Navy Upsets UCF, 17-14
Well, it happened. The UCF Knights came out flatter than a pancake against the Navy Midshipmen. It cost them dearly.
During a game in which Navy rushed for 248 yards and converted 4-of-4 fourth downs, the Midshipmen were just a little bit better than the slow-starting Knights.
Starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was pulled after a first half of going 11-of-18 for 107 yards passing, plus an interception on the last play of the half that was tossed towards the end zone. Part of the issue with why Plumlee struggled came from the lack of a consistent running game.
That helped Navy build a 14-6 lead going into intermission. Not a whole lot changed after halftime either. UCF battled, especially on defense, but the offense struggled all game long. That is even when Mikey Keene entered the contest, sans his first drive.
#UCF scoring drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, Keene to Baker for six! Then, a reverse pass from Plumlee to Baker for the 2-point conversion. #ChargeOn
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) November 19, 2022
Keene finished 8-of-15 for 123 yards and a touchdown. He was constantly harassed by Navy’s aggressive front. Most notably, UCF was poor at slowing down the Navy blitzes. They blew up runs and passes alike.
For the game, UCF mustered just 84 rushing yards from 24 carries, a paltry 3.5 average. Coming into the contest, the Knights were averaging 250 yards on the ground.
Navy out-schemed and out-efforted the UCF offensive game plan for the vast majority of the contest. In particular, one player caused a ruckus.
The Knights did not overcome Navy’s dynamo on defense, John Marshall. He was by far the best player on the field today.
Marshall finished with four sacks. That alone showed just how impressive this young man was. He came off the edge numerous times, and no matter which UCF player attempted to stay in front of him, it was a true challenge. He’s a big-time player.
Here are the other key facts and statistics from this gut punch delivered by UCF.
Navy did not convert a pass, a big reason they were held to only 14 first downs. The Midshipmen slowly maneuvered the football down the field a few times, and found a way to score two touchdowns.
A fumble recovery at the UCF 34 also set up kicker Bijan Nichols to knock through from 45 yards out. That was the game winner as neither team could score during the final stanza. Here’s the stunner, though.
Despite being held to 248 total yards, Navy won. That’s an absurd number and a true anomaly.
UCF will play one last regular season game, this time on the road at USF on Nov. 26.
