This is the way....

It's one week until the start of the regular season!

What's your outlook for UCF's second season in the Big 12?

I was overly optimistic a year ago, predicting a 9-3 record even though my head was saying 8-4. I was buying into the JRP hype and thought the defense wouldn't be that bad.

6-6 was obviously the end result, which was below the most popular picks of 8-4 (34.4%) and 7-5 (32.9%).

Those picks weren't crazy - In retrospect, UCF should have obviously beaten Baylor. I was surprised by WVU's late-season run, I thought that would have been a win.

Here are the previous prediction threads (we may have forgotten to do one in 2019).

Links:

2023
2022
2021
2020
2018
2017

Vote in the poll and you can also elaborate on your prediction in a post.

Here's the schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 29 vs. New Hampshire
Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Sam Houston
Saturday, Sept. 14 at TCU
Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Colorado
Saturday, Oct. 5 at Florida
Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. Cincinnati
Saturday, Oct. 19 at Iowa State
Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. BYU
Saturday, Nov. 2 vs. Arizona
Saturday, Nov. 9 at Arizona State
Saturday, Nov. 23 at West Virginia
Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Utah

Like actually?

Another $625 million piggy bank is funneling to Citrus Dump and “Kia” center.

Buried in the article.

I know it’s $12 million right now, but what does it drop to after next season?

We need some "Fire the S & C coach" buyout money. I don't know what the defensive players were doing in the off-season, but it definitely wasn't following a competent strength building regimen.

DB's and LB's are consistently weak on tackle attempts, linemen pushed around at the LOS, etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if Mohajir was already secretly negotiating with other universities for another AD job. I believe Mohajir is gonna bolt just like Danny White.

SCORES:

BYU 37, UCF 24
Baylor 38, Oklahoma State 28
TCU 35, Texas Tech 34
WVU 31, Arizona 26
Houston 17, Utah 14
Kansas State 29, Kansas 27
Colorado 34, Cincinnati 23

STANDINGS:

1) BYU 5-0 (8-0)
2) Iowa St 4-0 (7-0)
3) Kansas St 4-1 (7-1)
3) Colorado 4-1 (6-2)
5) Cincinnati 3-2 (5-3)
5) TCU 3-2 (5-3)
5) Texas Tech 3-2 (5-3)
8) WVU 3-2 (4-4)
9) Arizona St 2-2 (5-2)
10) Baylor 2-3 (4-4)
10) Houston 2-3 (3-5)
12) Arizona 1-4 (3-5)
12) UCF 1-4 (3-5)
12) Utah 1-4 (4-4)
12) Kansas 1-4 (2-6)
16) Oklahoma St 0-5 (3-5)

Ya'll want Gus and TTT to go? Where the F we going to find the money? And better yet, before you start throwing money to buy them out, WTF we gonna get?
Some of you need a stiff drink and go back and check where everyone thought we would end up at seasons end.
We are now looking towards the future. Gus tried the portal with KJ and gave up (and there's not one of us that didn't think it was a good pickup). Gus is done with that now. We don't have the $$ to pony up to ditch a coach and an AD and start over. IT's time to play the young guys and F this season.

It’s Homecoming! Is this the one game in the season Gus wins that nobody expects? Get pumped!

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The UCF Knights suffered their 5th straight defeat, this time at the hands of #11 BYU, 37-24.

For BYU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake came out aggressive in his game plan, including a fake field goal, in an attempt to take the Knights out of the game.

Click here for a post game report, including sound from both BYU and UCF.

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I know this season has been a bust, but we need to tip the cap to RJ for all he has done as a Knight and back to back >1000 yard seasons after this game is big!

Look forward to him in the NFL and certainly wont forget his contributions as a Knight to date

The P2 conferences have money to burn.

Check out Vanderbilt's golf facility, yes golf

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Opening statement:

"Okay, first of all, disappointing loss to say the least. That's a really good team.

"They exposed some things. You look at it, first quarter I think we had four plays, maybe five plays they had the ball most of the first quarter. We cut it to seven right there before half. I think there was a minute, 50 seconds, something like that. And they had the big pass play for the touchdown. They got the momentum back.

"Third quarter, we didn't play good in any phase. Fourth quarter, put in Dylan Rizk and he gave us a little bit of boost, a little bit of life right there. But overall, disappointing loss.

