SportsDirect Inc. staff
Aug 29, 2013
Central Florida 38, Akron 7: Blake Bortles threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns as the host Knights opened their season by defeating Akron in a non-conference game.
Bortles, a 6-4 redshirt junior who finished 18-for-24, threw touchdowns to Breshad Perriman, Rannell Hall and J.J. Worton as Central Florida built a 24-0 halftime advantage. Perriman, a redshirt sophomore, caught a 91-yard score on the second play of the game.
Storm Johnson ran the ball effectively for Central Florida, particularly in the second half. The redshirt junior had scoring runs of 9 and 1 yards in the third quarter and finished with 99 yards on 20 carries.
Hall capped a 12-play, 91-yard drive with 19-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter and Worton snared a 39-yard touchdown pass midway through the second.
Imani Davis caught the lone touchdown from back-up quarterback Nick Hirschman for the Zips. Hirschman, a Colorado transfer, took over for starter Kyle Pohl, who was 16-for-21 for 98 yards and an interception.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bortles, who played three quarters, has thrown 198 consecutive passes without an interception. ... Former Central Florida and NFL quarterback Duante Culpepper watched the game from the sideline. ... Junior Shawn Moffitt kicked a 32-yard field goal to complete the scoring in the first half for the Knights.