Sophomore quarterback Justin Holman led his team to a season-best night of 506 yards of total offense, completing 16-of-27 pass attempts for 291 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Meanwhile, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense held Tulsa to 201 yards and 3-of-12 on third down conversions.

“I thought the defense went out and played well and made some keys we had to make, and offensively we came up with some big plays passing-wise, which opened up the running game,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I think the coverage teams were good on special teams and (it was an) overall good game. Time of possession was big in our favor, which led to good field position in a lot of situations.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense helped its offense put its first points on the board when corner Jordan Ozerities intercepted the ball near the end of the first quarter. A facemask penalty put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ inside the 10-yard line, but the Hurricane defense forced the Knights to call upon Rodrigo Quirarte for a 27-yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter.

After Tulsa went three-and-out on its first possession of the second quarter, Breshad Perriman spared the Knights the same fate when he brought down a 48-yard completion to set up his team in the red zone.

Holman kept the drive alive again on third down when he stretched out for the sticks to pick up a first down at the 5-yard line. He then connected with J.J. Worton, who juked two defenders and lunged over the goal line for his 20th career touchdown. With 11:08 to go in the half, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ led 10-0.

It didn’t take long for Holman to get the crowd out of their seats again. He completed his longest pass of the season, a 77-yarder to Josh Reese – a career-best for the wide receiver – for a 17-0 lead with 7:57 to go.

The Golden Hurricane capitalized off an uncharacteristic muffed punt from Worton that Matt Linscott recovered at the 27-yard line. Keevan Lucas was the Golden Hurricane’s go-to guy. He followed up his 19-yard rush with an acrobatic 8-yard touchdown reception. Originally, his one-handed catch was ruled incomplete, but the call was overturned after review. Tulsa got on the board before the break, but it was the Golden Hurricane’s lone score of the evening.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ added to its advantage midway through the third quarter, thanks to Holman’s composure. On the run, Holman completed a 30-yard pass on the run to Justin Tukes. He then launched a perfect spiral to Perriman, who was streaking toward the left corner of the end zone. The 25-yard touchdown gave ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 24-7 lead with 9:27 to go in the third.

Dontravious Wilson dominated the Knights’ next scoring drive, churning out seven carries for 50 of the 72 yards required to reach the end zone, including his first-career rushing touchdown. It was 31-7 just before the end of the third quarter.

A pass intended for Connor Floyd ended up in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defensive back D.J. Killings’ hands for the defense’s second pick of the night. The defense handled business again on Tulsa’s next drive when Brandon Alexander intercepted a pass in the end zone with 8:31 remaining.

“We had some picks, and we had to have some key plays and got some takeaways,” O’Leary said. “It was a good game and a very solid game by the defense. They tackled well, and offensively I thought we had a pretty good run/pass combination.”

The Golden Hurricane managed to get the ball back after quarterback Nick Patti threw an interception, but the defense forced three-and-out once more, allowing ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s offense to ride out the clock for the win.

The Knights are with Cincinnati and Memphis at 4-1.

“Nothing changes. The mentality’s still the same. We’re going to go out and we’re going to bust our butts every game,” Worton said. “It’s a one-game playoff. To get to the goal that we want, is to win every one of them. We’ll look out for the next person that comes up.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will meet SMU in the final home game of the season Nov. 22 at noon.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ manhandled Temple in a 34-14 victory that featured an output of a season-high 466 yards of total offense, improving to 3-0 in conference play to remain atop The American standings, along with East Carolina.

“I thought offensively and defensively we put together the best game so far this year working as a team,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought they were very productive on defense and the offense was productive at making plays when they had to. It was a good win against a good football team. We have to continue to get better. This past week at practice made a big difference with the offense, putting them in pads and making sure they understood what football is about as far as the contact aspect of it. They took the challenge and brought it to the game today.”

