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UCF's first half explodes vs. Rice
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Sorry, Rice.
The curse of the first half was lifted Saturday afternoon as the UCF Knights obliterated the Rice Owls 49-7 on the Owls'home turf. From the opening snap, UCF was in a position to dominate, as Brett Hodges connected with A.J. Guyton on a 76-yard touchdown to start the scoring attack. The Knights scored a total of 28 points in the first half, the biggest score the team has put up before halftime in the entire 2009 season.
Rice has been noted by many C-USA writers as a "bad" team, but that's no reason to discount the Knights' performance. The 49 points put up by A.J. Guyton, Jamar Newsome, and crew was the most attained by UCF on the road since September 5, 1998, when UCF beat Louisiana Tech. Additionally, it is UCF's most lopsided win since a 63-0 victory over Liberty in Orlando on October 13, 2001. It is also tied for the 14th largest margin of victory in school history.
So what does this mean in regards to the Knights one week past the halfway mark and how their future will bode for the rest of the season? For one, it shows that the Knights have worked through a lot of their kinks on offense in the first 30 minutes.
Last Monday, Coach O'Leary told the media in his weekly C-USA football coaches' press conference appearance that the offense had been making improvements in line blocking but still were struggling in making effective offensive plays.
His advice to the offense for their improvement included working on fundamental offensive skills and building from that essential first piece. The "big thing" for O'Leary was the three-and-out situation, or lack thereof, for UCF's o-squad. Against Rice, the Knights had 21 first downs, compared to only 11 against Miami.
Next week, UCF plays Marshall at Bright House on ESPN. The Herd is 5-3, and have been doing well in C-USA play so far this season, winning against 3 out of 4 of their conference opponents. The Knights are 2-2 in conference play, and if they can pull out a win against Marshall next Saturday night, they will be tied for first place in the C-USA East Standings.
The last four games of UCF's schedule are against No. 3 Texas, No. 17 Houston, and C-USA opponents Tulane and UAB. The next two games will be a challenge for the Knights, and at Texas Nov. 7, will most likely record another loss. Houston is 2-1 in conference play, but 6-1 overall. However, unlike a plate that is too full against Colt McCoy and his Longhorns, UCF can win against Houston if they employ a hearty offense similar to their performance against Rice.
Winning against Houston would surely catapult the Knights into a wonderful position, priming them to win their last two games of the season and finish at at least 7-5. Securing the win, of course, against Marshall would bring the Knights to 8-4, with a fabulous chance to play in a C-USA championship game this season.
The Knights are in a confident position of flow right now, and Rob Calabrese has had another chance to participate in game play, filling in for Brett Hodges after the gap between UCF and Rice widened. A strong quarterback squad will only help the Knights here on out.
The Marshall/UCF game will air on ESPN at 8:15 next weekend. To get tickets, visit ucfathletics.com.
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