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Iran expects Biden to cave in nuclear deal negotiations

Iranian officials renewed their demand for the lifting of U.S. sanctions at the outset of the eighth and “presumably final round” of talks to rehabilitate the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The most important thing for us is that under these words and issues, we must reach a point where, first, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without any restrictions, and oil money can be deposited in foreign currency in Iranian bank accounts,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Monday, per Iranian media. “And we take full advantage of the economic benefits envisaged in the JCPOA.”

Iran expects Biden will cave in ‘presumably final round’ of nuclear talks | Washington Examiner

Does UCF play better on grass fields vs turf fields?

Especially on the defensive side...it seems that the team plays better on grass vs when they play on turf fields (Louisville, Navy, SMU, Cinci) or any game in Memphis).

At SMU...while the Mustangs played very well...UCF Defenders played liked they were on skates...and sometimes couldn't get within 5 yds of a player they were covering or trying to tackle.

Even at Navy...UCF's D struggled to stop the run...even though they knew it was coming.

UCF just seems "quicker" playing on grass than they do on turf....as I know certain cleats/shoes can make a big difference on turf.

Thoughts?
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***Tatum Bethune: "We say we're the best team in Florida, so we've got to prove it now"***

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UCF linebacker Tatum Bethune says the Gasparilla Bowl against Florida is a huge opportunity for in-state bragging rights.

Notable quotes from Monday's interview...

On playing Florida:

"We're just excited to have this opportunity and showcase our talent and how good we really are."

More on the opportunity and what it would mean to beat UF:

"We really don't get this opportunity much, so we've got to seize the moment. It's really big on bragging rights too because we say we're the best team in Florida so we've got to prove it now. It's real important."

On UF QB Emory Jones:

"Emory Jones is a good quarterback. Very elusive. He can make plays. We've got to get him on the ground, like we did with the Louisville quarterback. Almost the same game plan."

On the UF running game:

"They have a great running back, No. 27 (Dameon Pierce). I really don't know his name, but he runs hard. We haven't been great on tackling this season. That's something we've got to work on when it comes Thursday. Just get them on the ground."

On defending their WRs:

"Just get the balls out of their hands and keep the top on the coverage like Coach T-Will says."

Favorite memory of this season?

"Coming back and winning the Boise game. That was something I never did before. Coming back and winning a game, that was huge."

***UCF PFF Offense Player Grades (29-17 Gasparilla Bowl win vs. Florida)***

Rivals has continued its partnership with Pro Football Focus (PFF) which grants me access to their comprehensive analytics and statistical tools.

After each game, two separate analysts grade every player on each play of the game and the two totals are averaged out. Obviously no subjective ranking system is perfect, but I am finding that my real world impressions of a player in a certain game usually reflects the PFF grade.

PFF Grading Scale

90 and above - Elite
80 to 89 - Great
70 to 79 - Good
60 to 69 - Average to Above Average
50 - 59 - Below Average
49 and below - Poor

Team Offensive Grade (by game)

Boise State - 66.9
Bethune-Cookman - 83.2
Louisville - 66.2
Navy - 68.4
ECU - 65.2
Cincinnati - 58.0
Memphis - 71.7
Temple - 72.8
Tulane - 64.6
SMU - 60.6
UConn - 76.1
usf - 70.9
Florida - 69.2

Overall Offensive Player Grades (Snaps Played)

WR Ryan O'Keefe (60) - 80.5
C Matt Lee (77) - 77.0
RT Samuel Jackson (77) - 76.1
TE Alec Holler (44) - 75.7
RB Johnny Richardson (17) - 69.5
RB Isaiah Bowser (62) - 69.4
LG Cole Schneider (77) - 65.0
LT Edward Collins (12) - 64.9
LT Marcus Tatum (77) - 64.3
WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (27) - 64.1
RB Trillion Coles (1) - 60.0
TE Charlie Browder (1) - 59.0
QB Mikey Keene (71) - 57.1
WR Nate Craig-Myers (67) - 56.7
WR Amari Johnson (9) - 54.6
RG Lokahi Pauole (77) - 53.6
TE Jake Hescock (20) - 53.4
QB Parker Navarro (5) - 53.0
WR Brandon Johnson (64) - 51.8
QB Joey Gatewood (2) - 26.3

I'm not surprised ROK and the OL graded out well, but Isaiah Bowser seems too low. Looking at the specifics, PFF dinged Bowser for giving up a sack, which decimated his pass blocking grade and dragged down his overall grade.

