UCF Fan’s Perspective - Week 2

GT65_UGA89

We’re a Coca-Cola school
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I remember that time in the Liberty Bowl when the University of CaliFornia beat the dawgs.
 

GTFLETCH

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I just wanted to start out by saying that I was pleasantly surprised with the way GT played yesterday. From an outsiders’ perspective, Sims looked like the real deal and you have an impressive stable of RB’s. I also liked how aggressive the defense was, especially towards the end of the game. From year 1 to year 2 of the Collins’ era there has already been a noticeable jump in talent and overall athleticism. Your fanbase should be very excited for what lies ahead.

As far as our game on Saturday, there’s definitely some more energy with you guys coming off of a big win against FSU on the road. It will be interesting to see the difference between a team that has a game under their belt, and one that is a week behind. I certainly expect some rust on our end in the 1st quarter especially.

I’ll provide a quick rundown of our team (with position grades) to give some insight into UCF in 2020:

QB (A) - Dillon Gabriel is coming off of a stellar Freshman campaign. Our fans are excited to see his progression heading into year 2. Throws a beautiful deep ball, and has decent mobility. Gabriel found himself in trouble a handful of times on the road when faced with a solid pass rush. It will be interesting to see if he’s improved on the road.

RB (A) - Fantastic depth, and position balanced with speed and power. Primary RB’s are Greg McCrae, Otis Anderson, and Bentavious Thompson. All 3 guys would start on at least half of D1 teams in the country. Greg McCrae will receive a majority of carries, and is primarily known for excellent vision and above average speed.

WR (B-) - Our fans have been raving over this position group, but I am not as high on them as most are. The main targets on the outside are Marlon Williams and Tre Nixon. Tre Nixon is our primary deep threat - running sub 4.4. With that being said, he's an underwhelming route runner and mostly one dimensional. Marlon Williams is a big bodied WR who is great at creating extra yardage after the catch. He's not a burner like Tre Nixon, but he's fast enough to run by people. The biggest question mark will be who gets the nod to start in the slot. We did acquire Oklahoma transfer Jaylon Robinson, who is supposedly an excellent route runner and sub 4.5 speed. I haven't seen him play personally.

TE (C) - Our starter should be Jake Hescock, who is mostly utilized for blocking. The offense isn't really tailored to use TE's.

Offensive Line (B) - We return 3 out of 5 starters from last year. Our interior linemen should be very solid. The biggest question mark will be Right Tackle, which we backfilled with Tennessee Graduate Transfer Marcus Tatum. As a fanbase we are not overly concerned about our offensive line, but a new addition to one of our tackle positions leaves some uncertainty.

Defensive Line (C+) - Experienced group, but the interior line is our biggest concern. Pass rush has been inconsistent, and so has our rush defense. We've also had a few opt outs at this position, which has hurt our depth. This game will be a good test for our defensive front.

Linebackers (B-) - Our 1st team all conference selection LB Nate Evans graduated, but there is above average depth at the position and we are relatively fast sideline to sideline. This group has been exposed previously by teams that utilize TE's in the passing game.

Secondary (A) - Fantastic, experienced group. Opt out Tay Gowan (CB) hurt us a little at this position, but there are multiple NFL players at this position such as Richie Grant, Antwan Collier, and Aaron Robinson.

Special Teams (???) - We will breaking in a new kicker (Redshirt Freshman) and the punting game is pretty average. Really not sure what to expect at this time.

Overall, the expectation is that this will be a very good year for us. However, unprecedented circumstances and a better than anticipated opponent in Georgia Tech provides a great challenge for us to start the season.


Score Prediction: UCF 37 Georgia Tech 27

Let me know your thoughts and please ask any questions you might have about our team. I'd be happy to answer them. I look forward to visiting your beautiful campus this weekend.
Tulsa beating UCF yesterday shows just how poor GT is and how far they have to go....
 

JJacket

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Tulsa beating UCF yesterday shows just how poor GT is and how far they have to go....
Actually, it shows what competent referees can do. UCF came into our game like they knew holding wouldn't be called, and they were correct. Multiple times when plays were to the UCF sideline, UCF ran a fresh player in and the snap wasn't held up for GT to sub because the referees were in such a hurry to help UCF get a quick snap off. Multiple times two receivers were moving for UCF, without getting set, as the ball was snapped. Start calling those calls, we have a different game.
UCF had 18 penalties yesterday.
They are an undisciplined team that was allowed to play playground rules. My only complaint with our staff is we didn't follow suit and play the same game with the refs.
 

Wreck Em

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I know the usual mindset is that we want teams that beat us to do well to make us look better...
But UCF is quickly becoming second to Georgia in the most annoying fans list, and I'm just happy Tulsa lowered them down a peg.
 

1982Jacket

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18 penalties? Their coaching clearly sucks, right guys?
UCF is NOT well coached They are running in fumes from the Scott Frost era. It's like a Bill Lewis slow roll down there. I don't think any Power 5 program is looking to hire Josh Heupel right now.
 

JoeCakeEater

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What I saw from UCF was a grade A gimmick offense. Not surprising a team they play annually was better prepared than we were. CPJ used to feast on defenses that had never seen our 3-O. His record against the rotating cross-over ACC opponent was completely ridiculous if I remember.
 

ScionOfSouthland

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What I saw from UCF was a grade A gimmick offense. Not surprising a team they play annually was better prepared than we were. CPJ used to feast on defenses that had never seen our 3-O. His record against the rotating cross-over ACC opponent was completely ridiculous if I remember.
From what I remember the UCF offense is spread option on flash cards. Seems like their biggest chunk plays came when we were out of position or looking toward the sideline. Even with our first 3 turnovers we were competitive going into the 4th quarter. Then we had 2 or 3 more and the wheels fell off.
 

GTWannaBee

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Actually, it shows what competent referees can do. UCF came into our game like they knew holding wouldn't be called, and they were correct. Multiple times when plays were to the UCF sideline, UCF ran a fresh player in and the snap wasn't held up for GT to sub because the referees were in such a hurry to help UCF get a quick snap off. Multiple times two receivers were moving for UCF, without getting set, as the ball was snapped. Start calling those calls, we have a different game.
UCF had 18 penalties yesterday.
They are an undisciplined team that was allowed to play playground rules. My only complaint with our staff is we didn't follow suit and play the same game with the refs.
They had 19 penalties for 139 yards against ECU, 18 for 124 against Tulsa, but only 8 for 51 yards against Tech. I see an outlier...
 
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