SMU vs. UCF 2012: Knights QB made debut against Mustangs last year

With the Central Florida Knights down big to the SMU Mustangs last season, UCF sent out then-freshman quarterback Blake Bortles. He finished 9-for-12 through the air for 118 yards and a touchdown in the 38-17 loss, but Mustangs head coach June Jones remembered the performance, according to a report from Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday.

"I said, 'Man, I'm glad they didn't put that guy in the game earlier,'" Jones said in the report Wednesday.

This season, Bortles has thrown for 1,875 yards -- completing 66.8 percent of his passes -- and 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions as he leads UCF (6-2, 4-0 in Conference USA) into a crucial conference game at home against SMU (4-4, 3-1 in C-USA) on Saturday night.

Since a 21-16 loss to the Missouri Tigers on Sept. 29, the Knights have rattled off four-straight Conference USA victories, putting them on top of the conference's East division.

UCF and SMU are set for kickoff at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.