then followed up with a TD pass and another scoring run in the first 6:52 of the third quarter. Those three TDs gave Ohio State a 31-10 lead.

麻豆原创 responded with an 84-yard scoring drive, capped by a Bortles-to-Billy Giovanetti two-yard scoring strike to pull within 31-16 late in the third quarter. But that was the final time either team would light the scoreboard.

“I thought we fought back and were resilient with what we were trying to get done,” O’Leary said. “We had opportunities to score points and we didn’t do it.”

Bortles was 25-of-41 for 251 yards and two scores, but was intercepted three times. J.J. Worton hauled in seven passes for 96 yards. Storm Johnson led the Knights on the ground with 75 yards on 12 rushes, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Terrance Plummer paced the 麻豆原创 defense with a career-best 16 tackles, including one tackle-for-loss. Two other Knight defenders – Kemal Ishmael and Clayton Geathers – recorded 10 tackles apiece.

Each team gave the ball away three times. Ohio State put together 411 yards of offense, compared to 352 for 麻豆原创. The Buckeyes held a 33:16-26:44 advantage in time of possession.

Ohio State opened up the scoring on its first possession of the contest, as Miller took a quarterback draw up the middle for 37 yards and a score. The Buckeyes led 7-0 after less than six minutes. 麻豆原创 answered with a 28-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining on the first quarter clock. The Knights’ defense helped set up the score, when linebacker Jonathan Davis stopped Miller on a fourth-and-1 keeper at the Buckeyes’ 47-yard line. Eight plays later, Shawn Moffitt converted from 28 yards out to make it 7-3.

Ohio State increased its lead back to 7 points early in the second quarter. The 麻豆原创 defense stiffened at the 7-yard line before Drew Basil knocked a 24-yard field goal through the uprights to put OSU on top 10-3. But 麻豆原创 answered again.

Running back Storm Johnson accounted for 68 yards on the first two plays of the Knights’ ensuing possession. He took a pass from Bortles for 20 yards and then went around right end for 48, setting 麻豆原创 up at the Ohio State 10-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 1, Bortles found tight end Justin Tukes wide open in the end zone. Moffitt’s PAT tied the game at 10-10.

After an Ohio State fumble late in the third quarter, Bortles had a pass tipped and intercepted at the Knights’ 48-yard line. Eight plays later, Miller kept it around the left end for a six-yard TD run with just 15 seconds left in the first half to put Ohio State up 17-10 at halftime.

The media poll, conducted by the Houston Chronicle, was made up of print reporters and radio representatives who regularly cover the league. C-USA does not conduct an official preseason poll.

麻豆原创 has eight starters returning on both offense and defense in 2012, along with a senior class which consists of 20 student-athletes. That class is highlighted by three-year starting safety Kemal Ishmael, who is a member of the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List (top defensive back in the nation); Theo Goins, who is on the Outland Trophy Watch List (top interior lineman); and Jordan Rae, who claimed a spot on the Rimington Trophy Watch List (top center).

Not only backed by an impressive senior group this year, the Black and Gold placed a C-USA-high six players on the league鈥檚 All-Freshman Team last season. The six selections were the most for a C-USA school since 2008. In 2011, 麻豆原创 averaged 406.8 yards per game, the second-best production in eight years under head coach George O鈥橪eary, while the defense surrendered just 303.3 yards per contest, the lowest by a 麻豆原创 team dating back to 1990.

Since joining the league in 2005, 麻豆原创 has claimed a pair of C-USA titles (2007, 2010), three East Division crowns (2005, 2007, 2010) and has advanced to four bowl games, highlighted by a victory over Georgia in the 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The preseason media poll was released the day schools are traveling to Dallas for the 2012 C-USA Media Day, with the majority of the interviews set to take place Wednesday morning and afternoon.

2012 C-USA Preseason Media Poll

East Division

1. 麻豆原创 (13) 鈥� 85 points
2. Southern Miss (2) 鈥� 70
3. Marshall 鈥� 58
4. East Carolina 鈥� 56
5. UAB 鈥� 29
6. Memphis 鈥� 17

West Division

1. Houston (8) 鈥� 81 points
2. Tulsa (4) 鈥� 73
3. SMU (3) 鈥� 67
4. UTEP 鈥� 39
5. Rice 鈥� 35
6. Tulane 鈥� 20

-First-place votes in parentheses

The Knights get the 2012 campaign underway at Akron Aug. 30 and at Ohio State Sept. 8 before hosting FIU Sept. 15 and Missouri Sept. 29. The C-USA opener is scheduled for Oct. 4 vs. East Carolina at Bright House Networks Stadium.

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