Marlon Mack and the USF Bulls bring an AAC Championship-contending team to Brighthouse Networks Stadium to take on the winless UCF Knights.
The Bulls offense is led by two sophomores, quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack.
Mack made a name for himself last season as the AAC freshman of the year and has only proceeded to build on his strong rookie season. His average of 6.7 yards per carry ranks tenth in the NCAA and comes into Thursday’s contest with three consecutive games with 100+ yards on the ground. The sophomore running back has given the top defenses in the AAC nightmares and the UCF defense should expect to have the same issues.
Generally, in order to stop an impeccable running back, a defense stacks the box against the run and forces the quarterback to throw. However, Quinton Flowers is more than game under center for the Bulls with his escapability in the pocket and strong arm. Flowers’ game is akin to that of Houston’s Greg Ward Jr with just a slightly larger frame, but he is still developing and makes mistakes while occasionally all but disappearing in games.
Flowers’ season has been more good than bad and definitely a pleasant surprise for the Bulls. The sophomore quarterback has accumulated 2463 all purpose yards to the tune of 26 total touchdowns (18 passing, 8 rushing).
UCF’s defense will need to be stronger than ever in order to stop this dynamic duo that led the Bulls to drop 65 points on Cincinnati last week. If the Knights are forced into a shootout by the Bulls, this game will undoubtedly get ugly fast.
The War on I-4 has been largely a defensive battle the last few season and the Bulls certainly do not lack talent on that side of the ball either. Senior Jamie Byrd and sophomore Auggie Sanchez are the two players to watch in the Thanksgiving night contest.
Sanchez leads the Bulls in tackles this season with 98 and plays the role of middle linebacker in the unique 4-2-5 defensive set-up that the Bulls employ. The sophomore linebacker improved greatly from his freshmen campaign with an increased role and plays an integral part as the anchor of the defense.
Senior Jamie Byrd is likely the most important cog in the USF defense at the Husky position in the 4-2-5 set. Basically, Byrd plays a hybrid role as both a safety and a linebacker who has the ability to drop in coverage while also having a knack for being in on every tackle.
The senior has done all of that and more this season for USF as he either leads or is the runner-up on the defense in every single statistical category.
UCF will once again be forced to rely on redshirt freshman Tre’Quan Smith to move the chains on offense. Freshmen Tristan Payton and CJ Jones will also have to make impacts if the Knights hope to pull off the massive upset on Thanksgiving.
The Knights have won the last two contests against the Bulls and will be wearing their all-black uniforms for the first time since 1994. Hopefully for UCF’s seniors and fanbase, the uniforms will black out the Bulls as expected and not be used for funeral-themed puns in postgame coverage of the Knights performance or season as a whole.
