Mustang ‘Firepower’: Previewing 2022 UCF Opponent SMU
ORLANDO – The UCF Knights traveled to Dallas last year only to be handed a resounding 55-28 loss at the hands of the SMU Mustangs. They’ll look to avenge that game at home in 2022.
The 2022 conference opener for the Knights will come at the newly renamed FBC Mortgage Stadium in a battle with SMU. The Mustangs had a rough finish to their 2021 season, going just 1-4 in their final five games after a dominant 7-0 start to the year.
To add insult to injury, their bowl game scheduled vs Virginia was canceled, ending their season earlier than expected. Not too much roster turnover has taken place for SMU over the offseason, so the Knights will have a better understanding of what they’re up against the second time around. Here are a few things to watch for in this matchup:
SMU’s Explosive Passing Offense
The Mustangs finished 2021 with the highest scoring offense in the AAC, and the ninth highest across all of FBS at 38.4 points per game. Even during their 1-4 finish to the year, the offense was never an issue, outside their matchup vs Cincinnati, a team that even Alabama struggled to score on at times in the College Football Playoffs.
The offense of SMU is comparable to the old Scott Frost-Josh Heupel type of offensive scheme that UCF showcased from 2016 to 2020. It is incredibly fast-paced, with a good portion of their snaps coming with 25+ seconds on the play clock in most scenarios.
There is also no shortage of big chunk plays from this offense. Through the air, the ball is spread evenly between a wide array of receivers, as every skill player on the field is a weapon for SMU. Some of the offensive philosophy may be slightly different from last year, as SMU is bringing in Rhett Lashlee to replace last year’s head coach Sonny Dykes. However, Lashlee was SMU’s Offensive Coordinator three years ago and ran a very similar type of scheme, and quarterback Tanner Mordecai will be the beneficiary.
Mordecai is a future NFL Draft prospect, and he is also one of a slew of premier quarterbacks UCF will have to deal with next season. He was 12th in the country in passing yards last season. While he can use his legs when necessary, he is much closer to the stereotypical pro-style quarterback, as he is better than most college quarterbacks at navigating the pocket.
The Rushing Attack
SMU did not use the ground game as often as the passing game, but when they did, it was effective. As a team they were around the middle of the pack in the FBS in terms of yards per rush and total rushing offense, but it complemented the passing game well and kept opposing defenses honest.
The Mustangs will be without their second leading rusher Ulysses Bentley IV going into next season, as he followed Sonny Dykes to TCU, but SMU will still lean heavily on Tre Siggers, their number one running back from last year.
The rushing offense may lean even more heavily on an incoming running back transfer, Camar Wheaton, a former 4-star recruit coming in from Alabama. That will obviously depend on what the coaching staff sees in both Wheaton and Siggers.
While SMU wasn’t quite dominant running the ball during the season as a whole, they did manage to dominate UCF last season with their rushing attack, going for 6.7 yards per carry and four touchdowns on the ground against the Knights.
Uninspiring Defense
On the defensive side, SMU was lackluster to say the least. They gave up over 28 points per game, and 414 yards per game. This is not too uncommon for teams that have fast-paced offenses, because there is much less rest for the defense when the offense is moving down the field at light speed.
UCF put up 28 points and 333 yards of total offense on SMU last season with Mikey Keene throwing for 174 yards and just one touchdown. Only Tulane and Abilene Christian had less yards vs SMU during the 2021 season. One of the players that can help change that played very well against the Knights last season.
Whether SMU’s ability to slow down UCF was due to good execution by the defense or due to Keene’s freshman struggles, the Knights will need to be able to move the ball better this time around in order to stick with a team that has as high caliber of an offense as SMU’s.
Final Notes
In a game that may be the final meeting between SMU and UCF for a very long time due to UCF’s departure to the Big 12, the Knights have a lot to improve on from their showing last season. The home field advantage will certainly help, as UCF did not lose at home last year.
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