The Knights let one slip away at home

BY ADAM EATON | Sons of UCF

“Heartbreaking”

That was the description UCF head coach Scott Frost provided when asked about the Knights’ inability to score a potential game-tying touchdown with three attempts from the 1-yard line late in the 4th quarter. While this sequence did not technically end the game, it certainly helped to cement the Knights’ 27-20 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks. 

So, what are some more words to describe the Knights’ performance? Let’s discuss.

Quicksand.

That would be the word to describe the Knights’ third-quarter offense against Kansas, when they ran 12 plays and gained a total of -1 yards. And no, you did not read that incorrectly, UCF’s third-quarter offensive output actually produced negative yards. 

Conversely, Kansas was able to get into a rhythm offensively during that same time frame and put 13 points on the board, grabbing a 27-20 lead that they would not relinquish. 

Changing.

Coming into the game against Kansas, the Knights had two QBs nursing a shoulder injury stemming from the game against Kansas St. When the injury report was released mid-week, Tayven Jackson was not listed, but Jacurri Brown was slated as questionable before being ruled out on gameday. However, with three minutes to go in the third quarter, Jackson was hit by Kansas LB Trey Lathan, resulting in a fumble recovered by the Jayhawks. After the play ended, Jackson was down on one knee in visible pain, again favoring his previously injured left shoulder. In the next series, Cam Fancher took over at QB, marking his first game action since he started week 1 against Jacksonville State before he too took a hit that knocked him out of action. 

As for this week, Scott Frost indicated during his Monday press availability that Jackson’s x-ray was negative, Brown might be back this week, and Fancher is healthy. In terms of who will play against Cincinnati, Frost stated it was TBD.

Pushover.

The Knights’ rushing attack came out on fire, racking up 162 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the first 30 minutes of play. Myles Montgomery led the way with 99 yards gained on the ground while averaging 9 yards a carry. However, coming out of halftime, Kansas clearly made a defensive adjustment and put pressure on the run game, rendering it basically useless. Montgomery had 12 second-half carries for 11 yards, with more than half of those carries (7) resulting in zero or negative rushing yards. Using Pro Football Focus data, the Knights’ primary offensive line group put up an average run block grade of 55.5 on the day, which qualifies as bad. Simply put, the Knights’ running game got pushed around in the second half, and it likely cost them the game. 

Resilient. 

While the offense was sputtering all over the field, the UCF defense actually did a respectable job of slowing the Kansas offense for most of the game. When you consider that Jalon Daniels put up 500 yards of total offense himself against Cincinnati the week prior, holding him to ‘only’ 260 yards and no touchdowns feels like a measure of accomplishment. And when you consider that Kansas scored the go-ahead touchdown after taking over at the three-yard line due to Tayven Jackson’s fumble, you can clearly see why the defensive unit is likely the strength of this Knights team through five games.

Immature. 

With a roster consisting of somewhere between 63 and 69 new players, many of whom are playing consistent reps at the P4 level for the first time in their careers, it was always assumed that this UCF team would experience some growing pains. On Saturday, those growing pains were evident as the Knights had three false start penalties on their final three drives, missed blocks on three plays from the one-yard line, and had receivers not on the same page as the QB. What’s more, even the coaching staff is enduring growing pains, with Scott Frost sharing after the game that he probably had more creative play calls that would have yielded a touchdown from the one-yard line. All in all, as this week showed, the Knights are still an immature team not quite ready for primetime. 

Up Next

The Knights (3-2, 0-2) travel to Cincinnati (4-1, 2-0) to take on their former AAC rival Bearcats, who are coming off a big win over Iowa State. Kickoff time is 12 pm EST, broadcast nationally on FS1. 

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