UCF at FAU Film Review: Offense Shows Balance
The UCF Knights showed marked improvement against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Among many points to be made, the rhythm and flow of the UCF offense just looked much more comfortable.
After taking a closer look at each aspect of the offense, here are the thoughts about each one.
Offensive Line
This is the most veteran aspect of the entire team. It’s the baseline of what the Knights are under head coach Gus Malzahn. After some struggles against Louisville, the big fellas looked much, much better versus FAU.
Most importantly, the line of scrimmage flat out moved forward. Play after play, there was a push. With the run established, UCF hammered away and used passing when it wanted to instead of when it had to. That’s winning football.
The Knights finished with 653 yards of total offense and the offensive line is the No. 1 reason why.
Grade: A
Quarterback
Make no mistake, John Rhys Plumlee absolutely went off. He had several highlight plays, including this one that just cannot be discussed without actually showing it as well.
Perhaps the most noticeable difference from rewatching the game, Plumlee just let it rip. Out patterns that covered a lot of ground, no problem, no worries. He threw it and completed it.
Plumlee looked like a signal caller had a plan and was consistently releasing the football quickly to maximize opportunities. His only persistent issue stemmed from drops, but that’s on the players catching the football, not Plumlee.
His one interception looked funky. Even rewatching it there’s just something off about how the ball came out. He even knew it right away by the way he started running forwards after throwing the football. It happens, but hopefully there will be very few interceptions going through the rest of the UCF schedule.
As a runner, he’s just ridiculous. He was running by FAU defenders all evening long. He’s proven to be a weapon every time he takes off with the football.
Grade: A-
Skill Players
There were some big performances for the Knights, as well as some things that need to be improved.
Just have to love running back and do-it-all talent Johnny Richardson creating big plays from runs, receptions, and even sticking a kickoff return man inside the 15 after zooming down the field on kickoff coverage. He did fumble during the first possession, but overall Richardson was balling.
How about tight end Alec Holler with three catches for 115 yards from three receptions? He showed that UCF’s combination of play calls can create chances for any skill player. That first big catch of 62 yards caught the Owls off guard as they thought it was another screen and Holler was running out to block. Nope! The running game is a bit different for big No. 5.
It’s frustrating that teams are focusing so much of their defensive efforts on Isaiah Bowser, but that also opens up each edge of the offensive line for Plumlee, Richardson, et al, to make plays outside. Bowser averaged just 2.5 yards per tote against FAU.
On the perimeter, the dropped passes are a major concern. Two in a row? One that should have been a touchdown from Ryan O’Keefe was especially difficult to watch.
UCF needs to keep feeding Javon Baker. He’s the best receiver on the roster and the one that Plumlee tends to find during third down and fourth down situations.
The possible X-factor moving forward could be getting the football to tight end Kemore Gamble. He's still a player to watch because he's such a good athlete. Holler just happened to be the primary target against the Owls. It worked, so no complaints.
Also, freshman Xavier Townsend is starting to make noise. He produced six catches for 53 yards against FAU.
Grade: B+
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