The pain continues for the UCF Knights as their win-less campaign dredged forward with increasing futility in Cincinnati, losing 52-7 to Interim Head Coach Danny Barrett’s alma mater.
Cincinnati wasted no time in taking advantage of UCF’s irreparably depleted talent base. It was 52-0 before the Knights managed to put the ball in the end zone, a one yard plunge by C.J. Jones deep into garbage time.
As a whole the offense only passed for 101 yards under Coach Barrett’s tutelage. There was a heavy emphasis on running the ball and clock control – both of which they did with mild success, notching 212 rushing yards and losing the possession war by only a few minutes – but it wasn’t even close to the correct remedy in keeping up with the explosive Cincinnati performance.
In the first half alone the Bearcats posted 35 unanswered points and over 400 yards of offense. They would continue on to scorch the field for 726 total yards, 489 through the air from three different quarterbacks.
Almost nothing went right for the Knight’s secondary. Gunner Kiel was perfect against the struggling unit in limited playing time; he completed all 15 of his pass attempts for 319 yards and five touchdowns.
Let that settle in – every third pass he attempted was good for a touchdown.
Backup quarterback Hayden Moore didn’t seem phased by the lackluster coverage as well, though he did throw one interception and three other incomplete passes in his fifteen attempts. More racked up 154 yards, eleven completions and a touchdown of his own.
A week after losing in spectacular fashion to Houston, it would seem that there is no end in sight for the anemic program. The 0-9 Knights return to practice on Monday in preparation for a noon matchup at Tulsa this upcoming weekend.
Photo Credit: Aileen Perilla
