3 things to watch: UCF makes long trip to Boise State, seeks rare win on 'smurf turf'

ORLANDO — Set to travel as much as any team in college football over the next three months, UCF will knock out its longest trip of the year, and only nonconference away date, Saturday night.

The Knights (1-0) visit Boise State (0-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff to complete the second half of a home-and-home contract signed back in 2019. Billed at the time as a de facto Group of Five Super Bowl, UCF won the Orlando leg two Septembers ago, rallying from a 21-0 first-half deficit to defeat the Broncos 36-31 in Gus Malzahn's debut game in charge.

Saturday's game will air on FS1.

Now a Power Five school in its first year as member of the Big 12, UCF rolled past Kent State 56-6 last Thursday behind John Rhys Plumlee's four touchdowns. Boise State, meanwhile, surrendered its highest regulation point total since 1998 in a 56-19 defeat at No. 10 Washington.

Last time out: John Rhys Plumlee accounts for 4 touchdowns, UCF hammers Kent State 56-6

However, the Broncos have notched 25 consecutive winning seasons through four coaching changes and are one of the most dominant home teams in college football with a 128-14 record (.901 winning percentage) at Albertson's Stadium this century.

"We're playing a team that has a lot of pride. They're very well coached and used to winning," Malzahn said in a press conference Monday. "They had a tough loss, and I know their backs are against the wall. They're going to give it their best; we know that. We have to play good football."

In addition to a rollicking atmosphere and a capacity attendance topping 36,000 seats, Boise State provides another set of unique challenges. The campus sits roughly 2,700 miles (more than a half-mile) above sea level, and its famed, blue "smurf turf" can be disorienting at the outset.

Malzahn mentioned this week the Knights planned to hold a practice at The Master's Academy since the Oviedo private school features a similarly blue, artificial surface. However, that did not come to fruition.

Here are three things to watch during Saturday's prime-time matchup.

John Rhys Plumlee protecting himself, the football

Plumlee hurdled a Kent State defender on the Knights' opening drive of the season, an athletic feat that was simultaneously impressive and irresponsible. Two possessions later, he escaped pressure on what appeared to be a delayed handoff and sprinted 32 yards before absorbing contact in the midsection.

And that's where Malzahn reached a breaking point.

"I came about that close to going out there and tackling him," Malzahn said. "We're going to get to where he slides."

While Malzahn made light of the situation, offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw was more matter-of-fact the following day after watching the tape.

"He got hit too much running the ball," Hinshaw said. "John Rhys is electric running the football, and he is going to run the football. … He ran out of bounds and took care of his body a couple of times, and there's a couple times where he didn't.

"He does special things, but he's got to take care of his body."

During his first season at UCF, Plumlee suffered three injuries — a concussion against Cincinnati, shoulder soreness in the first half versus Navy and a hamstring pull on a touchdown run at South Florida. He missed only one full game against Memphis, but was obviously hobbled in the American Athletic Conference championship game, a 45-28 loss to Tulane.

Not only was concern expressed about Plumlee protecting his body but also taking care of the football. Though the Knights gained 723 yards and scored 56 points, they ended the night with a minus-2 turnover differential.

Plumlee said he got "greedy" on a pair of attempts for the end zone, but missed short as opposed to high and long where only his receiver could get hands on the ball.

"Did some good, did some bad. Got to clean up turnovers. That's the thing that sticks out to me," Plumlee said. "(Malzahn) told me once, 'You're never as good as you thought you were on film, and you're never as bad as you thought you were on film.' We'll learn from it."

Against rebuilding Kent State, ranked 126th by CBS Sports out of the Football Bowl Subdivision's 133 programs, mistakes were not punished. Boise State likely won't be so forgiving, if granted opportunities.

Xavier Townsend emerging as reliable slot receiving weapon

UCF returned its leader in receiving yards (Javon Baker) and touchdown catches (Kobe Hudson), but sophomore Xavier Townsend generated buzz throughout fall camp as a potential breakout candidate. Sure enough, the Tampa native posted team-highs with six targets, five receptions, 81 yards and the season's first touchdown.

A converted running back, Townsend demonstrated elusiveness in the open field when he slipped the grasp of Jalani Williams short of the sticks and walked in for a 9-yard score to cap UCF's debut drive. He also flashed ability to track balls downfield in traffic, hauling in a 32-yard catch between two Golden Flashes.

Townsend gained 28 yards on his lone carry of the evening, taking a sweep around the left end and racing into the red zone. One play later, Alec Holler punctuated a swift eight-play, 94-yard drive with a wide-open 18-yard TD catch.

"(His role) is just going to continue to increase," Hinshaw said. "He's worked so hard. All spring, all summer, all fall, he's worked so hard, and you can see it in the game."

UCF has lots of mouths to feed offensively, not only among the receivers but so too in the rushing game. Johnny Richardson received his most touches in 11 games and eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards, and RJ Harvey scored a pair of long touchdowns in the second half. Jordan McDonald, described by Malzahn as a "load," has become the preferred short-yardage Wildcat option, and both Demarkcus Bowman and Mark-Antony Richards maximized their carries with touchdowns on the ground.

George Holani battled through injury, leads Boise rushing attack

Boise State, like UCF, features a wealth of options in the backfield and a dangerously mobile quarterback. Taylen Green, the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year, set a program record for the longest run from scrimmage (91 yards) against Utah State last year.

But when Washington found its groove in the second quarter, the Broncos deviated from their balanced approach. The Broncos called just 13 running plays before halftime.

"We were trying to be aggressive, call the game aggressive," Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan told reporters earlier this week. "And I hurt us, I think, by taking some shots early in those drives and not building some momentum."

Leading rusher George Holani shook off an early lower-body injury to carry the ball 10 times for 51 yards (32 after contact). Ashton Jeanty also logged 10 carries for 44 yards and added four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Boise State averaged nearly 200 yards per game on the ground during the 2022 season, so it's reasonable to expect it will try to establish the run early and often Saturday.

That could play into UCF's strength, its defensive line. Lee Hunter led the Knights with eight tackles in the opener, Ricky Barber had one of the team's three sacks and Josh Celiscar produced the second-best run defending grade among edge rushers in college football last week, per PFF's metrics.

"Our defense, it starts up front. We're going to go as they go," UCF defensive coordinator Addison Williams said. "First and foremost, we dominated the line of scrimmage (against Kent State), stopping the run. I tell those guys all the time they have to earn the right to rush the passer. And I think they did a good job of stuffing those run gaps, and it gave them the ability on third down to get after the quarterback a little bit."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: John Rhys Plumlee, Boise State QB Taylen Green to collide