As UCF (4-3, 2-1) prepares to travel to Houston (6-2, 3-2) in a game that could have massive conference implications for the Knights, we got a chance to catch up with Reagan Earnst, Sports Editor of The Daily Cougar.
Knight News: Okay, so let’s get the big one out of the way. After such a promising start and dreams of a playoff berth, what is the team fighting for now with to conference losses in play?
Reagan Earnst: The team’s goal from day one was to win the American Athletic Conference. With that goal nearly impossible to reach now, it’s hard to know what the team’s goal now is. Obviously they would like to win out which will be a challenge considering they still have Louisville on the schedule. My guess would be a berth into the Miami Beach Bowl would be a great consolation prize for the team.
KN: On a similar note, has the Heisman ship sailed for Greg Ward Jr.? His dominance early on certainly incited a national presence.
RE: The Heisman ship has long sailed for Greg Ward Jr. Heisman voters use team performance as a part of their criteria and we know how that looks now. Even without the losses, Ward has tried to demonstrate his pocket passing abilities more this season that reduce his overall production from a year ago. Ward is still a great, but banged up, quarterback but not the best player in the nation by a longshot.
KN: How else can the Cougars hurt you on offense? Catalon’s one score and 279 yards on the ground are a far cry from Ward’s 417 and six scores, and there seems to be a fairly even target allotment throughout the receiving ranks. Who would you say is the next most dangerous weapon?
RE: Catalon is definitely a weapon, but has been forced to battle through concussions this season. When healthy, he poses a threat to any defense with his quick and powerful running ability. The Cougars have no speed at receiver, but compensate for this with numerous dink-and-dunk passes throughout the game. If a defense struggles with tackling in the open field this can cause fits. A lesser-known player to watch out for is freshman D’Eriq King. King was recruited as a QB but has seen much of his time at receiver this season. He is the one exception to the slow receivers and is as dynamic as they come. King returns kicks and punts for the Cougars and is a threat every time. Earlier in the season against Texas State, King became the first player in UH football history to score via a pass, catch, and return in the same game.
KN: Coach Frost mentioned this week that both Navy and SMU play different styles of football than UCF does, so there it isn’t a set plan as to how the Knights can relay their own play-style into an upset. Has there been a common theme where Houston has struggled, regardless of the opponent?
RE: Something happened to this team between their UConn and Navy game. Before Navy they were dominating teams on defense and were the top school in the nation versus the run. Now they struggle to stop other team’s offenses completely, as demonstrated by their loss to SMU. Injuries have plagued the team perhaps more than any other team in the nation, but Herman has said this is not an excuse for the poor play. Overall, a lack of depth is the Cougars biggest weakness on both offense and defense.
KN: The Cougars are absolutely unmovable when playing rush defense, only allowing 98.5 yards on the ground per game. UCF hasn’t put up 100 rushing yards in consecutive games now – should we expect this trend to continue? How has Houston been so effective against the run?
RE: As mentioned, the Cougars were unmovable on defense up until the Navy game. Opposing teams have found a weakness in the Cougars’ run defense that has made it average. Both Tulsa and SMU ran with relative ease. They are not terrible against the run, but not remarkable as they were earlier in the season. A force in the middle is senior linebacker Steven Taylor. Many expect Taylor to be playing on Sundays next season and it is easy to see why when watching him on defense.
KN: Thoughts and prediction on the final outcome?
RE: I’m not sure what to think at this point. This is not the same UH team that beat Oklahoma in week one. They had so much hype around them entering the season that only built when they got off to a 5-0 start. With little left to play for compared to last season, it wouldn’t surprise me if this team crumbles to the finish. Assuming they have the mental fortitude to ride out the season regardless of how the last three weeks have gone, I expect UH to beat UCF by a score of 42-35.
Photo Credit: Aileen Perilla