After a week’s worth of recaps of his iconic catch from last year’s game at Temple, it was only fitting for J.J. Worton to score the first touchdown of the evening. On third-and-long, he caught a pass from quarterback Justin Holman, steadied himself and worked his way to the right sideline to take it 25 yards into the end zone.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense set up another scoring opportunity not long after when defensive back Jacoby Glenn stripped Temple wide receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick of the ball. Defensive back Brandon Alexander recovered the fumble to put the Knights in the red zone. Shawn Moffitt eventually converted a 23-yard field goal, and with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ had already claimed a 10-0 lead.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ had running back William Stanback to thank for its final scoring drive of the quarter. He accounted for 23 yards off six carries during an 11-play, 58-yard march down the field. He followed it through to the end zone, when he hit a wall of Temple defenders in the backfield but continued to rumble his way in for the 1-yard touchdown and give ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 17-0 lead.

Temple responded in the opening minutes of the second quarter when a double-reverse pass to quarterback P.J. Walker kept the Owls’ drive alive on third-and-eight, setting them up on ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s 5-yard line. Walker hit Romond Deloatch with a 3-yard pass for Temple’s first touchdown, 17-7.

The Knights refused to let the Owls shift the momentum. Breshad Perriman came through, not once but twice, for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ on its next drive, first hauling in a 19-yard reception on third-and-14. Holman then found the receiver streaking down field for a 54-yard touchdown, much to the delight of the crammed student section waiting for him in the south end zone. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Knights claimed a 24-7 edge.

Temple’s special teams helped close the gap when Samuel Benjamin blocked a punt for the second time this year, scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown, 24-14.

Although another punt was blocked and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ nearly lost possession on an interception that was overturned, the Knights snapped out of their lull just before the halftime break. Miles Pace re-ignited some fire when he sacked P.J. Walker on third-and-11 for a much-needed stop that gave ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ the ball back with 2:34 remaining – just enough time to tack on a few more points.

“Coach pushes us every day. Even if we’re tired, we have to keep going. It’s a bend, but don’t break defense,” Pace said. “We’re just strong. Strong up front, strong at linebackers, everyone plays their gaps, everyone fits and we just stop them in the red zone.”

Holman led the team through a hurry-up offense by utilizing his arsenal of receivers. Josh Reese, gain of 16. Rannell Hall, gain of 11. Hall again, gain of 19 into the red zone. Reese, gain of 11, first and goal. With the clock winding down, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ settled for another field goal from Moffitt, this time a 19-yarder for a 27-14 lead.

Much of the third quarter was played in the middle of the field until 14 seconds remaining when Stanback broke into the end zone on a 2-yard rush that punctuated a 9-play, 52-yard drive and piled on to the lead, 34-14.

The defense shined in a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter that saw Glenn intercept Walker’s pass on fourth down in the right corner of the end zone that ended any hope of a comeback for Temple.

“This win was very important, just because of the fact that our defense played a phenomenal game and our offense played a phenomenal game,” Alexander said. “The coaches still saw some little mistakes, but for the most part everyone had a collective game and did a great job out there. It was just a wonderful feeling that we actually can play like that. From the first quarter to the fourth quarter everything just took care of itself and everyone took care of their jobs.”

It was the first time in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ history that the Knights’ swept a league’s weekly awards.

One day after securing the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week award, Plummer was also honored by the American Athletic Conference with its Defensive Player of the Week accolade. It marks the third time in the Orange Park native’s career to receive a weekly award from The American, having boasted two weekly honors a year ago.

Plummer racked up 17 tackles, including 4.5 behind the line of scrimmage against BYU Thursday night. He also forced and recovered a key fumble in the fourth quarter, broke up a pass and tallied a sack. Plummer also received accolades from other outlets as well.

