Blake Bortles' College Football Career: A Knight to Remember
Robby Blake Bortles, born on April 28, 1992, is an American former professional football quarterback. He is best known for his college career with the UCF Knights and his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the National Football League (NFL). Bortles' college career at UCF saw him rise from a relatively unheralded recruit to a star quarterback, leading the Knights to their most successful season in program history at the time.
From Overlooked Recruit to UCF Knight
Coming out of Oviedo High School in Oviedo, Florida, Bortles was not heavily recruited as a quarterback. Jeff Driskel, the quarterback at rival Hagerty High School, garnered much of the attention. Bortles only received five offers, with many schools more interested in him as a tight end due to his 6-4 frame. However, UCF offered him a scholarship to play quarterback, and Bortles committed to the Knights in August 2009.
Early Years at UCF
Bortles joined the UCF Knights in 2010 but was initially overshadowed by Jeff Godfrey, a highly-touted recruit who led UCF to a conference championship and bowl win. In 2011, Bortles began to see more playing time and progressively gained favor with head coach George O'Leary. Although he did not start any games, he showed promise and became a more productive option than Godfrey. By 2012, Bortles earned the full-time starting quarterback role, leading to Godfrey's transition to wide receiver.
2012 Season: Emergence as a Leader
In 2012, Bortles began to establish his legacy at UCF. The team possessed talent but needed experience to contend nationally. It was the school's final season in Conference USA. A decisive victory against Ball State in the St. Petersburg Bowl served as a springboard for what would become the best season in UCF history up to that point.
During the 2012 season, Bortles completed 251 of 399 passes for 3,059 yards, with 25 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. He was later voted to the All-C-USA Second Team, becoming the first UCF quarterback in school history to be named to a conference's first or second team since UCF's inaugural year in a league when it joined the MAC in 2002. Bortles was also named to Phil Steele's All-C-USA Second Team and selected as the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl MVP. He started all 14 games, finishing the season with a 62.9% completion percentage and a 144.48 rating. Additionally, he rushed for 285 yards and eight touchdowns. His 251 completions ranked fourth on the single-season list, while his 399 attempts were fifth, 3,059 yards placed him fifth, and 25 touchdowns were also good for fifth. He became the first UCF quarterback to throw for at least 3,000 yards since 2002 and boasted 10 games with at least two touchdown passes, a feat no other UCF QB had accomplished in a single season.
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From September 15 to October 27, Bortles had a streak of 147 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, tying for the second-longest in UCF history. He then broke that record by ending the season with 174 consecutive attempts without an interception. His interception-to-attempt ratio of .0175 nearly broke Daunte Culpepper's school record of .0174 in 1998.
2013 Season: A Historic Run
It was in 2013 that Bortles cemented his legacy as one of the greatest football players in UCF history. The Knights, in their first season in the American Athletic Conference, capitalized on their one and only season in a BCS automatic qualifying conference. They swept the conference schedule en route to a conference championship, earning UCF their first bid to a major bowl game, the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights capped off their historic season by defeating Baylor in the 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 52-42.
Terrance Plummer, the Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP, said of Bortles: "B5 is a legend and so glad he was our QB and leader for when we first came on a major stage of college football and prove ourselves right about what KNIGHTS are about." Bortles was named the offensive MVP that day.
The 2013 team became known as the "Kardiac Knights," a nod to the Cleveland Browns' "Kardiac Kids" from the 1980 season, a team that routinely found themselves in tight spots late in games and found ways to win. Eight of UCF's thirteen games were decided by a touchdown or less. Bortles often led the team back to win, most notably against Teddy Bridgewater and his Louisville Cardinals on a nationally televised Friday night game.
Torrian Wilson, UCF's starting left tackle during the 2013 season, stated: "One thing we knew as an offense, as long as #5 is back there we will always have a shot, whether we were winning or losing the O-line would look at you and you would give a head nod and at that moment we always knew we were good."
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Statistically, Bortles had an outstanding 2013 season, completing 259 of 382 passes for 3,581 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and earned several other accolades, including Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP, Sporting News American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and SI.com Honorable Mention All-American.
Bortles also showcased his rushing ability, amassing 272 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He posted at least 300 passing yards in five games during the season. His standout performances included a career-high 314 passing yards against Akron, a 358-yard performance against South Carolina, and a career-high 404 passing yards against Temple.
College Statistics Overview
Across his college career, Bortles threw for 7,598 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. As a starter in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Bortles had a 22-5 (.815) record for the Knights. He was part of two conference championship teams-Conference USA in 2010 and The American in 2013-and won two C-USA East Division titles in 2010 and 2012. Bortles also holds the distinction of being the only quarterback in UCF history with back-to-back bowl victories.
Bortles ranks among the top ten in UCF history in several statistical categories, including passing attempts (7th), completions (5th), yards (6th), touchdowns (6th), passing efficiency (2nd), completion percentage (2nd), yards per attempt (3rd), total offense (6th), and touchdowns responsible for (6th).
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