GAMEDAY THREAD: Houston @ UCF | 30-27 FINAL

So enjoyed our OL , Butler and Conners slashing UCF defense late 4th quarter. That was dominating and exerting our will

That bad snap possibly cost us a TD

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TBH, when the ball was in the air, I thought it was a TD. The announcer really threw me off. Webb did a nice job of closing the gap.

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Bad teams don’t go 5-0 on the road.

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This thread got pretty vitriolic last night. I don’t have a problem with “oh no, {player name} what are you doing!” But I saw some referring to players as “wastes of space, etc.” That ain’t cool. Overall though, I’m happy for this team and really like this online community

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I assumed the replay would show some other wide open player he should have thrown to, the way the announcer yelled it out in the middle of the play

The entire game the atmosphere was outstanding. You had fireworks not once but four times. I’ll bring a couple of points later.

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UCF Fans…

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Yeah. It was comical the number of people who said things like….

“We’ll finish the season 7-5”

“Connor Weigman is terrible”

“Willie Fritz is just another head coach in a long line of guys who are a ‘flash in the pan’”

“This team is not good”.

“We’ve lost this game”.

“Everyone we’ve played s ucks”.

Then, when we win, most tried to backtrack saying things like….

“I had one foot off the train, but I’m back”.

“Gutsy win”.

“Willie has made me a believer”.

“Maybe we’re better than I thought”?

Etc….

People’s true colors come out in the game day threads. I’ve been a believer from day 1. There are a few others. That said, I welcome back anyone who has changed their opinion, because they have suffered through the hard times when I was busy rooting for Willie’s Teams at his previous stops.

While a part of me wants to scream… “I TOLD YOU SO”. The better part of me reminds me what matters is we have a team worthy of rooting for and believing in. It’s gone beyond wishful thinking and hope, to a place of joy, optimism, and resetting future expectations, for most.

There are still trolls waiting to pounce on the very next bad play, or disappointing loss, but they are becoming more and more of a minority, with time.

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THIS.

No other p4 has five road wins and only one has 4 wins (BYU)

Add up the road wins for Florida, Penn State, Florida State, UCF, LSU, South Carolina, Nebraska, Minnesota, Boston College, Miami, Colorado, Kansas State, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Purdue, and Michigan State and you’d get 5.

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Nah, but Weigman playing like he has a hurt hand.

Bye week couldn’t come at a better time

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Game threads are for crashing out.

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And attract a lot of posters who know they can pounce on a bad play or series and use it as a tool to preach gloom and doom.

But after we ultimately win (most of the time), many if them go back into hiding until the next game day thread.

Very few eat their crow…

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If you don’t like it, you can always go back to the tulane message board.

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Complaining about negative posters is much more annoying than the negative posts

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Nah, people crashing out in game threads display serious emotional issues. Seek a therapist, or hug a stuffy during a game, whatever you need. The vitriol thrown at our coaching staff and players when they are 8-2 for the year is completely unjustified and ridiculous. People can be disappointed in a play or question a coaching decision, but the personal attacks towards our players should be out of line.

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I also saw a “he’s back to being Grandpa Willie.” I’m not really sure what that means. Grandpa’s can’t be good coaches? Ha

I know of one Grandpa that dang near got us a natty last year.

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We’re 8–2 — and that’s what matters.

This team and coaching staff kept fighting despite all the adversity and our own self-inflicted mistakes. UCF’s stadium was packed and absolutely lived up to its name — it really is a “Bounce House.” What UCF has built since starting from virtually nothing is remarkable. I’ll open a separate thread about that because it’s a unique story among all Power 4 programs.

As for the game itself — we clearly carried over a bit of the “West Virginia hangover.” By now, everyone knows what our weaknesses are, including our opponents. What frustrated me most were the basic fundamental errors.

Our offensive line looked flat early — poor footing, static movement, and slow reads on UCF’s blitz packages. It made for a rough first half, especially for the running game. The OL coach tried to rotate players, and while there were moments of improvement, it still wasn’t enough to establish a consistent ground attack.

On the other side, our defensive line wasn’t as consistent or imposing as it needs to be. UCF’s quarterback used the same body feints repeatedly, and there were first-half plays where he had enough time to order a five-course meal. That had to change — and it did.

At halftime, I wrote that despite the turnovers, we were only down seven points and still had a chance to win. Sure enough, we came out with a different attitude. The offensive line played sharper, the linebackers were more active, and our running backs ran with purpose. It worked — better than I expected, honestly. We looked like a completely different team in that second half.

Connors was creating havoc, and Conner (QB) showed flashes of brilliance — but let’s be honest, he seemed out of sync all game. The turnovers were tough, but what worries me more is his touch and his reads. He’s missing open receivers, not taking what’s given. He has the arm talent and the leadership, but right now, his emotions are getting the better of him. He just needs to settle down and trust the game plan.

Case Keenum used to do a ton of virtual game-reps when he was with the Vikings — that type of mental work might help Conner reset. He has two games left to ride out the storm, and I believe he will. I even thought we might see Austin Carlisle in a few QB run packages — similar to what UCF did when they switched quarterbacks. Their new guy reminded me a bit of Greg Ward Jr. His final interception didn’t reflect how much energy he brought to that team.

And yes — tackling. Still an issue. We’re missing too many basic tackles, and it’s driving the coaches crazy. We did improve in the second half, but we’re still far from where we need to be.

At the end of the day, though, this game reflects what this team and coaching staff are all about — they never quit. They fight, they adjust, and they find a way. Mr. Hester would be proud of that never-give-up mentality.

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Or I can have my opinion and share it.

If you don’t like it, that’s not my problem.

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Depends on the grandpa. Are they the “get off my lawn” kind? Or the “let’s party” kind?