The UCF Knights continue their October woes as the Cincinnati Bearcats hold serve at home for a 20-11 win. It’s time for some Knee-Jerk Reactions.
Offensive Fundamentals Are Still a Problem
UCF’s offense’s biggest enemy had been itself against Kansas State and Kansas. The Knights suffered from unforced errors such as false starts and blatant enough holding to be caught. Today was no different. An ineligible man downfield penalty on Dylan Wade killed a 35-yard gain that would have put UCF in the red zone. This was due to the formation where Wade was not properly covered by a wide receiver. As a result, Wade became ineligible, and he ran his route. This is a totally unforced error. The Knights also committed multiple false start penalties, and center Carter Miller had several bad snaps. UCF still managed to outgain Cincinnati 413 to 306 in total offense.
Head coach Scott Frost has said time and time again that these issues need to be worked on, but these issues continue to plague the team. UCF might have two more wins if these unforced errors were reined in.
Cam Fancher started the game at quarterback and had to carry the team. Like Tayven Jackson, he relied on short passes, but he didn’t force it. He also tucked the ball and ran…a lot. Could he have waited and made some more passes? Yes. Did he miss seeing some wide open players downfield for a potential big play? Yes. However, Cincinnati’s defense had good coverage, and rushing only three gave Fancher plenty of room to run. Fancher also chose to dive forward rather than slide. This runs the risk of taking a big hit, but adds yards to the run since the runner is called down at the spot he starts the slide versus where he hits the ground on a dive.
Running back Myles Montgomery was not able to get rolling, and Jalen Nixon was a non-factor. Montgomery was close to breaking for a big run multiple times, but between good tackling and even better snap anticipation by the defense, it didn’t happen. Frost and Co. did try having both running backs on the field at the same time. If the offensive line could run block, this might have been effective. Their ineffectiveness got to the point where Cincinnati was rushing three defensive linemen and still breaking through.
The First Quarter Defensive Streak Ends
UCF’s defense did not give up any points in the first quarter during the first five games. That streak finally ended in game six. A broken coverage allowed Cincinnati quarterback Brendon Sorsby to react to the blitz and chuck the ball in the air for Jeff Caldwell to catch in stride for a 40-yard touchdown catch. Outside of that one play, the defense continued to look really good in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, the defense has to play in the second quarter. The Bearcats were able to start moving the ball more, and Caldwell added another receiving touchdown. All things considered, the defense had a good game. They forced Cincinnati into four three-and-out drives, and the Bearcats scored only three points in the second half. Quarterback Brendon Sorsby was largely held in check, throwing for under 200 yards, and no running back broke 50 yards on the day. They gave up two drives of 60 yards or longer, and that yielded only ten points. The defense did its job.
What Now?
Frost made sure everyone knew this was a rebuilding season the moment he came back to campus. Coming into the season, the game at Cincinnati appeared to be a winnable opportunity. The Bearcats struggled in their first two seasons in the Big 12. The Bearcats proved they are for real with a 5-1 record. That does not mean the Knights’ season is over. Next week, for homecoming, UCF hosts West Virginia, a school that always seems to have the Knights’ number, but has their own flaws that the Knights could exploit. Six wins and a bowl is not out of the realm of possibility, but UCF’s going to have to upset someone.
Uniform Review
As part of the 2025 revamp, UCF Athletics has finally embraced the bright gold color scheme that the rest of the school had previously been using. Before 2025, athletics used metallic gold as their complementary color to black. Technically, “UCF Metallic Gold” is a secondary color. In years past, this also included silver, but the school has since dropped silver as a secondary color. “UCF Bright Gold” is a primary color, per the school. UCF athletics is working on incorporating this shade of bright gold into their uniforms, but metallic gold remains very prevalent in other areas of athletics, such as the logo. I imagine that will change over time.
Today, UCF officially unveiled new bright gold pants as part of its uniform inventory. Those gold pants paired well with white jerseys and white helmets featuring the standard block UCF logo. I’ve always liked gold pants, as UCF used them regularly during their early days of FBS when the Knights wore uniforms made by Russell Athletics. It will take some time getting used to the bright gold versus the metallic gold. UCF last used bright gold when the Knights were in FCS(I-AA).
Stat Leaders:
Passing:
UCF: Cam Fancher: 28/49 for 222 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Cincinnati: Brendon Sorsby: 12/21 for 191 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
Rushing:
UCF: Cam Fancher: 20 carries for 108 yards, 1 TD
Cincinnati: Evan Pryor: 11 carries for 48 yards, 0 TD
Receiving:
UCF: Dylan Wade: 5 catches for 55 yards, 0 TD
Cincinnati: Jeff Caldwell: 3 catches for 55 yards, 2 TD
Game Notes:
- Cincinnati leads the series 6-5.
- UCF has not won a game in October since 2022, marking a nine-game losing streak.
- This was Cam Fancher’s fourth career 100-yard rushing game and first since 2023.
- Sorry, it’s not my best, but a bowl of four-way Cincinnati chili went right through me.
