Post Memphis (Week 6, 2013)

The story of the game which left Tigers fans leaving Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium heartbroken on October 5^th was UCF’s offense playing like a completely different team than the one we’ve seen the past 4 games of the season. We saw a photo negative of UCF, poor 1^st half performance highlighted by a spotty offensive showing and the defense bailing out the offense long enough for them to get in the right gear to make the come-from-behind win.

                Coming into the game, the Tigers defense was making a name for itself, looking pretty impressive despite the team’s overall record. Utilizing various blitz packages, they maintained high pressure on Blake and kept him and the offense from getting in rhythm for the entire 1^st half. Credit their defense for a well-executed gameplan. However the number of mental errors and missed opportunities were ample cause for alarm; specifically the key drops and penalties. JJ Worton wasn’t able to pull down a reception the whole game and Memphis drives were extended despite the defense making stops due to penalties like illegal formation, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc. While the dropped passes are concerning signs from our receiving corps, we also demonstrated the depth in our receiving corps; when the starting players are having a bad game, we can count on the other receivers in the unit to step up and carry the team. While the rest of the receiving corps individually was held to 2 receptions or less, Breshad Perriman carried the passing offense with 7 receptions for 107 yards. If the defense can manage to deliver another performance as they did against Memphis (namely, generating turnovers), we have to see the rest of the offense show up and not leave points on the field when we get a free possession.

We’ve seen an interesting development in the defense; not only did we force multiple turnovers (including two interceptions by Terrance Plummer), we managed to literally double our sack numbers for the season thus far with 5 in one game largely thanks to a couple fresh faces in the D-line. Freshman DE Blake Keller got to the QB twice in his first collegiate start while Freshman Seyvon Lowery, who’s getting an increase in his minutes, also got a sack on the day. Hopefully this new rotation can up the production of a thus-far underachieving pass rush; it’ll be needed against Bridgewater. In addition, the coverage has shown continued improvement, generating two interceptions through Terrance Plummer.

Overall, poor execution nearly cost UCF their first American conferences win, but thanks to a strong defensive showing, a reinvigorated 2^nd half showing, and some lucky plays going our way; the Knights walked out of Memphis the victors. Hopefully during this bye week, the players iron out the wrinkles and clean up our offensive execution to prevent losing needless yards in this week’s Friday matchup against Louisville on National TV. Louisville’s defense will prove to be just as much if not more of a challenge as Memphis.