After two consecutive disappointing losses against Conference-USA foes, the UCF football team regained some confidence with a 41-0 rout over Memphis last Saturday to stay alive in the C-USA East Division race.
The Homecoming victory put the Knights at 2-2 in the league, trailing Southern Miss and East Carolina in the East, and kept their title hopes alive as UCF plays both those teams in the upcoming weeks.
In the midst of a tight division race, UCF is also dealing with the high publicity that has come its way from the breaking news that the Big East is inviting the program to join its conference.
With four games remaining in the season, the Knights (4-4, 2-2 C-USA) need to keep their focus on working hard and preparing for each game as they must win out if they want to represent the East Division in the C-USA championship game.
The Knights start that march tonight with a matchup against rival Tulsa (5-3, 4-0 C-USA) in a Thursday night game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
UCF hasn’t faced Tulsa since 2008, when the Knights got clobbered 49-19 in Oklahoma.
UCF will need to be at its best against a tough Golden Hurricane team, who is undefeated in league play and can knock the Knights out of the conference race.
The Knights have their work cut out for them, but they will have the comfort of their home field as both squads play each other on short rest coming into tonight’s game.
Scouting Report: Tulsa
The Golden Hurricanes are on a hot streak currently, overcoming some tough early season opponents to win their last four contests in a row. Their last loss came over a month ago on Sept. 24 against No. 5 Boise State.
Since then, Tulsa has beaten their last four opponents by an average margin of 21 points, including last week’s 38-7 blowout over SMU.
Tulsa hasn’t lost a conference game yet and is beating C-USA foes by a 24-point average.
Last week, the Golden Hurricanes routed Southern Methodist, who drilled the Knights 38-17 just two weeks prior, to stay on pace with Houston in the West Division race.
Runningback Alex Singleton paced Tulsa with three touchdown scores as a potent Golden Hurricane offense posted 451 total yards and 25 first downs in the game.
Senior quarterback G.J. Kinne threw for 274 yards and a touchdown in the win as well.
However, it was the Tulsa defense that really came up big in the contest, limiting the Mustangs to just 85 rushing yards and two-of-13 on third down conversions. The Tulsa defense forced five turnovers, including intercepting SMU QB J.J. McDermott four times in the game.
Overall, it was a great performance by the Golden Hurricanes, who haven’t had trouble generating offense this season.
Tulsa’s 31.6 points per game is third in the conference, while its 435 yards per game is also third in the conference. They are also second in C-USA in rushing yards per game with 183, and have thrown for the second most passing touchdowns with 19 this season.
Tulsa has fared extremely well in conference play, averaging 36 points per game against league foes, compared to 27 against non-conference opponents.
The Golden Hurricanes have a strong rushing attack and can utilize three backs similar to UCF’s rushing situation. Ja’Terian Douglas, Trey Watts and Singleton can all run the ball, combining for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
The Knights secondary will also have to be on point as Willie Carter is a tough matchup. He is second in C-USA with 702 receiving yards, to go along with five touchdown catches.
Tulsa will attempt to beat the Knights with their offense firepower, so the UCF defense will have to do what it does best for them to win.
Scouting Report: UCF
The Knights got back on track with a 41-0 pounding over Memphis last Saturday in their annual Homecoming game.
Both the UCF offense and defense broke out of slumps to post an all-around spectacular performance.
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey ended any rumblings of losing his starting spot with an all-purpose game. The Miami-native produced 2oo yards on 14-of-17 passing with a touchdown, as well as rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown score.
The Knights had four different players with rushing touchdowns, including Brynn Harvey, Ronnie Weaver and Quincy McDuffie.
The offense put up the type of big plays that head coach George O’Leary has been stressing for the past couple of weeks. If the Knights can continue to make big plays on both sides of the ball, that will be the key for them winning this contest.
The UCF offense amassed 505 yards, including 261 yards on the ground, as well as 28 first downs and zero turnovers.
After struggling to put up points in the past couple of weeks, the UCF offense had a breakthrough against the Tigers as the Knights continued their excellent home play, where they are a perfect 4-0 this season.
The Knights defense, which has given up an uncharacteristic 64 points in the last two games, blanked Memphis for the team’s second shutout of the year.
The UCF defense was stingy, allowing only 134 yards and six first downs, including only 33 yards on the ground and limiting the Tigers to two-of-13 on third down plays.
The Knights still haven’t allowed a touchdown at home this season and will look to continue that trend Thursday night at Bright House Networks Stadium.
UCF looked like the defense that is in the top of the nation in most defensive categories.
The Knights limit opponents to 14.3 points per game, which is fifth in the nation. They also limit opponents to 245 total yards (3rd in the nation), 85 rushing yards (5th), 161 passing yards (5th) and their four passing touchdowns is tied for the least allowed in the nation.
UCF will need its defense to continue that dominance against a strong Tulsa offense. If the Knights secondary can contain Willie Carter, they will be in good shape. The secondary will also have to pay a lot of attention at preventing Kinne, who has thrown for 16 TD’s this season, from going off.
The rush defense will also need to be solid against Tulsa’s three-headed rushing monster.
The Knights offense will need to get in a flow early in the game. If Godfrey can control the game early, he will have a good shot of riding that momentum throughout the game. If Godfrey repeats his performance from last week, he will put the Knights in good shape with his dual-threat abilities.
The Golden Hurricane feature the nation’s fifth-leading tackler on defense in linebacker Curnelius Arnick, so the offensive line will have to protect Godfrey.
Either way, it will start with the UCF defense. If they can set the tempo early on, the Knights will have a great shot at winning. The Knights posted three sacks against Memphis- if they can build off that momentum and sack Kinne, it will prevent him from making big plays.
Final Thoughts
– UCF is 2-2 all-time against Tulsa, with their last win coming in the 2007 Conference-USA championship game.
– The Knights have faced Tulsa twice in the C-USA title game, with the Golden Hurricanes winning in 2005 and UCF winning in 2007.
– The Tulsa secondary boasts a league high 13 interceptions.
– The Knights are outscoring opponents 149-9 at home, so facing Tulsa at home is a huge advantage for the team.
– Three out Tulsa’s first four games were against top 10 nationally ranked schools, including Boise State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
– Look out for red-shirt freshman Torrian Wilson on defense, who replaced Chris Martin against Memphis. Also, look for Troy Davis, who finally recorded his first sack of the season last week. He could be headed for a breakout.
– On offense, look for a heavy rush attack as the Knights will look to avoid Tulsa’s aggressive secondary. Harvey could be poised for a big game, and Godfrey is always a threat with his legs.
– The main key to the game is making big plays. If the Knights make big plays, they will be golden.
Prediction: UCF continues its dominance at home with a strong defensive performance and stays in the conference race with a 24-13 win.