Terrance Plummer’s Weekly Honors for the BYU Game

Plummer starter the game with a tackle on each of BYU’s first three drives, which helped the Cougars go 3-and-out on all three possessions. With BYU holding a 24-17 lead and driving inside the red zone to begin the fourth quarter, Plummer halted the momentum by ripping the ball loose from Algernon Brown and quickly pouncing on the loose ball. On BYU’s next drive, Plummer registered a sack of five yards to force a 3-and-out, setting up ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s game-tying score at 24-24.

Plummer leads the Knights with 53 tackles and 7.5 tackles in 2014. Eight more tackles and he will crack ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s all-time top 10 as he sits with 288 dating back to his true freshman season in 2011.

Holman was 30-of-51 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday’s win over the Cougars. He also rushed for 26 yards and a score. Holman had a hand in three of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s four TDs vs. BYU, rushing for the first score of the game and passing for the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns.

Holman’s 30 completions were the most for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ since Steven Moffett had 30 against Akron in 2004. He was the first Knight signal-caller to heave more than 50 passes since Ryan Schneider tossed 52 against FAU back in 2003. Holman was 5-of-5 on the opening drive of the game, completed his first eight aerials and compiled career-best marks for completions, attempts and passing yards.

Worton returned five punts vs. BYU for an average of more than 15 yards per return. His punt return acumen consistently helped the Knights earn solid field position and his 77 yards off punt returns were a career-best. Two of Worton’s returns set up ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ scores, including a 29-yard return to the BYU 37-yard line that led to the game-tying touchdown just two plays later. He also served as the holder on each of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s PATs and field goals.

Worton is ranked No. 13 in the nation in punt return average and has helped put the Knights at No. 30 in the nation in the team category for punt returns. He ranks No. 3 all-time at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in both career punt returns (67) and career punt return yardage (715).

They needed a game-changer.

His 58-yard kickoff return gave new life to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ offense. It sent the black-clad fans into a frenzy. It was the bass of a rally cry that proved to be exactly what the Knights needed to fuel a 31-24 comeback overtime victory on Thursday night in front of a audience.

“It got the momentum going for the offense, and just the team in general. We were able to punch it in after that,” Hall said. “I felt it from the crowd on my way to the sideline. I saw everybody jumping up. I knew we had the momentum back on our side.”

Following Hall’s return, everything started clicking back into place. Running back William Stanback found the end zone on a 2-yard run for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s first touchdown since the end of the first quarter. Linebacker Terrance Plummer forced and recovered a fumble that put a halt to a BYU scoring threat in the red zone. Wide receiver Josh Reese somehow caught a spectacular 37-yard touchdown reception while falling to the ground with a defender draped all over him.

Quarterback Justin Holman connected with Stanback for the go-ahead touchdown in the extra period. The Knights’ defense came up with a goal-line stop to seal what was just the in program history.

“That was a heck of a ball game,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought the resiliency of the team was outstanding. When you go down 17-10, 24-10, and you come back, it shows that you have some perseverance with your team.”

Holman played admirably, completing 30-of-51 attempts for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. But it was Plummer who stole the show. The senior linebacker, whose uncle passed away a day prior, was the heartbeat of the team with 17 tackles, 1 sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and the subsequent recovery.

“Last year, my closest friend died in a homicide. My uncle died yesterday. I was crying and I told my mom, `What am I going to do?'” Plummer said. “She said, `You have to play your heart out for your uncle and for your friend.’ I just went out there. I have brothers behind me, but I didn’t tell them that because I didn’t want them to worry about me. At the same time, I loved my uncle and I loved my friend, so I just wanted to go out there and play.”

Holman started 5-for-5 on the Knights’ opening drive, including a string of passes to Breshad Perriman, J.J. Worton and Jordan Akins that moved the chains on each completion.

Facing fourth-and-one on the five-yard line, Holman took it upon himself to deliver the first touchdown as he catapulted into the end zone after defensive back Jordan Johnson attempted a low tackle.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense forced the Cougars to go 3-and-out, and Worton’s 32-yard punt return set up the Knights in BYU territory. Holman extended his hot start to 8-of-8, helping advance his team to the 25-yard line. Kicker Shawn Moffitt then matched his season-long field goal. The 42-yarder padded the Knights’ advantage to 10-0 with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.

