ORLANDO, Fla. – In what is quickly becoming the most disappointing season in recent history for UCF fans, the Knights (0-3) lost 16-15 to the Furman Paladins (1-2); their first loss to an FCS school since they moved up to the FBS in 1996.
“We’ve got to improve. You can’t be dropping the ball, you can’t be fumbling, you can’t be turning the ball over out there and that’s what the problem is right now,” reasoned Head Coach George O’Leary after the game.
UCF combined for four turnovers in the game, three interceptions and one fumble that all but sealed their fate. With both Bo Schneider and Tyler Harris taking their turns under center the offense sputtered to gain any real momentum. Neither player was able to score through the air, ending a streak of 16 consecutive games with a touchdown pass for the team.
Without offensive centerpieces Justin Holman, Dontravious Wilson, Joey Grant or Jordan Akins – who left the game with an injury on the opening kickoff – the Knights managed 269 yards on a whopping 72 offensive attempts. Furman gained 270 total yards with only 58 attempts.
Schneider started the game as promised by O’Leary early in the week, but Harris was given the reins for the whole second half after the named starter put up 63 yards and an interception with seven completions on 11 attempts.
“A couple of times he threw into coverage, he wasn’t reading and just throwing the ball.” O’Leary explained. “That is what I saw and why I made the change.”
Tyler Harris didn’t fare much better. Harris completed seven passes as well but had 17 attempts to do it, while only netting 35 yards and throwing two brutal interceptions.
Don’t expect a quarterback carousel next week in South Carolina. O’Leary will make a decision after reviewing game tape and carefully evaluating this week’s practice, and he hasn’t ruled out Holman making a quick return.
“Hopefully there is a chance Holman will be ready,” he said. “He gets his stitches out Tuesday so we will see where he is at.”
One of the lone sparks for the UCF offense was the success of the Wild Knight package run through recently converted wide receiver Nick Patti. A quarterback last year, Patti was the team’s leading rusher with 58 yards on 14 attempts and the Knights’ only touchdown.
“It was a big part of our game plan, you know it’s something we’ve worked all week, stressed all week,” Patti said. “It worked good for us.”
Even with the package’s early success and a 12-7 lead at halftime the momentum seemed to quickly shift in Furman’s favor.
“I think any time we got on a roll it seemed like something, we got a flat tire here or there,” said Patti about the shift. “We’ve got to do a better job of fixing those flat tires quicker and getting back rolling.”
In general the running game saw notable success. C.J. Jones averaged 7.3 yards per carry on his way to 51 rushing yards and Taj McGowan racked up 45 yards of his own; as a team the Knights notched 171 hard fought yards on the ground.
Though the offense as whole consistently ran into a wall, the UCF defense had mixed results. Against the running game the Knights stood tall with only 54 yards allowed on the ground and under two yards allowed per carry.
The young secondary wasn’t terrible by any means, but they did allow for some big chunks of yardage that kept the Furman momentum running.
“I thought they were just way too far off and had a poor cushion, not transitioning like they should,” O’Leary said. “Again it’s a matter of just getting them more reps. They’re new out there even though they were here last year; they’re still new and gotta continue to work on it.”
Fans may consider this among one of the most embarrassing losses in program history. The team won’t look at it that way.
“Every loss is embarrassing,” admitted redshirt sophomore Chequan Burkett. “Every loss hurts. It’s just how you take it in. Are you going to hang your head like it beat you up or are you going to improve from it? Our mindset as a UCF team, as a unit, together, we’re just going to take it as an improvement and listen.”
Hope is dwindling fast from the outside looking in. Conference play has yet to begin though, and there is still a chance for the Knights to take this adversity and run with it. The South Carolina game will be a revealing indicator of this team’s merit; of their ability to truly learn from some lessons learned in difficult fashion.
Photo Credit: Joe Petro
