What Went Right and What Went Wrong, UCF’s Victory Over FAU
The UCF Knights prevailed over the Florida Atlantic Owls last night, and the final score of 40-14 might lead people to just assume domination took place. Far from it actually.
Looking through the game, piece by piece, there’s much more to unravel. Here are a few primary points to ponder prior to yours truly going back and rewatching the game film and breaking down what happened more thoroughly.
First, UCF’s offense showed zero fear of throwing the football regardless of the situation. That might be the most important point from the game.
Looking at the first ten plays for UCF, here’s the number of runs and passes: five and five. A true even split that keeps a defense from focusing on one aspect of what UCF does.
One week prior against Louisville, especially in the latter stages of the third quarter and through the end of the contest, the Cardinals dared the Knights to pass the football. UCF essentially flinched with focusing on the run, plus not protecting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee well. Lastly, receivers just did not consistently gain enough separation in their routes.
Now, wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe was on the sidelines for much of that situation playing out, but the Knights absolutely must show they can pass no matter which skill players are the intended targets of Plumlee.
So, the biggest albatross from the Week 2 setback has been answered resoundingly. Will that continue against better competition? Time will tell. That stated, hats off to Plumlee, as he went 25 of 36, 69.4%, for 339 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Moving to the ground game overall, it mashed FAU’s front seven.
If not for three turnovers, UCF might have scored 60 points. The FAU defense lacks depth and does not tackle well. The Knights took advantage with better overall athletes and using tempo. Moving to the defense, this is one of the most difficult games to understand.
Out of the gate, UCF was absolutely terrible. The Owls were all but playing seven-on-seven against UCF’s pass defense, and the rushing defense was actually far worse as it struggled to bring down anyone. It would scare someone to see the first quarter missed tackle chart.
That point alone screams lack of focus. That’s on the players first and foremost. They were not locked in and that’s inexcusable. Then, it happened.
After getting drilled in the first quarter, the Knights held the Owls to 130 yards of offense for the final three-plus quarters of the game. What in the world happened?
Sure, some adjustments from the coaching staff are a part of it. Okay. That’s cool. Even inside linebacker Jason Johnson, who finished with 13 total tackles, was not on point from the ouset of the contest. Why not that type of player execution and effort from the outset?
That very question will certainly be a part of the film breakdown today when the UCF defensive players walk into the film room. It should. Now, do those same players use the first quarter as motivation and devote themselves to excellence?
Overall, the game against FAU provides insight into why this UCF team can be really good. It still has a long way to go, however, with three turnovers by the offense and a lackluster first quarter performance by the defense.
Note: In addition to articles about top player performances, Inside The Knights will have film breakdowns of each side of the ball, plus some special teams analysis as well, within the next 36 hours.
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