The Cougars finally cracked into the red zone with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, but ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense ensured that they wouldn’t stay there for long. On first-and-10, quarterback Christian Stewart aired it out to the front-left pylon and Jacoby Glenn stretched out to snag his third interception of the season – a career-high – for a touchback.

BYU did manage to get on the scoreboard before the end of the half, marching the ball downfield on a 10-play drive that ate up 41 yards. Plummer prevented the Cougars from picking up a first down on third-and-3 with a tackle for loss. BYU called upon Trevor Samson to convert a 32-yard field goal with 5:12 to go, making it 10-3.

Stanback resuscitated ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s offense, which had stalled in the second quarter with four-consecutive three-and-out drives. His 14-yard reception gave ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a first down, and Hall put the Knights into scoring position at the 23-yard line with his 16-yard catch.

But BYU came up with a big stop thanks to Sione Takitaki’s sack and fumble recovery to close out the half which left ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ with a 10-3 edge at the break.

The Cougars opened up the half with Colby Pearson’s 4-yard game-tying touchdown catch on third-and-goal, halting the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defense’s streak of keeping opponents out of the end zone for nine-consecutive quarters.

BYU put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ on its heels by capitalizing on a misfortunate fumble on a punt return. Scott Arellano’s 27-yard punt hit a Knight’s leg, allowing Algernon Brown to recover the ball, which set up his team on ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s 25-yard line. Paul Lasike rushed 10 yards on BYU’s first play before Stewart connected with Devin Mahina for a touchdown, 17-10.

Things snowballed for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ as Holman’s first pass of the next drive was intercepted by Skye Povey. He picked up 15 yards before he was brought down and a personal foul penalty bumped up the Cougars to the 14-yard line. Once again, Stewart found Mahina for a touchdown and just like that, the Cougars held a 24-10 lead.

Enter Hall. His 58-yard return carried ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ to BYU’s 37-yard line. Facing fourth-and-one, Holman inched his way to the 10-yard line to make it first-and-goal. He found Justin Tukes for an 8-yard reception and Stanback punched it in, 24-17, with 5:37 remaining.

The Cougars rolled into the red zone on 13 plays into the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Plummer forced a fumble and recovered the ball. Although the Knights came up short in converting the turnover to points, the stop allowed them to eventually tie the game with 10:17 remaining thanks to Reese’s steady hands. On a free play, with BYU jumping offside, Holman threw it deep to Reese, who made a spectacular catch to tie things up, 24-24.

Moffitt missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal that was blocked with four seconds on the clock, forcing overtime.

BYU won the coin toss for the extra period and elected to play defense first. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ headed toward the south end zone and its rowdy student section.

“The crowd was outstanding tonight. There is a reason we were down in the student end,” O’Leary said. “You have a choice. They won the toss, so we got to pick the end. We pointed to the student end right away. There is a noise factor down there that helps. I thought it was just a great football night.”

Holman made some magic happen as he bounced around for a 6-yard rush while picking up a facemask penalty that fast-tracked his team to the 8-yard line. Time and again, the Knights relied on Stanback as their target, and with his four-yard touchdown reception, he helped grab a 31-24 lead that forced BYU to match on its possession.

Stewart managed to pick up a first down with his completion to Mahina at the 13-yard line. But the Cougars could not tie it. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense held strong inside the 5-yard line for the dramatic win.

The defensive line did just that, accounting for six sacks by night’s end. That defensive pressure, coupled with a season-high 351 total offensive yards, allowed the Knights to blow by , 41-7, for their first win of the year.

“The first win of the season is always a big win, especially at home,” O’Leary said. “We are disappointed in the first couple of games, but today I thought was a good team victory. I thought the kids executed fairly well. There are still corrections to be made, but overall I thought they gave good effort. Against a team that is 2-0 and 13th in the nation in the FCS, so I’m happy for the kids.”

