Grading UCF’s performance at season’s halfway point
Gus Malzahn stared at the boxscore for a few quiet moments and shook his head.
Minutes after UCF suffered its third straight loss, a 51-22 road rout at Kansas, the third-year coach was still trying to understand what had just happened. The Knights were dominated on both sides of the football, giving up nearly 400 rushing yards to the Jayhawks.
The bye week couldn’t have arrived at a better time for Malzahn.
“I’m going to evaluate everything — all three phases,” he said. “We’ll get a plan together to be better in all three phases.”
At the midway point of the season, UCF (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) faces a harsh reality in its first season in a Power Five conference. There is little room for error when facing programs such as Kansas State, Baylor and Kansas.
While the Knights have done some good things through the first six games, there are plenty of areas to improve. Here is a position-by-position grade through the first half of the season:
QUARTERBACK
John Rhys Plumlee‘s health must be a significant concern for the Knights. The 5th-year senior missed three games (Villanova, Kansas State and Baylor) while rehabbing a knee injury he suffered against Boise State on Sept. 9. Timmy McClain has played well in Plumlee’s absence, completing 64% of his passes for 1,008 yards with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Still, he has struggled at times when under pressure. GRADE: B-
UCF releases additional details of Gus Malzahn’s contract extension
RUNNING BACKS
UCF leads the Big 12 in rushing offense (246.33 yards) through the first six games and is off to its best season since averaging 265 yards per game in 2018. RJ Harvey and Johnny Richardson have taken most of the team’s carries (57%) while amassing 952 yards and 7 touchdowns. But what was supposed to be one of the deepest groups hasn’t materialized, with Jordan McCloud, Demarckus Bowman and Mark-Antony Richards not having haven’t carried the ball since the Villanova win on Sept. 16. GRADE: B
RECEIVERS
Javon Baker (37 targets), Kobe Hudson (30) and Xavier Townsend (25) are once again among the top options in the passing game. Hudson (473 yards) and Baker (417 yards) are among the top receivers in the Big 12 through the first half while Townsend’s versatility to play slot and wideout as well as in the run game has him third on the team in all-purpose yards (454). The rest of the unit features Jaylon Griffin (4 catches, 58 yards) and Chauncey Magwood (4 catches, 40 yards) with transfer Trent Whittemore (Florida) used sparingly and Corey Gammage (Marshall) yet to see the field. GRADE: B-
TIGHT ENDS
Alec Holler remains a key part of UCF’s offensive success with the 5th-year senior providing valuable leadership. Freshman Randy Pittman has been a pleasant surprise in the first half, ranked fourth on the team in catches (10) and fifth in receiving yards (122). His versatility to line up at wideout, slot and on the offensive line has made him a valuable resource. Zach Marsh Wojan also has excelled in his pass protection and blocking. GRADE: A
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is a unit that coaches believed would be the deepest and most talented. So far, that depth has paid off. Injuries have forced the Knights to use eight players in the starting lineup. Tylan Grable (390 snaps), Lokahi Pauole (390) and transfer Marcellus Marshall (396) have anchored the unit while Bula Schmidt (236), Amari Kight (253), Adrian Medley (32) and Ed Collins (41) have rotated in spots. The center spot has been up for grabs with Drake Metcalf (177), Caden Kitler (152) and Schmidt all seeing time in the middle. There has been concern as the team moved into conference play, where the unit has allowed 9 of its 13 sacks against bigger and stronger fronts. GRADE: B-
UCF plummets in latest Big 12 power rankings
DEFENSIVE FRONT
Over the past few weeks, the defensive front has been another group hampered by injury. Tackle Ricky Barber has been in and out of the lineup, taking part in just 25 snaps against Kansas State and Baylor the last three weeks. That’s pushed Matthew Alexander into more playing time. Edge rusher Tre’mon Morris-Brash came into this weekend leading the Big 12 in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (5) while Josh Celiscar leads defensive ends in tackles (36). Freshman John Walker has been a standout (3.5 TFLs), as has Malachi Lawrence (4 sacks). The defense struggled to stop the run and ranks last in the Big 12 in rush defense. That means better penetration and being more disruptive up front to slow teams down is a necessary improvement. GRADE: C
LINEBACKERS
Jason Johnson is again on track to lead the team in tackles. The redshirt senior has a team-high 52 through six games — 16 ahead of Celiscar — and could wind up leading the conference as he sits in second place behind Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman. Walter Yates III is fourth on the team with 25 but missed the game against Kansas with an injury. Transfer Rian Davis has stepped up in Yates’ absence, registering 4 tackles vs. the Jayhawks, and sophomore Kam Moore has also been a pleasant surprise for the unit. GRADE: C
DEFENSIVE BACKS
A bright spot for the defense has been the Knights leading the conference in passing defense. Cornerbacks Brandon Adams and Corey Thornton, safeties Quadric Bullard, Nikai Martinez and nickel DeJordan Mask have been the core group in the secondary. Ja’Cari Henderson and Demari Henderson have emerged as part of a rotation, as have transfers Jireh Wilson and Decorian Patterson. GRADE: B
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Colton Boomer should get the team’s MVP award based on his first-half performance. The sophomore connected on 7 of 10 kicks, including a 40-yard game-winner against Boise State. Two of his three misses were on kicks of 50-plus, including a 59-yarder at the end of the Baylor game. Punter Mitch McCarthy is averaging 40.9 yards per punt this season. Townsend and Richardson are averaging more than 26 yards per return. GRADE: A
Despite getting run over by Kansas, UCF was $90 million winner this week | Commentary
OVERALL
Things won’t get easier for UCF in the second half of the season. The Knights face six teams with a combined 21-13 record entering this weekend of play, and only Cincinnati (2-4) has a losing record at this point.
A trip to Oklahoma to take on the No. 6 Sooners (6-0) on Saturday starts things off. To make matters even more interesting, UCF faces off against former Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who is sixth in the nation in passing yards (1,878) and third in passing touchdowns (16).
A loss to OU would be the fourth straight, which hasn’t happened to a UCF team since 2015. It would also mean the Knights would have lost four of the last five games away from Orlando.
It would also mean the team would need to win three of its remaining five games to qualify for a postseason bowl.
“We will rebound and be better in the second half,” Malzahn said.
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
