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Watch: No. 5 Michigan routs Central Florida 51-14 for easy win

Posted at 7:49 PM, Sep 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-11 00:37:03-04

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Wilton Speight faced a defense determined to stop the run.

Instead of being stubborn and sticking with a ground game, No. 5 Michigan asked Speight to put the ball in the air a lot and it worked out well.

Speight threw four touchdown passes, two to Jake Butt and two to Amara Darboh, to help the Wolverines rout the Knights 51-14 Saturday.

"They were bringing a lot of people," Speight said after completing 25 of 37 passes for 312 yards in his second career start. "We knew we were going to run play action."

The Wolverines (2-0) have won their first two games by a combined total of 97 points.

"We're hungry," Butt said. "We're up 30 points and we want to be up 40."

The Knights (1-1) got off to a relatively good start before getting blown out. They ran for a first down on the first snap and forced Michigan to punt after its first three plays.

UCF had a chance to pull within three points with 6-plus minutes left in the first quarter, but Chris Wormley blocked a kick for the Wolverines and a few minutes later they were up 14-0. Wormley blocked another field goal later in the game and the Wolverines appeared to get a hand on at least UCF's first punt.

Butt's second TD reception early in the second quarter gave Michigan a 31-0 lead.

"We think he's the best tight end in the country," Speight said. "He makes our job easy as a quarterback and receivers."

Khalid Hill, a 6-foot, 2, 263-pound fullback, plunged into the end zone for his second score early in the third to pad the Wolverines' lead to 41-7 and they didn't have trouble keeping the comfortable cushion.

"It felt like we weren't up by enough," said Amara Darboh, who caught five passes for 111 yards and two TDs.