Round 2: Will UCF Slow Down Louisville QB Malik Cunningham?
Round 1 went to Louisville. Because of last year’s victory, the Cardinals hold the upper hand. On Sep. 9, will the UCF Knights provide the defensive effort to come out on top in Round 2?
The UCF defensive players have been waiting almost a year to play against Louisville again. When the Cardinals came out on top 42-35 in last season’s contest, it was a gut-wrenching loss no team or fan base will forget. That’s especially true for defensive players for the Knights.
During that game, the UCF defense was simply not as sharp as it needed to be. Headed into the contest, everyone knew how important it was to make Malik Cunningham as close to a pocket passer as humanly possible.
Related: UCF Depth Chart Versus Louisville
Unfortunately, that’s what the Knights allowed Cunningham to do. Faking defenders out, beating them to the corner with his speed, Cunningham deserves to be considered the best player on the gridiron for that night, and the statistics back it up.
He finished the evening by rushing 13 times for 99 yards, a 7.6 average, and two touchdowns. His legs also aided himself and the Cardinals within the passing game.
Cunningham went 23 of 38, 60.5%, 265 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Many of those passes happened after his protection broke down. Even if he escaped pressure and just threw the football away, that’s better than a sack that creates a long-yardage situation.
"Their quarterback is one of the best players in all of college football," UCF head coach Gus Malzahn stated during his weekly press conference. "He's played a lot of football. He played really good against us last year."
When asked about containing Cunningham this season, Malzahn made it clear how big the challenge would be.
"It will be a test for our whole defense. Like I said, he's one of the best quarterbacks in college football. I know things didn't go as well they'd like last week, but, you know, he's a phenomenal player. We know that, and we saw first-hand last year. So, not only linebackers, the whole defense is going to have to play well."
Speaking of last season, Cunningham threw some darts on the run that led to completions and first downs that swung momentum in Louisville’s favor. On Sep. 9, UCF cannot allow a repeat of last season’s performance. Nothing close to it in fact.
A couple of notes about how the Knights can slow down Cunningham’s output in the rematch.
First, it’s just motivation. For any college football player, being a competitor is paramount to success. The UCF defensive players from Josh Celiscar and the defensive line, to Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste and the linebackers, to Davonte Brown and the entire secondary, each returning UCF defensive player should want his shot to make a difference against Cunningham.
Continuing, just like last season, the Knights must keep Cunningham in the pocket. You will hear that from anyone covering this game, and that’s the same from those of use at Inside The Knights.
Literally every time Cunningham gets past the initial line of defense, he’s a threat to score with his legs. He scored 20 rushing touchdowns last season, just to place his athleticism into perspective.
Next, experience comes into play. It’s Year 2 of Defensive Coordinator Travis Williams’ defensive scheme. Along with Co-Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs, there will be more confidence that each Knight defender knows and can execute the base defense, as well as more exotic blitz packages and coverages.
Even if it is just two or three plays where the Knights can catch Cunningham off guard with a unique coverage, or one of the five offensive linemen off guard with a particular blitz, it can change the outcome of the football game.
Finally, it’s about depth. UCF possesses more overall talent than last season. Being able to rotate as many players as possible against a talent like Cunningham will be important.
That’s especially true with the weather forecast for Friday’s game projected to be even hotter than normal in Orlando.
This game could come down to a fourth quarter situation where the Knights must keep Cunningham and the Cardinals out of the end zone to preserve the win. Will the Knights be ready?
It’s time for the UCF defense to rise to the challenge and win Round 2 against Malik Cunningham and the Cardinals.
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