The UCF Knights finish their non-conference schedule 3-0 with a decisive 34-9 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. In terms UNC head coach Bill Belichick would understand, “Central beat North”. It’s time for some Knee-Jerk Reactions.
UCF Closes the Door on Non-Conference
It wasn’t pretty at times, but the UCF Knights got the job done, going 3-0 in their non-conference schedule. The Knights battled Mother Nature in games one and two, which were marred by over three hours of lightning delays. Today, the weather was perfect, and the Knights played a complete game.
The offense has its issues, but head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper adjusted the offensive scheme to avoid areas where the offense is deficient. The defense still has too many unforced errors, but was aggressive without overpursuing. More about these below.
UCF can now focus squarely on the Big 12 conference slate. First up will be against Kansas State, UCF’s first road game of the season.
Tayven Jackson is Finding His Niche
UCF’s offense is far from perfect, and three wins over flawed teams have helped show where the Knights are doing well and where they are deficient. One big difference between Scott Frost 2.0 and 1.0 is the dynamic style of coaching. The offense sped up at times and also played slow, which is something fans did not see much of during his initial tenure.
Tayven Jackson has done all he can to prove he should be the starter from now on. Jackson was able to take what the defense gave him and exploit his skill set. North Carolina did not want to allow anything deep, which is Jackson’s weakest part of his game. For Jackson, this was perfect as he was able to pick apart the short and medium range surgically. Jackson finished 25/32 for 223 and a touchdown in the air.
He also used his legs…a lot. Jackson was credited with ten carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. Both of Jackson’s touchdowns were on fakes that heavily fooled the defence. In the air, he was able to help Kylan Fox get wide open for an easy pitch-and-catch, and on the ground, his misdirection led to a 13-yard touchdown run. Jackson is finding what works for him and continues to try to see wrinkles in his game to keep defenses guessing. At this point, Frost would be hard-pressed to keep Jackson from continuing his starting role.
The running backs struggled, but Frost and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper were able to find other ways to gain yards on the ground. This includes expanding the usage of running quarterback Jacurri Brown. Brown had four carries for 31 yards, including a 14-yard conversion on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
This was not the biggest output for the Knights, but they were efficient. They slipped up a bit in the red zone and had to settle for field goals, but were able to add points on the board. As long as they score, that’s all you can ask for.
Open Field Tackling Saved the Defense
UCF’s defense is as advertised. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s squad is very different than the defenses we all saw during the Gus Malzahn regime. When asked, defensive end Nyjalik Kelly mentioned that while the defense has a lot of new faces, the attitude is much better.
Linebacker Lewis Carter set the pace for the defense with 10 total tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit. While the defense had two sacks and only two tackles for loss, they registered two interceptions. Both picks were off tipped balls, including Kelly getting his first career interception.
One thing the statsheet does not mention, and is very indicative of the new defense, is the improvement in open field tackling. On multiple occasions, a long defensive back was one-on-one with a receiver or running back. Instead of trying to do the “hit stick” shoulder hit, they stayed with the fundamentals and used their arms to wrap and take the Tar Heel runner’s legs out. Many yards were preserved as a result of the massive improvement in technique and mental awareness.
Uniform Review
UCF went with their gold helmet with inverted white block UCF, black tops, and white pants. I’ve never been a big fan of the three-color uniform combo. It’s busy. Gold pants would be a better fit. Gold/Black/Gold is a very traditional color combo for the Knights. I also like North Carolina’s combo of Blue/White/White. Carolina blue is a great color. The combo does make UCF’s use of white pants look that much more out of place.
Stat Leaders:
Passing:
UCF: Tayven Jackson: 25/32 for 223 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
UNC: Gio Lopez: 11/14 for 87 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int
Rushing:
UCF: Tayven Jackson: 10 carries for 66 yards, 1 TD
UNC: Demon June: 10 carries for 50 yards, 0 TD
Receiving:
UCF: Dylan Wade: 5 catches for 47 yards, 0 TD
UNC: Shanard Clower: 4 catches for 34 yards, 0 TD
Game Notes:
- UCF leads the series 1-0.
- UCF has begun the season 3-0 for the third straight season.
- This is Scott Frost’s 16th straight win at UCF.
- Sorry, it’s not my best, but I didn’t know who “Central” was.
