UCF Knights College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
UCF Knights Biggest Key: Offense
Nitpicking time – get more out of the running game. The veteran offensive line needs to be a bit stronger in pass protection and should do more for a new group of running backs that can fly.
The passing attack got most of the spotlight over the last few seasons, but the rushing attack averaged more than five yards per pop from 2017 to 2019. Last year’s ground game had some terrific running backs, and there was plenty of production, but the ground game averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
UCF failed to run for 200 yards five times. It struggled to get going in the win over Temple, and the other four sub-200 outings were the four losses.
UCF ran for 275 yards in the blowout loss to Michigan early in 2016. It lost 14 games since then and failed to run for 200 yards in all of them.
UCF Knights Biggest Key: Defense
The secondary has to tighten up. Everyone will bomb away on UCF to try keeping up, but there’s a difference between getting into back-and-forth fight and getting hammered in the big games.
The 2019 UCF pass defense allowed more than 300 yards once, giving up fewer than six yards per pass and 17 touchdowns. The 2018 D survived and kept rolling despite allowing more than 300 three times – and 400 in two of those.
The 2017 pass defense was torched, but it came up with 20 picks in the unbeaten season – it allowed 7.4 yards per pass and 24 scores.
Last year?
UCF allowed 8.5 yards per throw with 26 touchdowns and just nine picks. Worse yet, it got ripped apart for close to 1,200 yards over the last three games of last season and gave up over 400 yards three times.
UCF Knights Key Player To A Successful Season
RB Johnny Richardson, Soph.
Take your pick of several defensive players who need to step up to make this a big first year under Gus Malzahn, but the running game has to do more, and it has to do it without Greg McCrae, Bentavious Thompson and Otis Anderson around.
Thompson averaged six yards per carry over his three seasons with 604 yards and eight scores as a sophomore and 382 yards and five touchdowns last year. Several options are there, but if Richardson – or anyone – can handle the ground game, the O will be unstoppable.
UCF Knights Key Game To The 2021 Season
at Cincinnati, Oct. 16
Of course the opener against Boise State is a tone-setter for the Gus Malzahn era, and going to Louisville will be a moment for the national spotlight, but beating Cincinnati on the road would be the bigger than those other two test games combined.
It might be the first of two meetings no matter what – these two might go at it in the American Athletic Conference Championship – but this is the measuring-stick moment for both. If they’re as good as they’re expected to be, it’ll be one of the biggest games of the college football season.
– UCF Knights Schedule Analysis
2020 UCF Knights Fun Stats
– Penalties: UCF 92 for 748 yards – 70 for 599 yards
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:29 – UCF 27:30
– 2nd Half Scoring: Opponents 193 – UCF 178