Comments & Questions Following UCF's 45-28 Loss to Tulane
It was a really strange American Athletic Conference championship game between the UCF Knights and Tulane Green Wave. There was drama at quarterback, which is where this article gets started.
1) Despite Tulane winning 45-28 over UCF, the quarterback position showed promise.
John Rhys Plumlee was not even remotely 100%. Mikey Keene did not play. Then, playing a true freshman had to come into the lineup. Thomas Castellanos delivered the best he could, but he’s not ready for full-time duty considering how many snaps he has received with the first unit throughout the 2022 season.
He did show a big-time arm and his excellent athleticism. UCF’s quarterback position has a lot of talent coming back with Castellanos. That leads to another question.
2) UCF needs Plumlee in 2023.
If the Knights are to truly make a good jump into the Big 12 Conference in 2023, having a fifth-year senior quarterback would be the best way to accomplish that task. Castellanos would not likely be ready for a complete takeover of the program next year.
Plumlee could help UCF win some of those close games that veteran signal callers just seem to do based on their ability to recall the battles they've been through before. Plumlee would give UCF that ability.
Now for some absolutely sad news, but it needs to be said.
3) UCF’s defense could not cover consistently, and tackling was poor as well.
Credit for the three turnovers must be provided, but UCF was still just obliterated. They gave up 254 yards rushing, 394 yards passing, and 648 total yards of offense to Tulane.
Wide open receivers; horrible tackling angles; defenders looking lost in space. This game, and the USF game, are horrific signs for the future unless something is done.
The UCF defense has now given up a combined 1,086 total yards of offense during its last two games to USF and Tulane.
4) UCF needs a lot of help via the Transfer Portal and recruiting.
Going into the Big 12, the Knights are no place near where they need to be. More size on the defensive line is No. 1 on the board. Losing Ricky Barber and Anthony Montalvo at defensive tackle will be hard, and there wasn't enough depth anyway.
Obviously the secondary was not nearly as good as what it was thought to be coming into the 2022 season.
Recruiting has been good so far for 2023, but much more is needed in terms of beef up front on defense. After that, just as much talent as possible needs to be added on defense against the upcoming pass-happy Big 12 offenses. Offensively, keep bringing in talent across the board. It's a better situation for the offensive side of the ball, for sure.
Overall, there are still reasons to be happy about the overall direciton of the program. That's not being denied, but the Tulane game showed some glaring holes from the UCF roster as well.
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