UCF Football Statistics Leave Questions to Answer
One of the most difficult teams to figure out in all of college football would be the UCF Knights. Even during a game, it's like a light switch. Sometimes the Knights are on and sometimes they are off.
Here’s a look at some statistics to back up that point.
UCF passing: 206.8 yards per game, all the way down to No. 98 in the nation.
UCF rushing: 285.8 yards per game, almost at the top at No. 5 in the nation.
UCF scoring: 34.3 points per contest, ranking the Knights No. 50.
Looking at the basic offensive numbers, it’s just hard to figure out. Sometimes quarterback John Rhys Plumlee is in tune with Javon Baker, but really he’s not been in sync with any other pass catcher. That’s a problem that must be rectified.
When the Knights run the football, it’s not as consistent as it was last season. When UCF does hit a run, inside or outside, there have been fireworks from Plumlee and Johnny Richardson. Considering teams are now focusing on the Knights to run the ball, it’s surprising that UCF is still as successful as it is.
How long will that last as the competition improves? Moving to defense, it’s another unique situation.
UCF passing defense: Trending in the right direction by allowing 169.8 yards per game, No. 19 in the country.
UCF rushing defense: 144.3 yards allowed per contest, placing the Knights at No. 72 in the nation.
UCF scoring defense: 13.5 points per game allowed, good for No. 12 in the nation.
Now, UCF has played through some serious ups and downs (FAU game!) defensively, but there’s one common theme no matter the opponent that should excite fans of the Knights.
Red zone defense. That’s why UCF is giving up just 13.5 points per game. The Knights are sometimes so-so with tackling, run fits, or whatever it might be. Once a team gets down close to the goal line, UCF bows up.
It’s pretty incredible really. Georgia Tech was a bad overall offense, but they still have athletes that UCF had to contend with in space. Each time, the Knights won that battle. Hats off for that.
So, can the Knights somehow become a consistent passing offense? That’s obviously a hot topic with fans for the Knights, and rightfully so.
On defense, it’s more about mental lapses that lead to chunk-yardage plays for the opponent. That’s probably easier to clean up than what the offense is facing.
Overall, the numbers are the numbers, regardless of offense or defense. For UCF to be successful in the most important category – the win column – during the final eight games of the season, it needs to eliminate those lulls in the passing game and the overall mental lapses with the defense.
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