Where is UCF's Offensive Line Play Compared to Prominent CFB Programs?
Despite watching an experienced UCF Knights offensive line having specific plays where breakdowns took place, it is still not even in the same stratosphere with the problems other programs are having.
The Knights average 252.5 yards on the ground per game. There need to be some pass protection issues taken care of, some of which are on quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and the running backs are as much to blame as the offensive line (far too complicated to explain via a keyboard). Many other programs wish they had the same problems that UCF does.
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Consider the following four schools as evidence as to where UCF is with the big fellas up front compared to other prominent Power 5 programs.
What is happening? It’s almost like a person can just randomly pick a traditional college football power and the odds will be high that the offensive line is not remotely playing to the level it should.
Game 1 of a season, okay. Maybe a team’s offensive line is working out the kinks. This past Saturday, however, saw more horrendous offensive line play during the second full college football weekend.
The two worst might be from two programs that have spent a ton of money on elite strength staffs that are proven, as well as offensive line coaches that have seen considerable success, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
The Aggies rushed for 89 yards against Appalachian State and Notre Dame could only garner 130 against Marshall. A&M is the No. 114 rushing offense, while Notre Dame is No. 111. While not the only statistic that matters for an offensive line, there’s really no excuse for the size and talent of those two programs struggling to create push against non-Power 5 teams.
What gives? One overwhelming theme stands out as at least a partial reason to why this is happening.
Lack of patience. Achieving top-notch offensive line play often takes years of playing together. Many teams are playing younger and younger players together to create offensive lines. Even if one player is out of sync with the rest of an offensive line, it’s often a major issue for the unit as a whole.
Texas A&M’s right tackle, Reuben Fatheree II, started as a true freshman. That does not mean he was ready in 2021. He’s back and starting in 2022 and he performed poorly against Appalachian State.
In fact, he was literally thrown to the ground during one play by Jalen McCleod, a 6-foot-1 and 230-pound edge defender from the Mountaineers. Fatheree II is 6-foot-8 and 325 pounds. He does not appear to be ready now either. Notre Dame saw one of its behomeaths struggle against Marshall, too.
There’s a good chance that right tackle Blake Fisher ends up being a top NFL Draft pick. He’s no place near that level of play right now, however. Like Fatheree II, Fisher started two games as a freshman (missed the other 11 with a knee injury) and certainly had moments where he played well. Is he ready to be a consistent player up front though?
There was one particular play early in the Marshall game that Fisher looked completely lost. Against a three-man front with a defensive end right in front of his face mask, Fisher bypassed the Marshall edge defender and started for the second level. Then, he backtracked after not hitting anyone.
You guessed it, that Marshall defender was in the backfield causing a problem for the Irish running back. Fisher did not block anyone on that play. Is he truly ready despite being an incredible athlete at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds? Apparently not, based on the Marshall game.
Beyond these two highly-touted offensive tackles, here are a few more examples of offensive line play struggling across college football.
Samford at Georgia should see a dominant run game from the defending National Champions. The Dawgs managed just 32 carries for 127 yards, a 4.0 yards per carry average, against a FCS team. Whoa.
For the first two games of 2022, Georgia is No. 92 in the country with running the football. The Georgia team is still quite good, but if the offensive line is not more productive it could lead to issues down the line.
Clemson’s slow rushing start is much like Geogia’s. Even against hapless Georgia Tech there were issues for Clemson. The running game produced 40 carries, 119 yards, and a 3.0 average. At least Clemson scored three rushing touchdowns.
Against Furman, a FCS team, Clemson ran 28 times for 147 yards, a 5.3 average, and two touchdowns. Solid, but unspectacular, against a team that’s not even in the FBS. This is Clemson for crying out loud!
In the end, UCF is still molding its 2022 offensive line. That’s true. The Knights are also still far and away better than where many of the so-called big boys of college football are right now.
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