For the second straight week, No. 5 Michigan was hardly forced to put their foot on the gas at home. The Wolverines easily improved to 2-0 this season with a 51-14 victory over visiting UCF (1-1). This one was over just as soon as Jim Harbaugh was hired and UCF went 0-12 last season.
Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight turned in a highly productive afternoon, completing 25 of 37 pass attempts for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Amara Darboh led all players with 111 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown grabs, and Jehu Chesson added 84 receiving yards. Tight end Jake Butt hauled in two touchdowns as well, and picked up 86 receiving yards.
The Wolverines did not get a whole bunch of yards on the ground, which should be a credit to UCF’s defensive effort. De’Veon Smith led the ground game with 38 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Of course, Michigan didn’t need a whole lot out of the running game on this day.
Michigan will remain home next week when they play their first power conference opponent. Colorado of the Pac-12 makes their way to Ann Arbor after picking up a win in the season opener against Colorado State. The Buffs had Idaho State at home today, so they should bring a 2-0 record with them next week to Michigan Stadium. It will be Michigan’s final non-conference game before hosting Penn State in the Big Ten opener the following week.
UCF clearly needs to find a quarterback because neither Nick Patti or Justin Holman were very effective. Each completed three passes out of 11 attempts for a combined total of 56 yards.
UCF will look to bounce back and learn from some experiences in this game next week when they take on another Big Ten team, this time at home. UCF hosts Maryland, who will be making a second straight trip down to the Sunshine State after beating FIU in Miami Friday night.