NEW ORLEANS — John Rhys Plumlee earned the start for Central Florida but left in the first half due to a hamstring injury. Freshman quarterback Thomas Castellanos replaced Plumlee instead of sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene.
Plumlee returned to the field and closed out the 45-28 loss at Tulane as the Knights came up short in their pursuit of capturing an AAC title before departing for the Big 12 next year.
Standouts
UCF
— Isaiah Bowser: The veteran running back led the Knights with 85 yards on 20 carries.
— John Rhys Plumlee: The senior quarterback finished 21-of-39 passing for 209 yards and a TD.
Tulane
— Michael Pratt: The junior quarterback finished 20-of-33 passing for 394 yards to go with four touchdowns and an interception.
— Tyjae Spears: The AAC Offensive Player of the Year ran 22 times for a team-high 199 yards.
Noteworthy
— ESPN reported during the game that Keene sat out the game to preserve his redshirt and that it was his choice to not dress.
— By playing in his fifth game, Castellanos burned his redshirt. This means he’ll have one less year of eligibility in the future.
— UCF running back RJ Harvey threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson in the fourth quarter.
— As Tulane earns a spot in the New Year’s Six Cotton Bowl, the Knights will have to wait to find out where they’re going for a bowl game.
