Post Temple: The Cardiac Kids (Week 12, 2013)

UCF, raising its fans’ blood pressure since 1979… WHERE DID THE DEFENSE GO? Temple played a great game and they have a bright future so long as their QB continues to develop (otherwise, its Jeff Driskel part 2), but WHERE DID THE UCF DEFENSE THAT HELD HOUSTON TO 14 POINTS GO? its only been 7 days and we went from that to giving up the most points allowed all season (Yes, Louisville scored on us less than Temple did). Our defensive front and especially our defensive line has never looked more shoddy than it just did for those 60 mins; missed tackles, nonexistent pass rush, high yields from runs up the middle, just ridiculous. Our offense essentially was playing against two defenses, but that’s enough negative, I trust the coaches will let them have it for the mistakes we saw on defense and will work those kinks out in the short week before Rutgers.

HOLY COW! JJ Worton, you are hereby known as Mr. Dependable. Worton has never stood taller than he does right now following a career game from him, no question. JJ without a doubt is the BIGGEST reason why we were able to win this game, the number of clutch, spectacular catches he made, including the absolutely insane, one-handed TD grab  he made to knot the game up at the latter part of the 4th quarter. Blake Bortles once again showed his composure and refusal to fold under the pressure of the moment, commanding a set of beautiful drives to close the game and finding Rannell Hall open in space for the final deep pass that set up the game winning FG. Even with Perriman staying home in Orlando, our receiving corps teamed up with Bortles Kombat to put up a incredible scoring display to outlast the Owls in a shootout.

I’m sure all of you in UCF Nation, like me, have a couple more gray hairs on our heads after this one. Here’s to no more roller coasters, lets just coast through our final home stretch and take home whats been a long time coming, a BCS berth and a win over USF.  …. knock on wood.

Post Houston: Birth of a Rivalry? (Week 11, 2013)

We may have just witnessed the birth of a rivalry. On paper, UCF and UH both came into this match up hungry for a conference championship and earning each program’s first BCS bowl berth at the end of the American’s status as an AQ conference, looking to garner some national respect and get some attention to the dream years we’ve both been having. What we also witnessed on Saturday was one of the most egregious displays of disrespect by a visiting team in my (albeit brief) time watching UCF football. For a visiting team to come into our house, be taunting our players and fans the way they were, and play the way they were is reprehensible. The things they did that I take issue with are common in football games; injuries, late hits, taunting, trash talk, unnecessarily aggressive play, it all happens. However, all these things happening in the span of one game leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the other team.

Regarding the Targeting play, I can’t begrudge the Houston defender for making the hit. Decisions have to be made fast and sometimes injuries will be the result, that’s the nature of the game. The Houston defender got flagged for targeting and was ejected, no fault there. There IS a problem when he tries to return the sideline after taking off his pads and starts antagonizing the home crowd as the whole stadium began to boo him until the officials rushed him back into the locker room. His motives for returning to that hostile environment are up for debate but at the very least, it shows a clear lack of judgment to think it’s a good idea to return to the field after being ejected and injuring one of the home team’s players.

When you’re a visiting team, there’s a certain degree of etiquette and common courtesy expected of you. That’s not to say you can’t celebrate making good plays or are expected to be congratulating the opposing team when they do as well, but just be professional and have common courtesy. It rubbed me the wrong way how the Houston team, excluding a tiny minority, didn’t have the common decency to remove their helmets and take a knee while the injured player was still lying on the field; a gesture of respect as simple as removing one’s hat during the national anthem. There are some people making issue with the Cougars kneeling in prayer in front of the student section or having a little dance before every kickoff but those are just traditions of the game they adhere to (yet they wouldn’t do the tradition of taking a knee out of respect for an injured player?). As I said before, taunting will happen and I believe trash talk is a part of any competitive sport. That said, it is UNFORGIVABLE for ANYONE, let alone the visiting team, to be taunting while a member of the home team lies injured on the field. I’ve yet to see a greater display of classlessness than John O’Korn and the Houston bench jeering at the UCF fans seated in the stands behind them. Houston fans defending O’Korn say that he was provoked by that section heckling the Houston bench all game; that UCF fans equally behaved without class and O’Korn and the Cougar bench were just returning the favor. First of all let’s be honest, if this is the first time Houston is getting heckled by the opposing home crowd, what part of Texas do they play football in? Yes, it’s reprehensible that there were people in the stands who were making asses of themselves (especially the one guy who got removed for throwing a drink at the ejected Houston player) but you’re football players and represent of the program and school you come from. It may not be fair but as long as they wear that UH on their helmets, they need to be professional and take the drunken hecklers nonsense in stride. Instead, they played into it and taunted back, gestured at the crowd throughout the game, started shoving our players after the play was over and even got in some late hits or cheap shots which often were not called. Officially there isn’t any press on some of the happenings of the off-field happenings at the game but the newfound hatred continues to ferment between the two fan bases in forums and discussion boards across the net; grievances waiting to be resolved on the field in our future match ups.

