GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Dillon Gabriel threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns to help No. 13 UCF beat East Carolina 51-28 on Saturday to open both teams' American Athletic Conference schedule.



Jaylon Robinson and Marlon Williams each had huge games as Gabriel's top targets for the Knights (2-0, 1-0). Robinson had nine catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while Williams had a career-best 13 catches for 136 yards.

Throw in Greg McCrae's short first-quarter scoring run to lead a productive ground game, and UCF finished with 632 yards with its fast-paced offense pushing the tempo to keep the pressure on. The Knights had a penalty-filled start in the first quarter -- including four false-start penalties while trying to get off their first offensive snap -- before settling in and blowing the game open with a pair of touchdowns in the final 5 minutes before halftime.

Holton Ahlers threw for 215 yards and three TDs for the Pirates (0-1, 0-1), who were making a delayed start to the season after coronavirus-related scheduling changes. And it came in an essentially empty Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium due to COVID-19 protocols, with only a smattering of player family members in attendance.

ECU scored on its opening drive, but lost three first-half turnovers and didn't make it back to the end zone until the Knights led 41-7 early in the third. By the time it was over, the school said the Pirates had come within 2 yards of matching the most allowed in any season opener in program history.

This was the second road game to start the season for the Knights, who opened with a 28-point win at Georgia Tech while amassing 660 yards. While the offense hummed along again, Josh Heupel's squad will have to start cleaning up a penalty problem. UCF had 19 penalties for 139 yards, with 10 coming in the first quarter and seven of those false-start flags.

The Knights play their first home game next Saturday against Tulsa. The Pirates travel to Georgia State next Saturday.