ORLANDO, Fla. — The season’s early 0-2 start can now be labeled as an outlier as UCF heads into another conference game against UCONN riding a five game win streak and facing the first true cold-weather game the Knights have played all year.
With temperatures expected to be in the mid-40s coupled with a high chance of rain on Saturday, ball control will be essential in determining the game–even against a 1-6 team. Head Coach O’Leary says that their record is non-indicative of the level of talent on the roster, setting the perfect storm for an upset in the rain if the turnover battle is lost.
“When you have rainy weather, or cold weather, if everybody is flying to the ball, that ball is going to come out,” UCF linebacker Troy Gray said. “Being that physical defense…it’s an emphasis, making sure we get these turnovers and get the ball out.”
The offense recognizes the increased probability of a turnover in poor weather, but does not consider the elements to be a worthy excuse. O’Leary went as far as to say it would be great football weather while keeping his team focused on their own game.
“We just focus on football. It’s not about the outside element, it’s not about what we can’t control,” Cedric Thompson said, though he conceded that ball security is a premium and the offense will key on an extra emphasis to not let the weather aid in their demise.
If the defense continues to play at the level seen in the past few weeks, the weather should actually play into UCF’s favor. The secondary has intercepted the 11th most passes in the nation, the unit has given up the 14th least points, and is the 10th ranked team in total yards allowed. Those gaudy numbers have led to the impressive win streak, strengthening the odds in UCF’s favor as all three pillars play well into a cold-weather game where grasping the ball is not as easy as it normally is.
“We’re tackling well,” O’Leary said in reference to the defense’s continued success. “They’re playing first down defense well and putting people in the hole on second down.”
The better looks on second down have led to more three-and-outs, evidenced by the mere 21 minutes that this defense played last week. If the defense plays to their current level, the Knights have potential to string together their first back-to-back dominant wins of the season–especially against a team that surrendered 62 points to the 2013 Knights.
“Coach always says good teams put together two good games together, so that’s the goal,” Thompson said. “We want to put two solid games together. We don’t want to look back or look forward, we’re worried about this game, right here right now.”