"Hats off to them. They're a good team, but we didn't play our best football and that's what disappoints me."

You thought that Jacurri Brown, having a full week of practice with the ones, was going to play better. What did you think of his performance, and talk more about that decision to put in Dylan and what you thought of his performance?

"Yeah, JB, they took away the quarterback run, which that's what teams will start doing now. We weren't real successful. We were okay with RPOs, but we missed some things, obviously, turning the ball over.

"And so put Dylan in there and he gave us a spark and did a really good job with his progression and all that. We didn't want to put EJ in there for his redshirt and all that. You start thinking about that this time of year with two games already played.

"But Dylan seized the moment. He did a good job, gave us some life right there, and I think he led us to what, two touchdowns right there."

Is Jacurri your quarterback still moving forward?

"Right now what we're going to do is we're going to figure out, watch the film, and we're going to figure out whoever gives us the best chance at every position. I mean, we're in the same situation we were last year, and we've got to figure out a way to finish the same way we did last year. So we'll watch the film and we'll decide."

And how frustrating is the quarterback position for you guys? I mean, obviously you've got four guys who've seen action this year. How frustrating is that for you guys?

"Yeah, I mean, it's frustrating the fact that we didn't play good football today. That's what's frustrating. I expect us to play better, and we didn't. That's very disappointing. Like I said, Dylan at the end, he gave them some life."

Kobe Hudson went down early. How do you feel like the wide receivers around him stepped up to the plate?

"That was one of the positives, the guys around him, that they stepped up and made plays when they had to. I mean, Jacoby (Jones) had a big game. He's a really talented player. I don't know exactly the severity of Kobe and all that, but obviously he's one of our best players."

Jacurri's moving the team down the field and then had that taunting penalty. How disruptive was it?

"Yeah, I didn't see exactly what happened. I mean, I'll watch it on film. I mean, I was thinking about the next play and all of a sudden saw a flag, and any time a guy hits a quarterback, you think it's on them. But I don't know exactly what happened. I'll look at it. We'll see."

You've lost five straight after going 3-0. Emotionally, does it feel different? Is it more disappointing considering that you kind of stressed that it wasn't going to be the same?

"Yeah, I mean, I'm disappointed in the fact that we didn't play good football today. That's what I'm disappointed in. What we got to do, we find ourselves in the exact same situation where we were last year, and we got to figure out a way to finish like we did last year."

Like you say, just put together a good game with good football. What needs to change?

"Well, what you saw today, there's quite a few things that need to change, and what we got to do is we got to look at the film. We got to evaluate it. We got to figure it out, and we got to finish, you know, like I just said, like we did last year."

What about this locker room and the guys you have make you believe that you can rattle off three or four to finish this season?

"Yeah, I mean, I've said it all along. I mean, our guys, they're going to keep battling. They'll come ready to practice next week, and they'll give it their best. And like I said, we got to play better. I mean, you know, any time you play a really good team, certain things get exposed. And, you know, like I said, we didn't play good. Give them credit. They're a really good team."

Coach, it's another 100-yard game for RJ Harvey, another two touchdowns as well. How does he kind of play to provide a foundation for you to be able to bounce back every time?

"Yeah, I mean, RJ is one of our leaders in our locker room. He's got everybody's ear. He's a wonderful person, wonderful player. And, you know, another really good game for him."

What's the status as far as your secondary is concerned? Mac McWilliams, Ladarius Tennison didn't play.

"Yeah, Tennison had vertigo before the game, and he was dizzy. It was just a tough deal. And then Mac, his hamstring, he wasn't ready. You know, he wanted to play, but we felt like we needed to have another week. Obviously, he's a really good player. Braeden Marshall went down. You know, we were playing a bunch of young guys. It's the next man up at this time of year. That's what happens. You've got to have the next guy ready."

Do you still know what happened to Braeden?

"I'm not for sure. He's been battling some different ailments and all that."

Jacurri Brown got a taunting penalty after a great run that saw him mow down a defender. What did you tell him after that, you know, celebrating over his defender?

"Yeah, like I said, I mean, I was fixing to call the next play. He hit the quarterback. I thought it was on them, so I was thinking we had the ball at the five and all that. And all of a sudden, I see him, ask him what happened. He didn't. I mean, we'll watch it on film. I mean, obviously, it was a mistake. It cost us 15 yards, you know. And we really, I think we had a field goal on that drive, but that would have been nice to have the ball on the 10 or the 12 yard line."