Four different Knights accounted for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s five touchdowns and Breshad Perriman, Cedric Thompson and J.J. Worton each recorded their first touchdowns of 2014. Sophomore running back William Stanback led the offensive charge with a game- and career-high 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense was just as solid, limiting the Wildcats to 3-of-13 in third down conversions and three quarters of scoreless play. Bethune-Cookman managed just 173 yards of offense.

“These last few games I think we’ve been giving up touchdowns on the first drive and letting people drive the ball down. We wanted to make a statement. Go out there and set the tone early,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ senior linebacker Terrance Plummer said. “When the offense gets the ball, they drive it down. When the defense goes out there, we stop them, three and out, and give it back to our offense. We’re spending too much time on the field. Today, we tried to get off and get the offense the ball.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ struck first with senior kicker Rodrigo Quirarte’s first career field goal, a 37-yarder with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter.

B-CU responded on its next possession when Anthony Jordan punched in his first-career rushing touchdown that capped an eight-play, 76-yard drive for a 7-3 lead with 1:40 to go in the first quarter. But it was the last time the Wildcats would get near the end zone.

The Knights didn’t stay down for long, thanks to Worton. The receiver juked his way 12 yards on a punt return to set up ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ at its own 49-yard line. Four plays later, he broke free down the right sideline off a pass from sophomore quarterback Justin Holman for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s first touchdown and a 10-7 lead with 11:57 remaining in the first half.

B-CU rocketed into ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ territory on Darien Baker’s 48-yard return and a horse collar penalty, but the Knights’ defense dug in and forced Haden Hoggarth to attempt a 44-yard field goal. He came up short with 10:14 to go in the second.

The Knights then saw some fireworks when Holman let it fly for a 61-yard scoring strike that found Perriman for a 17-7 lead.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ tacked on one more score before the halftime break as Quirarte came through with another 37-yard field goal to give ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 20-7 advantage. To complement its offensive counterparts, the defense closed out the half when Thomas Niles sacked Williams on third and 10.

Stanback set the tone as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s workhorse early in the second half on a four-play, 39-yard drive that was punctuated with his 9-yard touchdown run for a 27-7 lead.

The Knights’ defense forced a three-and-out for the Wildcats, allowing the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ offense to add once again to its ever-increasing edge. Running back Cedric Thompson recorded his first touchdown in two years with a 1-yard rush to make it 34-7.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ got one more look at the end zone before wrapping up the night. The Knights ate up 88 yards on 13 plays, including four-straight rushes by Stanback for his second touchdown of the night to treat the crowd to a 41-7 win.

The 44,510 in attendance was the largest crowd for a home opener since the stadium’s first game in 2007 vs. (45,622).

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ heads to Houston for its first conference game of the year Oct. 2 for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Cougars on ESPN.

“It’s a good win, but now we get into the conference season,” O’Leary said. “The one goal we have on the team is to win the conference championship each and every year.”

Visit ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics for more.

“It was a good college game,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I’m disappointed in the outcome.”

A Penn State comeback was necessary after a spirited comeback from the Knights. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ trailed 20-10 at the end of the third quarter. But sophomore quarterback Justin Holman sparked the Knights. Holman had already led one touchdown drive late in the third quarter after coming off the bench. With 11:31 remaining, he found wide receiver Josh Reese on a slant at the goal line on a 3rd-and-goal play, pulling ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ within three, 20-17.

After Penn State extended its lead to 23-17 with a Ficken field goal, Holman went back to work. With 3:30 remaining, the Knights took over at their own 25-yard line. After a pair of passes to J.J. Worton and Breshad Perriman to put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ at the Penn State 43, three straight misfires led to a 4th-and-10 situation. Holman then found a leaping Reese, who made a falling-backward, fingertip catch at the Penn State 6-yard line. Holman took care of the final six yards on a quarterback draw on the very next play.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ held its first lead, 24-23, with 1:13 remaining.

