No. 21 UCF edges Houston, keeps first place in AAC

ORLANDO, Fla. -- So many times No. 21 UCF has had to rely on its offense to be the savior in its biggest moments this season. This time, it was the Knights' defense that saved the day and possibly their hopes of earning the school's first trip to the BCS. With team leader and quarterback Blake Bortles struggling, UCF's defense kept pressure on one of the nation's top scoring attacks and hung on for 19-14 win over Houston Saturday night. Freshman William Stanback scored two touchdowns and the Knights survived three turnovers to hold off a late Houston threat and keep first place in the American Athletic Conference. "I thought defensively, to hold that team to 14 points, and (to have) a great play at the end of the game to save the win, that was a big-time team win," Knights coach George O'Leary said.