What did you see from your defense tonight?

"Yeah, we've got to get off the field. I mean, they had two 90-yard drives. You go first time, it's a fourth and about a yard, maybe a yard and a half early in the game, and you've got a chance. Hey, do you go for it, or do you try to pin them? We pinned them, and then they drove the field and scored a touchdown. I mean, we've got to correct that. I mean, we've got to correct that. Got to get off the field.

"The quarterback, he had a long quarterback scramble. Our emphasis was we've got to do a better job in the pocket. You know, the second half, our defense did better. I mean, they had some TFL, strip sack, all that. But the first of the game, you know, that was a tough time."

Kobe Hudson, is there an indication of how serious his injury is?

"I don't know. He was on the sidelines. I really don't know. We'll have to talk to the doctor and figure that out."

Some challenges for the tackling in this one. That must be frustrating as well.

"Yeah. We didn't tackle our best, and, you know, we tackled pretty good this year, especially against the run. They broke probably more tackles than any other team that we played against."

What are your thoughts on fans' reactions to this team? These losses, obviously, the stadium looking a little bit more empty earlier on in the game. What are your thoughts on that?

"Well, I mean, my thoughts are we've got to play better football to keep them in the stadium. I mean, that's really the bottom line. We've got to play better."

Gus, when you lose four or five in a row, how do you keep the guys believing?

"Yeah. I mean, that's what you've got to do. You know, we have a staff that's close. We have a team that's close. Our guys, we've got good leadership. They know we didn't get it done tonight. We've got to figure out a way to get it done.

"We've got to finish this thing, and there's no doubt in my mind we have the leadership that those guys will keep fighting, and they'll keep it together."

Jacurri Brown, what you saw from him at times, did you like some of the things that went on for him? The passing game seemed to work a little bit at times during the first half. Did you like some of that?

"Yeah. The RPOs I thought were really good. You know, our straight drop back wasn't. You know, we've got to continue to improve that. Like I said, they had a good scheme. They decided to, you know, stop him. They clogged it in the middle. They pushed the ball in the perimeter, and they got some good players on the outside. You know, daring us to throw it, and, you know, we've got to be able to do that when it presents itself."

Coach, being in this situation last year, and now, again, back to the same situation, but you did finish last year where you did become goal eligible. What are some things that you did last year that you may be trying to implement this year so you guys can finish strong?

"Yeah. I mean, we'll evaluate things. You know, each week's a separate week. We've got to find a way to win that first game. I mean, really, that's the bottom line. Next week we need to win the game. I mean, that's your approach, and that's what our guys will be striving for."

Colson, Trujillo, Rizk, or Brown?

Which QB will get the start next week?

Which QB will get the most snaps the rest of this season?

Which QB will enter transfer portal before next season?

Week 9 Rushing Defenses (Our Schedule) sorted by yards

1. WVU vs. Arizona. 25 Carries. 78 Yards. 3.1 YPC. 2 TD
2. Sam Houston vs. FIU. 37 Carries. 125 Yards. 3.4 YPC. 0 TD
3. Cincinnati vs. Colorado. 37 Carries. 128 Yards. 3.5 YPC. 2 TD
4. New Hampshire vs Villanova. 31 Carries. 148 Yards. 4.8 YPC. 0 TD
5. Colorado vs. Cincinnati. 32 Carries. 171 Yards. 5.3 YPC. 1 TD
6. TCU vs. Texas Tech. 50 Carries. 180 Yards. 3.6. YPC. 3 TD
7. BYU vs. UCF: 29 Carries. 181 Yards. 6.2 YPC. 2 TD
8. Arizona vs. WVU. 37 Carries. 207 Yards. 5.6 YPC. 2 TD
9. Utah vs. Houston. 49 Carries. 230 Yards. 4.7 YPC. 0 TD
10. UCF vs. BYU. 48 Carries. 255 Yards. 5.3 YPC. 2 TD
11. Florida Did not play
12. Arizona State did not play
13. Iowa State did not play

Season Cumulative Rushing Defenses (Our Schedule) Sorted by Yards per game

The UCF Knights suffered their 5th straight defeat, this time at the hands of #11 BYU, 37-24. From the opening drive BYU controlled the ball and dominated time of possession, forcing a tired Knights defense to try to make stops time and again. Offensively, struggles at the QB position continued, causing the Knights to sputter throughout the game. Coach Gus Malzahn said afterwards that him and his staff need to evaluate everything and figure out who to play moving forward.

