Post USF (Week 14, 2013)

Well, the Cardiac Kids were in full effect on Black Friday this year. We saw the most inefficient performance by our offense in my memory of the past 3 years in terms of turnover margin; -3 (our 5 to their 2). Even though I was aware all season that USF has a defense that is more than meets the eye, I too am guilty along with most of UCF Nation of sleeping on the bulls in this game. Our offense looked sluggish off the bat but even when we managed to put good drives together, sloppy play lead to the majority of our turnovers. Joey Grant got forced back into Storm Johnson and accidentally punched the ball free, free rushers forced Blake to throw an underthrown pass that ultimately got picked off, a slightly overthrown ball tipped out of a receiver’s hand and got picked off. All in all, we played a sloppy game. Our defense did its usual bend but don’t break game, we effectively shut down the USF offense for the entire first half, but as momentum swung in the favor of USF after multiple UCF drives resulted in no scores or a turnover, the defense began to wear down and allow USF to move the ball in the 2^nd half, surrendering 200 of their 280+ yards of total offense in the final 2 quarters. What I found to be concerning was the amount of times USF’s QB found a man in 1v1 coverage deep, sometimes behind the defender. We gave up a LOT of deep routes; they just never took advantage of them. If their QB put a little less arm and a little more touch on some of those deep passes, this score could’ve been a lot uglier in USF’s favor. Neither offense nor defense played their best game against that school to the west, but between the two the offense is looking like it has the most to work on, particularly in operating against an aggressive pass rush and taking better care of the ball. On defense, I’m hoping I am mistaken about what I saw from our deep passes as we go into our final game against SMU and their pass-heavy offense.

Pre Rutgers (Week 13, 2013)

We’re coming up on the first of our final 2 home games this season. The opponent is the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, a 5-4 team who are better than their record but have been having a very up and down season. The Scarlet Knights offense essentially is a see-saw and Gary Nova is the fulcrum. The offense goes as Gary Nova goes; if he has a good game, the offense will be working as efficiently as any; if he has a bad game, we see more turnovers, errant passes, and hampered offensive production as evidenced in the Louisville and Houston. Coach O’Leary said it best in his Tuesday evening radio show, Nova is a streaky passer. He’s got the ability to throw the ball as good as anyone (he’s thrown only one less passing TD than our own Blake Bortles) but when he gets pressured or doesn’t have time to get into a rhythm, he goes cold and his play drastically suffers.

 Getting pressure on the QB early or at the least having tight coverage will be the key to beating Rutgers. Our D-line, which has already been producing less than desirable results, has been weathered down through the course of the season from injuries and players leaving the team. With the losses of starters Deion Green and more recently Seyvon Lowry to season-ending injuries, UCF is forced to start freshmen who have the speed but lack the size needed to shed their blocks and generate pressure quick enough to disrupt the play and get to the quarterback. On the interior, Coach O’Leary says that we have the desired size but we need to see a better second-effort following their initial move when battling their blocker and we also need to do a better job of closing the passing and running lanes that allow quarterback to get easy completions or scramble for a big chunk of yards as we saw with Houston’s O’Korn and with South Carolina’s Connor Shaw before he went down with an injury. It goes without saying that our defense absolutely cannot afford to have another absolutely atrocious tackling display as it did against temple, hopefully the defense can tighten up the pass coverage and focus heavily on getting players in the best position to make the tackle. Barring any unforeseeable miscues or errors, if our offense continues to play as it has all season (possibly improving red-zone efficiency) and our defense gets back to the form it was before the Temple game, we should be able to execute the gameplan to take home another W en route to our Black Friday matchup with USF, clinching the first American conference title and the last AQ BCS bid of the American Athletic Conference.

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!