“I thought Justin went in and did a very good job,” O’Leary said. “He was really the sparkplug for the offense, making plays.”

But Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg then engineered a drive of his own. The Nittany Lion signal-caller converted a 4th-and-3 with an 8-yard scramble. Three consecutive passes moved Penn State to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 19 with three seconds left, setting up Ficken’s game-winning field goal.

“I was disappointed in the way the defense played, too many big plays given up in key situations,” O’Leary said. “You expect a defense that (has experience), down the stretch, when you have a chance to put the game away, you’ve got to stop them. Give credit to Penn State. They made plays when they had to make them.”

The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ offense had trouble in the first half, managing just three points and 35 total yards. Meanwhile, the Knights bent but didn’t break in the first half, allowing just 10 points on 221 yards.

The Knights trailed 10-3 at the intermission. Ficken hit one of his three field goals midway through the third period to put Penn State up 13-3. But ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ answered when Holman found J.J. Worton across the middle for 18 yards and later connected with Perriman on long toss down to the Penn State 1-yard line. A QB sneak pulled ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ within three, 13-10. Penn State pushed its lead to 20-10 when Eugene Lewis got behind the defense for a 79-yard touchdown pass, setting up the exciting fourth quarter.

Worton never believed his mesmerizing catch at Temple would result in such a whirlwind journey to Southern California.

“I’ve got to thank ESPN Sport Science for giving me this opportunity to come out to L.A. and represent ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½,” said Worton after the show concluded. β€œI’ve got to say thank you to my teammates and everyone at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ because I wouldn’t be here without them. And thank you to all of my family and friends, and all of the fans who showed support because they are really a big part of this. It’s not just about me, it’s more about the team and everyone that supports ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. This is such a huge honor.

β€œI never thought something like this would happen because of the catch. It is something you dream about when you’re a kid messing around in the backyard and diving into the pool making a catch. I actually have a picture of a catch like that diving into the pool. But it’s been an unbelievable time with all of the recognition that’s coming to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. All I can do is say thank you and be appreciative of everything that’s happening.”

The first edition of the ESPN Sport Science Newton Awards will premiere on EPSN Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. and also air on ABC Feb. 22. In an amazing setting at the ESPN Sport Science set in Burbank, Calif., Worton’s competition for Best Catch was pretty eye-popping:

Worton’s reception against the Owls not only tied the game late and led to a remarkable come-from-behind win, it also was his 10th catch of the day. He finished the 39-36 victory with 179 yards and three touchdowns, as No. 10 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ (12-1) would go on to win the American Athletic Conference title and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Worton was not the only Knight in attendance. Former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ placekicker Matt Prater was up for Best Projectile Launch for his NFL record 64-yard field goal with the Denver Broncos. And sure enough, he made it a 2-for-2 night for the Black and Gold.

The awards were voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches. For a full list of awards, visit .

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Postseason Conference Honors

Coach of the Year: George O’Leary

Offensive Player of the Year: Blake Bortles

First Team

Second Team

Head Coach George O’Leary

With 11, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ tied for the most players who received all-conference accolades. The Knights also placed both of their running backs, Storm Johnson (first team) and William Stanback (second team), on the all-conference teams. It marks the first time in school history ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ had two running backs earn all-league honors in the same season (first year in a league was in 2002 in the MAC).

The Knights had six representatives on the first team, tying the 2007 and 2012 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ teams for the most on a conference’s first unit.

A native of Oviedo, Bortles stands as the only ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ signal-caller to be on a first or second team. He was on the All-Conference USA Second Team a year ago and on the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2011.

On special teams, Orlando’s Shawn Moffitt is the first ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ kicker to find his name on an all-league squad.

