The UCF Knights (8-1) are coming off of a thrilling victory at Temple, but with a short week, the time they had to relish in the victory was limited.
The Knights take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-4) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium with the game televised nationally on ESPN.
The Knights have won five games this season by seven points or fewer, including the past two games against Temple and Houston. The Scarlet Knights have been reeling, after starting the season 4-1 they dropped three out of their last four, including getting blown out at home against Houston and Cincinnati. The No. 17 Knights have been very fortunate in the past two games. If it wasn’t for Houston’s John O’Korn throwing the ball a little bit high, or J.J. Worton not making one of the most spectacular catches of all time, the Knights could easily be riding a two game losing streak.
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However, the Knights are still sitting atop the American conference and control their own destiny as they hope to secure that coveted BCS bid. The Knights cannot rely on fourth quarter heroics again in this game, and the key to victory is coming out to a strong start.
If the Scarlet Knights want to have any chance containing the Knights offense, they are going to need to fix their problems in the secondary. Ruhann Peele, a converted wide receiver, will start at one corner position and a true freshman will most likely start at the other corner position. The Rutgers’ defense allowed a school-record 507 passing yards against Cincinnati, so the Knights will definitely have opportunities to put points on the board. The Rutgers’ defense has also allowed at least 100 rushing yards in five out of their past six games, so look for the talented Storm Johnson and William Stanback to take advantage of that.
The Scarlet Knights offense is bringing back running back Paul James, who has been out for the past four games. Rutgers loves to stretch the clock out by establishing a run game early, just like they did in the first quarter when they played Louisville. If Rutgers wants a chance against UCF in this one, they are going to want to keep UCF’s offense off the field as much as possible. Look for the Scarlet Knights to open the game with the ground attack.
Overall, the Knights should have no problem beating this team, but the way they’ve had back-t0-back nerve-racking games the team should be focused on earning that BCS-bid.
Prediction: UCF 35, Rutgers 17
