Memphis vs UCF prediction, game preview, how to watch: Friday, October 22
Memphis vs UCF How To Watch
Date: Friday, October 22
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Bounce House, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Memphis (4-3), UCF (3-3)
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Memphis vs UCF Game Preview
Why Memphis Will Win
This isn’t the UCF team we were all hoping for at this point in the season.
The collarbone injury to Dillon Gabriel has totally derailed the offense and the season that started out with everything cranking up like normal. But after he got hurt, the O went from putting up over 500 yards per game to not getting to 360 in any of the last three.
Memphis has to take advantage of the lack of a downfield UCF passing attack. The Tiger O hasn’t been perfect, but the passing game is still solid, the attack is efficient, and the big plays should be there that we’re used to seeing out of the other side.
UCF doesn’t have enough of a pass rush – it was great against East Carolina, and that’s it – to bother rising freshman QB Seth Henigan.
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Why UCF Will Win
Grind … this … down.
No, the offense isn’t working because the passing game has gone bye-bye and the ground attack isn’t able to make up for it. However, there’s a way to pull this off.
Memphis can score quickly, but what it can’t do is keep its offense on the field.
It goes against the Gus Malzahn style and how UCF normally rolls, but ball control and long, sustained drives – if possible – are a must against a team that’s dead last in the nation in time of possession.
Memphis doesn’t force a ton of takeaways, it turns the ball over enough to matter, and it has the ball for about 25 minutes per game. UCF can’t let this game get bad early – it can’t come back. But if it can stay alive through the second half …
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What’s Going To Happen
18-to-23-year-old college kids don’t really get into the whole expansion thing, especially since that mostly effects things a few years down the road.
This could be one of those exceptions.
Memphis knows what a New Year’s Six game look like. It’s been in the American Athletic Conference title mix, and now it got passed over by the Big 12 for Houston, Cincinnati, and … UCF.
But the Bounce House is about to come through.
UCF is 0-3 on the road and 3-0 at home. Granted, two of those wins were with Dillon Gabriel – and one was against Bethune-Cookman – but it was able to get all ugly against East Carolina in a 20-16 win a few weeks ago, and that’s what it’s about to do.
Memphis will come in with an attitude, but that will start to wear off into the second half. It managed to lose to inferior Temple and Tulsa teams on the road by being a -5 in turnover margin, and this will be when the inability to take the ball away – without one in the last three games and no picks since the opener – will be a problem.
Memphis vs UCF Prediction, Line
UCF 26, Memphis 24
Line: Memphis -2.5, o/u: 64
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1
Must See Rating: 3
5: Succession
1: Dancing with the Stars: Grease Night
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