Stanback and running back Kevin Smith (2005) are the only two freshmen offensive players to earn spots on an all-league first or second team. Meanwhile, cornerback Jacoby Glenn joins fellow corner Joe Burnett (2005), defensive end Bruce Miller (2007) and corner Josh Robinson (2009) as four freshmen defensive players who have been named to an all-conference first or second team. Add in kick returner Rannell Hall in 2011 and there have been seven freshmen to receive all-league honors.

Thursday was Bortles’ night, plain and simple. And with the junior quarterback at command under the bright lights on , there was no way ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was walking out of Bright House Network Stadium without another checkmark in the win column.

Bortles accounted for 367 of the No. 17/20 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football team’s 452 total yards in its 41-17 win over Rutgers. As a result, he led ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ (9-1, 6-0) to matching the program’s best record in conference play since joining a league in 2002.

“I thought it was a very good win for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. We dominated the first seven possessions with six scores,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought Bortles had an exceptional game as far as taking plays that were not there and making something out of them.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ scored early and often from the get-go.

In the game’s first series, Bortles locked in on sophomore receiver Breshad Perriman streaking toward the left side of the end zone. The two connected before Perriman was pushed out of bounds to give ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 7-0 lead.

Junior defensive back Clayton Geathers’ interception at the 40-yard line in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ territory on Rutgers’ next possession spurred the Knights on another scoring drive. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ moved down field with ease, and running back Storm Johnson broke several tackles as he ate up 12 yards before diving across the end zone line for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season to make it 14-0.

In the first series of the second quarter, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ freshman running back William Stanback trucked over RU freshman defensive back Anthony Cioffi to pick up 20 yards and advance the Knights to the 12-yard line. Four plays later, Johnson crept one yard for another touchdown and 21-0 edge.

“It was a classic lowering your shoulder and running through the guy… It was everything you teach,” O’Leary said of Stanback’s SportsCenter No. 1 Top Play. “He’s only a freshman, but if he keeps improving fundamentally, I think he is going to be a whale of a player. I really do.”

Rutgers (5-5, 2-4) struggled through its next possession until a fake punt to fullback Michael Burton sparked some life into the Scarlet Knights. He picked up 38 yards before he was brought down just outside of the red zone.

Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova found Brandon Coleman for a big gain, setting up first-and-goal on the 1-yard line. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense was impenetrable for the first three downs, but the Scarlet Knights came through on their second fourth down conversion of the drive to get on the board, 21-7, with 5:59 to go in the half.

Bortles responded with a 7-yard touchdown run that capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive, which included his exceptional 31-yard toss to Worton.

“I just try not to get tackled, really,” Bortles said of his scrambling skills. “I know if I break out of the pocket, our receivers are going to find somewhere and I’ll be able to get the ball to them. That’s all I try to do is just stay alive and extend the play.”

Rutgers snuck in one more touchdown before halftime after blocking ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s punt attempt from its own 34-yard line. Freshman receiver Andre Patton landed on the ball in the end zone to inch the gap, 28-14.

The offensive deluge lightened up in the second half as the Knights settled for a 32-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt to increase their lead, 31-14, on their first drive after the break. It was the only scoring play for either team in the third quarter.

The Knights got some more out of their offense in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from Stanback and a 42-yard field goal from Moffitt. Meanwhile, Rutgers could only manage a 35-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining to rest the score at 41-17.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ plays its final home game of the season against rival USF at 8 p.m. on Nov. 29 on ESPN. If Cincinnati loses its matchup at Houston this Saturday, and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ goes on to win against the Bulls, the Knights would clinch at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

The Knights trailed 36-29 with 2:04 remaining in the contest. But the Knights engineered a game-tying drive, going 70 yards in just four plays. The touchdown came on a 30-yard pass to J.J. Worton from Blake Bortles. Worton has made some huge, tough catches in his career. But this one-handed grab with full extension in the back of the end zone almost defied words.

“Honestly it’s a blur right now to me,” Worton said after the game. “Everyone is talking about it. I’ll have to see if on film to remember it. I remember I caught it and after that everyone else was yelling and crazy. All glory to God right now. I couldn’t be more happy with the team right now. It’s a great day for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½.”

