Potential Opponent Watch 2018: UCF

Even more impressive was the 39 rushing touchdowns the team accumulated, which ranked ninth in the country. UCF scored multiple rushing touchdowns in every game except the team’s win over Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

And with the top six rushers on the team from last season back, including dynamic tailback Adrian Killins Jr., who led the team with 790 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, there’s plenty of room for optimism heading into 2018.

“We’ve got five deep running backs that can play anywhere so it’s going to be something special,” said quarterback McKenzie Milton, who finished second on the team in rushing with 613 yards. “You’ve got Bentavious Thompson, Taj McGowan, Adrian Killins, Otis Anderson, C.J. Richardson … those are five guys that can take it to the house at any time.

With Heupel, Milton goes from one coach who was a national championship-winning quarterback to another. Frost won a share of the 1997 title at Nebraska, and Heupel won the 2000 BCS title at Oklahoma and finished second in the Heisman vote. Frost coached Mariota to the 2014 Heisman, and Heupel coached Sam Bradford to the 2008 Heisman.

Both emphasize tempo in their offenses, but Frost’s system revolved more around getting the ball out quickly, for which Milton’s release fit perfectly. Heupel’s offense is different.

“I think there’s more vertical passing in this one, more receiver-option routes, which I like and I think we have the playmakers for,” Milton said. “A lot of it is ‘My player is better than your player, and we’re going to expose that.’ It’s been awesome.”

The vertical game also could suit Milton well. Pro Football Focus calculated that Milton’s 1,812 passing yards on deep balls last season (30-plus yards downfield) were the most in the FBS and the most by anyone since it began calculating the stat.

UCF Knights
Head coach: Josh Heupel (first year)

2017 record and S&P+ ranking: 13-0 (seventh)

Projected 2018 record and S&P+ ranking: 10-2 (17th)

Five key points:

Heupel has a nearly impossible bar to clear in succeeding Scott Frost, who flipped UCF from 0-12 to 13-0, with a claimed share of the 2017 national title, in just two years.

UCF AD Danny White clearly wanted to maintain a space-and-tempo identity on offense, and Heupel brings more space and tempo than almost any coach in football.

QB McKenzie Milton is a stud and returns more than enough weapons to drive another top-10 offense.

The question comes on defense, where the Knights regressed in 2017 and now have to replace a couple of massive difference makers in LB Shaquem Griffin and CB Mike Hughes.

UCF’s odds of going 12-0 are only about 7 percent, but the Knights will likely be at least slightly favored in every game they play. Their game against FAU on September 20 could very well determine the G5’s dominant team for 2018.

That’s an odd photo to use

Fake news

Gotta love the excuses.

So, the excuse is that multi-million dollar coaches couldn’t get their top rated recruits up for a sold out game where many of their fans spent a lot of money to go see?

Seems that they have a coaching problem.

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/knights-notepad/os-sp-ucf-fundraising-record-20180511-story.html

Have not looked at their schedule, but hope they are undefeated come aac championship game. UH certainly has a chance to be. That would be a huge game for conference and tv.

UH by 7 over knights!

Go Coogs!

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Though Heupel’s Missouri offense put up a lot of points in 2017, that typically came against lesser opponents. The Tigers went 7-6, beating seven teams that did not play in a bowl game (or were FCS) and losing to six teams that did reach a bowl. Against the seven teams that did not make a bowl, Missouri averaged 54.3 points per game, never scoring fewer than 45. Against the six opponents that did play in a bowl, the Tigers averaged 18 points per game, only twice scoring more than 20.

How will Heupel’s offense fare against quality opponents? He’ll have skill players at UCF that are comparable to those he had at Mizzou, and the quality of opponent is lesser than in the SEC.

As for differences in the offense, Frost’s scheme was built around quick passes that fit Milton’s quick throwing release. Under Heupel, there will be more downfield shots.

UCF losing a potential good one.

“Richardson was the No. 9 running back in the country for the class of 2017, per 247Sports. He was a 4-star prospect who held offers from several big-time programs, including Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia”

-Still have Adrian Killins who was 1st team All AAC.
A junior in 2018.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Cam/status/1015267814234578946

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1015981599685476352

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1017793531807662080

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1020043362177617931

I have no idea how PFF grades passes, but looking forward to King shredding that stat with a full year and a Briles offense to work with.

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I have no idea how the grading process works either, but King and or the receivers have a long way to go before any record/s is broken.

UCF loses a starting safety to Nebraska:

https://twitter.com/Sean_Callahan/status/1020401278638272513

Guessing some UCF fans will not like seeing starter follow Frost to Nebraska.

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