Post UConn (Week 9, 2013)

As the clock strikes 0:00; the scoreboard reads 62-17, just a point shy of breaking our all-time single game scoring record (Charleston Southern, 2011). Against lowly UConn, our team did exactly what we expected them to do; smother their offense and limit scoring opportunities while scoring with ease with an explosive offensive onslaught. Unlike what we saw against Memphis, our team did not look complacent going against an opponent considerably weaker on paper than ourselves; we hit the ground running (or passing rather), and never looked back. We move into the bye week to prepare for a decisive homecoming match up against Houston with a lot of positives to look at.

Our offense didn’t miss skip a single beat this week; Blake threw 20/24 for 286 yards and a career high, not to mention an impressive 10 yard rushing TD. All these numbers were put up in just the first half. JJ Worton had a great return to form after a silent Memphis game and being injured in the first possession of the Louisville game, pulling down 6 catches for a career high 119 yards and a TD against UConn. Jeff Godfrey also had a career game, pulling down 6 receptions for 54 yards and 3 TDs. The offense took advantage of all four of UConn’s turnovers en route to the 62-17 rout we watched at Bright House Networks Stadium. One thing that impressed me is that Blake managed to put up the numbers he did in just one half of play, the backups started coming in after the first possession of the 2^nd half. I’m most impressed by how Coach O’Leary mixed it up in our gameplan and broke tendencies of our offense. We extensively using triple option instead of running his traditional pro-style offense we’re accustomed to. We saw Rannell Hall go in motion and take carries from the backfield, ultimately finishing the game as the team’s leading rusher with 5 carries for 45 yards (including a 17yd rushing TD). We saw Storm Johnson continue to be targeted in the passing game, finding the end zone for 7 yard receiving TD. We saw Blake Bortles keeping or pitching the ball on speed option plays and we saw the Wild Knight being used more frequently than we’ve ever seen in seasons past, albeit to minimal effect. On top of mixing up the play calling, our team showed that they can do it effectively (see, Rannell Hall’s performance) and that our offense can attack an opposing defense in a multitude of ways. Houston’s defense will have their work cut out for them in our November homecoming matchup.

On defense the pass coverage continues to look very impressive, giving up little to no big plays through the air while the first team was on the field. Despite the occasional hiccup like the massive 57 yard in the first UConn possession, the run defense held its own throughout the game, limiting the Huskies to 34 yards on the ground for the rest of the game following that big run. The defense gave UConn no room to breathe, limiting their offense to only 142 passing yards and 91 rushing yards while also forcing 4 turnovers. Sean Maag continues to have a stellar senior year, adding a fumble recovery and interception to his turnover count from this year. Troy Gray also pulled in a spectacular interception off of a wayward pass disrupted by Terrance Plummer and Jordan Ozerities also stood out getting three tackles including a 10 yard sack. Our defense showed up and did exactly what they were expected to do against the 0-6 Huskies. Hopefully the team goes into the bye week fired up from this dominant win and can put the visiting Houston Cougars through the wringer next Saturday on our homecoming weekend.

Post Louisville: An Emotional Historic Win (Week 8, 2013)

An emotional, historic win.

What more can be said about that win? In a historic comeback, UCF returned from a score of 7-28 to win 38-35 in front of a hostile Louisville crowd on the Cardinals’ sold-out, nationally televised homecoming game. With that deflected Hail Mary pass; UCF beat its second ranked opponent in program history, earned its first win over a top ten team in program history, knocked off the preseason favorite to win the conference; all on national television. The program’s national profile has never looked bigger; the Knights are in control of their own destiny in conference with their toughest matchups on the schedule (Houston and Rutgers) both in the Bright House. If we beat Houston and win the rest of our conference match ups, even if we lose to Rutgers we’d have the tiebreaker for the American crown and more importantly, the AQ BCS bowl berth. We’re behind the wheel on the road to achieving the dream season the program so badly needs to put ourselves on the map for good.

A game full of firsts for the Knights, yet I can’t help but notice something familiar about our greatest moments in this game. On the final play of the game, as the ball travelled high in the air from Bridgewater’s hand to the end zone, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the final play of a past game, the 2010 Liberty Bowl. Everything about the play, the emotions, the in-game situation, the impact that completion or incompletion would have for the program. Another comparison can be made about UCF’s final drive, but this time not to a past UCF play. As the drive progressed and Blake continued to commandeer UCF down the field in a 2 minute drill, I was reminded of another closing drive in a tight game that ultimately lead to the game-winning score; The Catch, Joe Montana’s signature drive and touchdown in the 1981 NFC Championship. Like Montana, Blake methodically led the offense down the field with the clock winding down. Out of all the drives I’ve watched Blake quarterback, I’ve never seen him look as intelligent with the ball as he did in that drive. His two incompletions were deep shots in the end zone that was either going to be caught by the receiver or out of bounds.  He maintained his composure and just went back to the two minute offense that the team prepared for just this kind of situation. Blake stepped up into the pocket, made the right checks and reads, and found the open man while not forcing the issue or throwing to a single receiver. He spread the ball around and the receivers did the rest. The drive was an excellent performance by the offense as a whole but Blake in particular showed his mettle and his composure in the face of extreme pressure, comparable to what we saw from the NFL great.

