Playing at home for the first time since climbing into the Top 10, the fifth-ranked Bulls dominated Central Florida 64-12 today for their school record-tying eighth straight victory dating to last season.

George Selvie, the nation's sack leader, led a swarming defense that corralled the nation's leading rusher, and Matt Grothe threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to help the Bulls (6-0) extend the best start in the school's relatively brief football history.

Kevin Smith, who began the day averaging 172 yards per game rushing for Central Florida, was limited to 55 on 18 carries. The junior, who had gained at least 100 in a UCF-record five straight games, spent much of the second half on the bench after the score got out of hand.

Grothe completed 15 of 28 passes for 212 yards, including TD throws of 9 yards to Taurus Johnson and 7 yards to Cedric Hill. He also scored on a pair of 6-yard runs before being replaced by Grant Gregory with USF leading 43-10 in the third quarter.

Selvie continued his torrid start with three more tackles for losses, giving him a school single-season record 20 1-2 in six games. He had one sack, boosting his nation-best total to 11 1-2, and also forced a fumble that led to Grothe's first TD.

USF's defense extended its streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher to 14 games. The Bulls haven't allowed a back to reach the plateau since Ray Rice of Rutgers gained 212 against them early last season.

UCF (3-3) turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, a continuation of a sloppy second-half performance the previous week at East Carolina. The Knights led that game 28-17 before five third-quarter turnovers contributed to a 52-38 loss.

USF improved to 3-0 in the series that some fans refer to as the "I-4 War" because Interstate 4 is the main road connecting Tampa and Orlando.

The schools, located less than 100 miles apart, are natural geographical rivals who didn't meet for the first time until two years ago because of USF's reluctance to commit to the idea of playing the Knights every season.

The teams will meet again in 2008, but the future of the series is uncertain after that.

UCF, which dropped to 0-18 all-time against ranked opponents, dug a deep hole for itself in an error-filled first half. The Knights lost two fumbles and an interception to set up 17 points, and Smith lost his footing in his own end zone for a safety that helped USF build its a 29-10 lead at the break.

Grothe topped 100 yards rushing for the second straight week. He gained 120 on 14 carries during a 35-23 victory over Florida Atlantic. The 6-foot, 213-pound sophomore broke two tackles on his 6-yard TD run in the second quarter, then spun out of the grasp of a defender to score again to put the Bulls up 36-10 early in the third.

The USF quarterback would have had a bigger day throwing the ball with a little more help from his receivers. The Bulls dropped three long passes in the end zone, but Grothe overcame one with a 34-yard throw to Johnson to set up Mike Ford's 3-yard TD run in the first quarter.

UCF benched quarterback Kyle Israel briefly in the second quarter, but backup Michael Greco didn't have any better luck against a relentless pass rush. Israel finished 5 of 11 for 13 yards and one interception, while Greco was 6 of 16 for 71 yards.