Five Things You Need To Know, Thursday, March 31

MORGANTOWN, WV. — Somewhere deep in West Virginia’s hollers under a cold, dismal gray sky, UCF’s season ended. Sure, the Knights have one game remaining against Utah next week, but any hope of salvaging something positive from the unbelievably frustrating season quietly ended in a 31-21 loss to West Virginia. UCF’s slim hopes of making a postseason bowl were squashed after the Mountaineers rushed for more than 200 yards.

BOCA RATON — Deshawn Purdie threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to O’Mega Blake for the go-ahead score and Charlotte defeated Florida Atlantic 39-27 on Saturday in a game that matched two new interim coaches. Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 American Athletic Conference) fired Biff Poggi on Monday and Tim Brewster took over. FAU (2-9, 0-7) fired Tom Herman, also on Monday, with Chad Lunsford taking charge. After Blake’s third touchdown catch of the game that came with 5:25 left, the 49ers extended their lead when Tyriq Starks was strip-sacked by Ja’Qurious Conley and 335-pound Katron Kevans carried it 22 yards into the end zone. Blake made five catches for a career-high 205 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.

MIAMI GARDENS — Cam Ward tic-tac-toe’d passes down the field on Miami’s opening touchdown drive. He passed Bernie Kosar in the school record book in the second quarter. He’s been the story, the saga, the season for Miami. He just wasn’t Saturday. When Miami needed to quit sputtering against Wake Forest, when it needed to plant a foot in the ground against a 4-6 team, it wasn’t Ward’s arm or even his offense that entered Saturday leading the country in points and yards and holy-mackerel comebacks that took control. “The story of the game was defense,’’ Miami coach Mario Cristobal said after Miami’s 42-14 win. Miami won the way no one thought it could. “That’s how Miami defense should look like,’’ he said. Wake on offense isn’t Syracuse, which isn’t Southern Methodist, which might not be the opponent in the College Football Playoff if Miami gets that far.

GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Billy Napier exchanged an uncomfortable handshake with Ole Miss counterpart Lane Kiffin, shared a few well-earned hugs and then headed to the northeast corner of the Swamp to join his players singing the school’s alma mater. On a crisp and sunny November day, Napier’s Gators had just done the unexpected, if not the unthinkable, beating the No.

MIAMI GARDENS — The Hurricanes’ offense, led by Cam Ward, has been the story of this season. But the defense, which has been maligned in recent weeks, came up big when Miami needed it most. The No. 8 Hurricanes’ (10-1, 6-1 ACC) defense, which struggled early in the game, made two crucial stops in its own territory to keep Wake Forest off the board and hold onto a 35-14 win at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

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