UCF at East Carolina: 4 Pirates Offensive Players to Know
(Cover Photo: WR C.J. Johnson. Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
Against the East Carolina Pirates, the challenge for the defense of the UCF Knights will be selecting which offensive skill player to attempt to take away. There are simply too many good players to just hone in on one or two.
There will be plays that the Knights load the box and play man-to-man defense and times that a more conservative zone approach is part of the plan. One can still be assured that an offense averaging 309 yards through the air and 165.7 on the ground will find ways to move the football.
RELATED: Will UCF’s Defense Slow Down an Explosive East Carolina Offense?
That’s where matchups and play calls will be even more important than usual. To win, the Knights will need to mix what coverages and blitzes wisely. Doing that will help to slow down the following four players and help eliminate the big-play offense for the Pirates.
Holton Ahlers - Quarterback
For the fifth season in a row, Ahlers is a primary player for the Pirates. A quarterback that’s thrown 1,648 passes and completed 990 of them during his college career, there’s not much UCF or any other defense can show him schematically that will cause confusion.
This season alone, Ahlers is 178 of 260, 68.5%, 2,124 yards, 8.2 per attempt, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. While not a true dual-threat signal caller like UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee, Ahlers moves outside the pocket to complete passes and does so effectively.
Most notably, he is a passer that knows where to go with the football. He will find and exploit weaknesses. When he does make a great play, it’s important for the UCF defensive players to move to the next play; do not dwell on giving up yards. The scoreboard is what matters.
The one way to get Ahlers off track is to make him move off his spot, i.e. pressure the quarterback. If he sits in a clean pocket, Ahlers can rack up the completions and passing yards.
Keaton Mitchell - Running Back
A dynamo in the backfield with blistering speed, Mitchell is off to another excellent start to his football season. From six games total as he missed the USF contest, Mitchell has 582 yards, a 6.9 average, and six touchdowns.
The 5-foot-9 and 184-pound running back is somewhat similar to Johnny Richardson from UCF, albeit slightly bigger. Mitchell is lightning in a bottle. The Knights must be dedicated to run gap discipline and wrap up when tackling or he can take a basic inside run and take it to the house.
He’s also capable of getting loose in the screen game. Mitchell has 15 catches for 119 yards, a 7.9 average. He’s about due to pop a short pass and take it to the end zone, so that’s another area that UCF defenders must be on task.
The one area UCF can take advantage of would be Mitchell in pass protection. He’s not big enough to handle UCF’s edge defenders like Josh Celiscar. That’s when the Knights must create sacks.
Isaiah Winstead - Wide Receiver
A big and powerful player that breaks tackles, Winstead is also a graceful athlete. He’s been making acrobatic catches for a long time.
He can still beat a defender deep, but the best thing about Winstead’s game is the ability to use length and physical size to his advantage. Once he gains leverage over a defensive back, it’s really just a matter of whether the football is delivered close to him because his hands are obviously very good based on the above video.
Look for East Carolina to throw the football short to Winstead during crossing routes and quick hitters. That’s a major reason he’s currently at 52 catches for 719 yards, a 13.8 average, and three touchdowns.
C.J. Johnson - Wide Receiver
This guy is one of those special athletes that provides “wow” plays. Check out the hand-eye coordination from this catch and the subsequent run to the end zone. It’s against a woeful USF defense, but still.
WATCH: CJ Johnson is at it AGAIN. He waltzes in for 6 as East Carolina has stretched their lead to 21-0. 🏴☠️🏈pic.twitter.com/j5lQY3XYh4
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) October 1, 2022
He’s an imposing figure at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds. That size is something that will come into play no matter where the Pirates are on the gridiron because he finds a way to make tough catches that change the momentum of a game.
29 catches, 517 yards, 17.8 yard per catch average, and seven touchdowns are to Johnson’s credit through seven contests. He’s the ace in the hole for the Pirates. If nothing else is there, throw it up to the big guy and allow him to go get it.
The matchup between Johnson and UCF’s three primary cornerbacks–Davonte Brown, Corey Thornton, and Brandon Adams–will be fantastic when it’s truly one-on-one football.
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