For BYU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake came out aggressive in his game plan, including a fake field goal, in an attempt to take the Knights out of the game. QB Jake Retzlaff made plays when they were needed the most, and continued to unbeaten season for the Cougars.

Click here to watch ... from the Sons of UCF.

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Big 12

No. 11 BYU at UCF - 3:30 (ESPN)
Oklahoma State at Baylor - 3:30 (ESPN+)
Texas Tech at TCU - 3:30 (FOX)
West Virginia at Arizona - 7 (FS1)
Utah at Houston - 7 (ESPN+)
Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State - 8 (ESPN2)
Cincinnati at Colorado - 10:15 (ESPN)

We rely on Kobe too much. Prior to tonight, Magwood and Jones ONLY had 1 and 2 receptions total for the entire year??

They increased their total production by 3X tonight.

Iowa State won the coin toss and elected to defer to the 2nd half...and then after the kickoff, UCF's Offense went right down the field to take a 7-0 lead. I wonder if that drive might give Gus an idea that if UCF wins the coin toss this week, to put out offense out there first?

Of course many HC's like to defer...they like the chance to score late in 2nd Q and then get the ball to start the 3rd Q....but with UCF's Offense struggling early in past games...ISU selecting the 2nd half kickoff seemed to give our Offense a quick little boost.

So let's say Gus is able to pull his head out of his own ass long enough to start Rizk next week. If so, that would make 4 different starting QBs in 9 games this season. And not one of those QB changes would have occurred due to injury. If that were to happen, would it be an NCAA record for QB room management incompetence?

I was thinking about this tonight

We were finally earning our way into the conversation as a big four, not just a big three in the state.

When Florida has a decent season they’re back to being media darlings

FSU is going to do fsu things

Miami looks good finally

We are just sitting here peeing down our leg and letting Gus Malzahn ruin our reputation. We’re so far away again

Looking back on the first few weeks of college football, I want to remind you all of what I told you in the offseason:



I told you all that the SPRING FOOTBALL NONSENSE about "stopping the run" was ridiculous. I even told @DaShuckster and others that UCF could jump "as high as a 100 spots" in run defense rankings.

FACT: UCF currently has a 15 rushing defense in the nation because the PAC-12 DOESN'T RUN THE FOOTBALL!




I told you all Gus needed to hire David Gibbs as a defensive analyst to hold Addison Williams' hand after Gibbs resigned as Associate Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach at Illinois.

FACT: UCF ranks 102 in passing yards allowed in the nation; meanwhile, Arizona State, where Gibbs was employed as an analyst the day before the CFB season began, is 69th.





I told you all that Ja'varrius Johnson would supplant Xavier Townsend at slot receiver.

FACT: Townsend quit.





I told you that Gus needed to hire someone (like Terry Bowden) as an analyst for clock management and game day coaching decisions.

FACT: Gus remains deficient in those areas.

Surely Gus could have lured Bowden away from Delhi Charter: https://www.knoe.com/2024/04/15/for...-terry-bowden-accepts-position-delhi-charter/




I told you that Gus needed to hire a football-specific team psychologist to help him with team/player motivation.

FACT: UCF has came out flat the last three straight weeks against BIG 12 and SEC opponents. (As a caveat, UCF should have needed no extra motivation to be ready to play Colorado and Florida.)



But again I "don't know anything about football." Those are just 'coincidences.'


FULL DISCLOSURE: I was wrong about UCF losing to TCU, but right about the Knights losing to Florida. I must admit I am surprised and perplexed about the Colorado loss.

UCF Basketball: Mikey Williams Media Day Interview​

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Not sure if UCF knew about the timing here but the mother of these two sweet girls (11 and 6) very recently passed away from an aggressive form of cancer. She was very close with my sister ever since they cheered together in HS - she fought an incredible battle with strength and grace that was hard for me to fathom.

Her funeral was yesterday and the timing of this being posted was just beautiful. Again not sure if UCF was aware of the timing or even about the mother’s illness but I’m appreciative of RJ’s connection with fans here.

Charge On 🙏🏽