“This one’s for all the marbles,” UCF linebacker Terrance Plummer tells insiders as the UCF Knights (AAC 1-0, 4-1) get ready to Charge On to battle with the Louisville Cardinals (AAC 2-0, 6-0) this Friday at 8:00PM (ET) on ESPN
“Every week we practice how we play. Louisville is at the top of our conference and we need to take them down.” says Plummer.
The Knights will have their work cut out for them on both sides of the ball as Louisville brings top notch units across the boards. For starters, their defense ranks No.1 in the nation in scoring, No.2 in total defense and No.1 in points against. UCF has their weapons, but they will need to be firing on all cylinders to put up points against the Cards.
UCF Quarterback Blake Bortles has completed nearly 65% of his passes for the Knights, Bortles has passed for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
UCF’s receiving core, championed by Breshad Perriman and Rannell Hall, has had a 100 yard receiver in all five games this season. Both Perriman and Hall eclipsed 100 yards against South Carolina.
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Junior running back Storm Johnson has rushed for 455 yards and seven touchdowns this season due to his ability to break tackles and sniff out daylight.
With Louisville’s defense allowing only 7.3 PPG and their offense averaging 41 PPG, it doesn’t take a expert to realize that UCF has very little room for error if they hope to claim a very strategic spot atop Louisville in the automatic qualifying AAC standings.
The stout Louisville’s defense is not the only thing the Knights will be worried about coming into Friday night’s game. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville’s star quarterback, is completing 71 percent of his passes and has thrown for 18 TD’s this season compared to just two lonely INT’s.
“We plan on making him move so the only chance he has is to run,” UCF LB Plummer says, “he’s a better passer than runner. In order to get him off his game, that’s what we need to do and its what we are going to do.”
While playing at home, Bridgewater is boasting a staggering 209.3 Passer Rating, which is about as perfect as any mortal quarterback can be.
Blake will need to be in full ‘Bortles Kombat’ mode, finishing moves included, to keep up with Bridgewater’s production.
With that said, UCF is 3-0 on the road, including an upset at Penn State. Sanctions or not, a win in Happy Valley is a win in Happy Valley. If you believe in the transitive property of football wins like any good underdog fan, Penn State beating No.18 Michigan gives some significance to the Knights win.
Critics of the Cardinals weak schedule agree that the Knights pose one of the only true threats to Louisville. While a threat they may be, vegas odds making the Cards just a 12 point favorite, the Knights will need to produce a near perfect game to take the driver seat in the AAC.