               

Our Greatest Hour

Home from Culpeppers and watching the Louisville game.

For one night, every Knight rejoiced as we celebrate our greatest victory. even the most staunch and stalwart naysayer renounce everything they’ve once said and too join in celebration. Tonight is why this Knight writes this blog, why I cheer and try so hard at the games, why I give my all as a fan to this game; for just one night, UCF fans are united.

I have no shame in admitting I was openly emotional as the clock struck zero. With this game, our team exercised a lot of demons nagging around the program: U-Can’t-Finish, UCF can’t win the big one; UCF is only a one half team. We proved all doubters on the outside looking in wrong; but most profound for me is the impact this win made on our own fanbase. The first status I saw on my Facebook newsfeed was from FireCoachOLeary.com, the dedicated, alumni-run, anti-Coach O’Leary page running since as far back as 2005. They’ve embodied the naysaying and pessimistic attitude of a lot of the fan base over the course of Coach O’Leary’s tenure and through the rough times grew into a reservoir for a lot of negativity within our own fanbase. Knowing that, to see that page write “I take it all back George, I take it all back…” was simply overwhelming. Even what I consider the staunchest of skeptics whose faith was weathered by the worst of the rough times were shedding their convictions and jumping on board with the team. When Jeff Godfrey pulled down that final TD reception and Clayton Geathers swatted down the final Hail Mary pass, they did more than make the game winning plays. For one night, the world went as silent as the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium home crowd and all that could be heard was the jubilation of the UCF faithful, the chants of UCF echoing beyond the field. For one night; not one doubter, qualifier, or second guesser among our fans could be heard over the sounds of our cheers. For one night, we were united; and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to see from UCF Nation; that’s why I write these blogs, that’s why I follow our team so closely, that’s why I put my heart into everything I do as a Knight. Once a Knight, always a Knight ever proud.

Proud doesn’t describe the feeling, ecstacy couldn’t describe the joy. This night, the Knights are on top of the world. Here’s to you, UCF: 

Charge On till the last Knight falls, till there is nothing left in this world but black and gold; Go Knights!

Pre Louisville (Week 7, 2013)

The first thing that comes to mind when you say Louisville football today is Teddy Bridgewater. This is with good reason; he is arguably the most NFL ready QB prospect in the nation and expertly commands the Cardinal offense down the field each game. In our coming showdown at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, we need to bring attention to their more overlooked defense which has been silently doing its work against its adversaries. While Bridgewater leads the offense up and down the field to put up points, the defense has held their opponents on average to 7.3 points per game (albeit playing lesser competition). Watching the Rutgers game, the Cards pass rush showed that their numbers are real and they pose a serious threat. Constant pressure and 8 sacks caused Rutgers QB Gary Nova to break down under the pressure, making bad decisions under duress which lead to 4 interceptions and a poor offensive showing by Rutgers especially in the 2^nd half. While Blake has shown better composure in the pocket under pressure than Nova, that doesn’t negate the fact that every quarterback increasingly feels the effect of a constant pass rush. While Teddy Bridgewater’s play statistically was not much of a drop off from the norm, the continuous hits and pressure from the Rutgers defense made an effect on his mechanics and decision making, making him look uncharacteristically sloppy. Louisville’s defense thrives on turnovers, largely caused by miscues and mechanical errors made under duress from the pass rush.

On offense, we need to look to the O-line to continue to limit sacks the way they have been doing since the FIU game. They also need to be ready to contain pressure long enough for Blake to get into rhythm and take control. When faced with an aggressive pass rush, the way to take advantage of the defensive over pursuit is quick passing and screens alternated with delayed handoffs and runs to keep them on their back foot and unsure of how our offense is going to hit them next. Their coverage isn’t dominant but they’re good enough to make plays on the ball when the play is there; we cannot allow them to single out our receivers or else they will find an opportunity to take the ball the other way. We can counter their secondary by spreading the wealth to all our best receivers: Rannell Hall, JJ Worton, Breshad Perriman, Jeff Godfrey; the former 3 each having had at least one 100 yard receiving game. If the receivers show up all hands on deck, that will enable Blake to move the ball around the entire field and keep the defense spread out.

On defense, we need to be wary of Louisville’s run first offensive style. Despite having the outstanding passer they have in Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville still follows the old adage of having the run set up the pass. They have a viable rushing attack that is effective at opening up the pass game to allow Teddy Bridgewater to pick apart the secondary as they cheat up to defend the run. The secondary needs to be wary of this and a tendency by Louisville to get big chunks of yards on play action passes; our safeties can’t afford to overcommit and risk allowing big plays. Bend but don’t break will be the mantra against their rushing attack, the safeties will have to be on top of their game to prevent any big plays in case the rushing attack makes it past the linebackers. If the pass rush manages to get enough hits on Bridgewater, we could possibly force some bad throws and mistakes as we saw from him against Rutgers where he was regularly getting hit by the pass rush.

Overall if we limit our mistakes and execute as we should, we very much can move past this week the favorite to earn the coveted BCS bid for the AAC champion.

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.