The Knights are set to do battle with conference rival UConn Saturday, marking the third installment of The Civil Conflict. UConn holds the series at 2-1, but is struggling in conference play this season with a 1-3 record to this point. We had a chance to ask a few questions of Tyler Keating, Associate Sports Director of The Daily Campus.
Knight News: Okay, so by now both fan bases are familiar with the new-on-the-block conference rivalry; The Civil Conflict. How seriously do this year’s players take this game over any other conference opponent, especially with so many new faces around UCF?
Tyler Keating: UConn head coach Bob Diaco downplayed the Conflict matchup significantly at his weekly press conference, which was quite surprising considering he created it out of thin air just last summer. However, I’d imagine he’s using the rivalry privately to motivate his team, as he likely did last season to great success in a UConn rout. The enigmatic head coach has displayed some unusual motivation tactics since arriving in Connecticut in 2014, and the idea of the Conflict is yet another one.
KN: The Huskies have dominated in the last two meetings between these two teams, outscoring UCF 77-42 over a pair of consecutive victories. Is there any sense around the returning players from last season’s rout that this game will be one of the easier matchups on the schedule?
TK: Diaco never, ever takes an opponent for granted, and although he did acknowledge this week that the most difficult portions of the Huskies’ schedule were behind them, the players will be taking UCF very seriously. UConn scored 40 points against the Knights last year, but that was the only game that the team even got to 30 points, and UCF is much improved from where they were a year ago. I expect this game Saturday to go right down to the wire.
KN: UConn ranks at No. 26 in the nation when defending the run, but will have to stop a UCF attack averaging 207.7 yards per game. How has the rushing defense been so effective through the season’s first half, and what will they do to stymie UCF?
TK: Diaco has coached extremely disciplined defenses at every stop of his career, and the Huskies’ defense is no different. They read running plays well at the line of scrimmage, and make effective use of gang tackling to wrap up ball carriers before they can start moving downhill. There have been some tackling problems, especially against explosive attacks in the American like USF and Houston, but generally this unit will make you fight for every inch.
There are playmakers at all three levels of the defense. Safety Obi Melifonwu has been spectacular this year and leads the team with 57 tackles, with 37 of those being solo stops. Linebackers Junior Joseph and Vontae Diggs are right behind him with 27 and 26 tackles, respectively. On the defensive line, look for Foley Fatukasi and Mikal Myers to slip blocks and blow up plays before they even begin. These are the players that will give UCF trouble, and make life difficult for the Knights’ ball carriers.
KN: Noel Thomas Jr. leads the team with a whopping 67 receptions, but the most impressive part may not be the number alone, but that the next three closest receivers only have 16, 11, and 11 receptions. What kind of one-man-band is happening at wide receiver this year in Connecticut, and what kind of talent is Thomas among his peers in the conference? That seems like an awfully difficult way to execute a passing offense.
TK: Thomas has shown flashes of greatness during his career at UConn, but his senior season has been nothing short of spectacular. He’s gobbling up every pass thrown his way, breaking off big plays after the catch and serving as the ultimate safety blanket for quarterback Bryant Shirreffs. Thomas was added to the Biletnikoff Award list for best receiver in the nation a few weeks ago, and for good reason. He’s had a significant impact on every game this season.
Truthfully, none of the other UConn pass catchers are even in his class, and as a result Shirreffs is sending a gigantic percentage of throws his way. Wide receiver Hergy Mayala has made some plays, and the group of tight ends are sometimes involved, but this passing game has had great success when leaning primarily on Thomas.
KN: I’m sure it helps that Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has been called upon as a true dual-threat quarterback – rushing the ball 119 times this season while attempting 219 passes. How much does the offense revolve around his skillset, and where would you say he can do the most damage to a defense?
TK: The Huskies’ usage of Shirreffs has been very inconsistent this season. He’s respectable as a runner, but too often has the coaching staff called designed runs for the quarterback that have resulted in wasted plays. Shirreffs is far more effective when he takes off with the ball after a passing play breaks down, and although he won’t make anyone miss, he has the speed to do some damage in the open field.
As a passer, Shirreffs can hit some of the short and medium routes, but he has missed plenty of makeable throws too, and he has displayed limited ability to throw the deep ball. He plays his best when the offense is moving quickly, mixing in run plays with some creative passing plays, and heavily employing the talents of both Thomas and shifty running back Arkeel Newsome. It’s never clear when that version of the UConn offense will show up, but if and when it does, the Huskies can do some damage.
Photo Credit: Aileen Perilla