But that play only tied the game.

Temple got the ball back with 60 seconds remaining and moved out toward midfield. But a pair of sacks ended the Owls’ possession and the punted to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. The Knights had it at their own 30-yard line with 19 seconds remaining and it looked like overtime was a certainty. But Bortles and Rannell Hall had other ideas. Bortles hit Hall for a 64-yard catch and run down to the Temple 6-yard line. The Knights, without any time outs remaining, had to sprint downfield and spike the ball to stop the clock and bring on Shawn Moffitt for the potential game-winning field goal.

“We got the ball back with another opportunity and Speedy (Hall) was the guy,” Bortles said. “It was just taking advantage of our opportunities.

Moffitt took the field with two seconds remaining and calmly drilled the kick as time expired, giving ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ the three-point victory.

“I’ve never had one before,” Moffitt said of his game-winning field goal. “I’m glad I got the opportunity. My holder, my snapper … I love them. They all picked me up afterward. It was just a great feeling.”

Head coach George O’Leary said victories don’t usually happen like that. But he and the Knights are certainly thankful for the win.

“I told the players when they go to church tomorrow, make sure they’re in the front pew,” O’Leary said. “Somebody’s looking out for them. That’s why you never, never give up. That’s the resiliency of the team. It worked out well. It’s a good win. It’s not the prettiest of wins. But we made some big-time plays at the end of that game.”

Bortles completed 27 of his 38 pass attempts for a career-best 404 yards and four touchdowns. It was the 10th-best passing day in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ history. Worton recorded 179 receiving yards and three touchdowns, both career-best marks. Hall had a career-best 159 yards receiving, as well. Storm Johnson rushed for 122 yards to lead the ground game. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ rolled up 657 yards of offense, while Temple piled up 518 yards of its own.

The Knights led 29-28 on Worton’s second TD reception of the day. But Temple wouldn’t go away. Owls’ quarterback P.J. Walker engineered an eight-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard toss to Chris Parthemore. Another Walker-to-Parthemore connection on the 2-point conversion put the Owls up 36-29.

Walker passed for 382 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26-of-44 attempts with one interception to lead Temple’s offensive output.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ opened the scoring with a safety. Punter Caleb Houston pinned Temple at its own 1-yard line. Two plays later, Troy Gray stuffed Zaire Williams in the end zone to give the Knights a 2-0 lead midway through the first quarter. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ went up 5-0 on a Shawn Moffitt 20-yard field goal three minutes later.

Temple took the lead 7-5 early in the second quarter when running back Jamie Gilmore hauled in a 32-yard pass from quarterback Walker. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ quickly regained the advantage as William Stanback took a screen pass from Bortles 49 yards to make it 12-7. Walker rushed three yards for a score with 6:15 left in the first half to put the Owls on back on top 14-12. Storm Johnson and the Knights answered quickly. Johnson went 73 yards around the left end to give the Knights a first-and-goal at the Temple 8-yard line. Three plays and a holding penalty later, Bortles found Worton for a 4-yard TD pass to put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ back on top 19-14.

But the wild second quarter wasn’t over yet. Walker and Robby Anderson responded almost as quickly for Temple with a 30-yard touchdown pass, putting Temple back in front 21-19. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ capped the back-and-forth first half with a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Moffitt to take a 22-21 advantage into the halftime intermission.

Walker hit Anderson for a 75-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, putting Temple on top 28-22. The drive went 99 yards in five plays, after ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ failed to score on a fourth-and-goal at the Temple 1-yard line on its previous possession. The Owls took that six-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Trailing 28-22 more than halfway through the fourth quarter, Bortles led an 84-yard scoring drive. He capped the drive with a 38-yard toss to Worton. Moffitt’s PAT put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ on top 29-28 with 6:15 remaining, setting up the wild finish.