ORLANDO, Fla. _ It didn't take long for Brandon Wimbush to show he was ready to lead UCF offense.
About 1:04 to be exact.
That's how long it took the Notre Dame transfer to lead the Knights on a five-play, 80-yard drive that was capped with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis for the first score of the game.
Wimbush finished the game 12-of-23 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns as No. 17 UCF (1-0) rolled to a 62-0 win over Florida A&M (0-1) in the season opener Thursday night in front of an announced crowd of 44,073 at Spectrum Stadium.
Wimbush also accounted for 20 rushing yards on eight carries.
It was the Knights' 16th consecutive home win. UCF hasn't lost a game at Spectrum Stadium since 2016.
True freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel made his college debut with 3:20 left in the first quarter, leading the Knights deep into Rattlers territory before finding Otis Anderson in the left corner of the end zone on a 24-yard touchdown pass. Gabriel add two more touchdowns on a six-yard slant pass to Tre Nixon in the second quarter and a 26-yard pass to Alex Harris in the third.
Quadry Jones, the third player in the UCF quarterback competition, tacked on a late touchdown for the Knights.
UCF accounted for more than 300 rushing yards, fueled by a handful of players. Tailback Adrian Killins led the team with 106 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard performance since Oct. 16 when he rushed for 113 yards against SMU.
UCF tied a school record with 31 points in the second quarter.
The Knights' jubilant opener took a scary turn late in the third quarter when redshirt junior cornerback Brandon Moore reached for an interception and landed awkwardly while he was tackled out of bounds. He was treated my UCF medical staff before more than 10 minutes before his leg was put in a brace and he was carted off the field. Moore waved to fans as he left the stadium and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
UCF is scheduled to travel to Boca Raton to take on FAU next Saturday.