Offensive Line Grades

Pass Blocking:


LG Cole Schneider - 90.1
RG Lokahi Pauole - 83.4
RT Samuel Jackson - 81.5
C Matt Lee - 81.3
LT Marcus Tatum - 73.6

Run Blocking:

RT Samuel Jackson - 72.1
C Matt Lee - 71.6
LT Marcus Tatum - 61.8
LG Cole Schneider - 61.5
RG Lokahi Pauole - 51.7

Quarterback Grades

Note - PFF seems to be "missing" several of MK's completed throws, including the 54-yard TD pass to ROK. So these numbers are out of whack.

Mikey Keene - 57.5 passing grade

Passing Pressure Grades for Mikey Keene:

Kept Clean - 65.9
Under Pressure - 40.0
Not Blitzed - 61.7
When Blitzed - 46.1

A closer look at passing depth for Mikey Keene:

Deep (20+): 0-for-2 for 0 yards - 37.9 grade
Medium (10-19): 0-of-2 for 0 yards - 59.9 grade
Short (0-9): 5-of-7 for 31 yards - 72.1 grade
Behind LOS: 8-of-8 for 59 yards - 66.7 grade

Rushing Grades

Ryan O'Keefe - 87.5
Isaiah Bowser - 68.5
Johnny Richardson - 66.9

Wide Receiver Grades

Alec Holler - 83.3
Johnny Richardson - 73.9
Ryan O'Keefe - 70.5
Titus Mokiao-Atimalala - 63.8
Nate Craig-Myers - 56.9
Brandon Johnson - 51.3

Brandon Johnson was targeted only three times with no receptions.
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***UCF PFF Defense Player Grades (29-17 Gasparilla Bowl win vs. Florida)***

Rivals has continued its partnership with Pro Football Focus (PFF) which grants me access to their comprehensive analytics and statistical tools.

After each game, two separate analysts grade every player on each play of the game and the two totals are averaged out. Obviously no subjective ranking system is perfect, but I am finding that my real world impressions of a player in a certain game usually reflects the PFF grade.

PFF Grading Scale

90 and above - Elite
80 to 89 - Great
70 to 79 - Good
60 to 69 - Average to Above Average
50 - 59 - Below Average
49 and below - Poor

Season Defensive Grades (by game)

Boise State - 74.4
Bethune-Cookman - 73.9
Louisville - 68.3
Navy - 67.6
ECU - 83.0
Cincinnati - 54.0
Memphis - 75.5
Temple - 73.0
Tulane - 77.2
SMU - 62.2
UConn - 79.0
usf - 72.2
Florida - 51.1

So this was the worst defensive performance - the cumulative individual grades that is - of the season? That's a no compute.

Overall Defensive Grades

DE Tre'Mon Morris Brash (39) - 73.4
S Quadric Bullard (56) - 71.3
S Dyllon Lester (24) - 66.3
CB Corey Thornton (58) - 65.7
CB Davonte Brown (59) - 60.7
SCB Devunte Dawson (1) - 60.0
DE Josh Celiscar (30) - 57.2
DT Keenan Hester (51) - 57.1
DT Ricky Barber (15) - 55.0
CB Brandon Adams (21) - 54.8
LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (69) - 52.5
DT Anthony Montalvo (34) - 52.5
SCB Justin Hodges (68) - 50.1
LB Tatum Bethune (69) - 49.4
S Divaad Wilson (58) - 49.4
DT Cam Goode (38) - 48.9
DE Big Kat Bryant (52) - 44.3
DE Landon Woodson (17) - 41.6

I don't understand these grades, though PFF always is supposed to have their reasoning. You can see why the overall team defensive grade is poor - only 4 out of 18 players received a "good grade." Two players were right around average (60.0) and then 12 more graded bad to poor. Cam Goode was one of the worst grades? I don't get it.

Here's the breakdown by position:

Defensive End (4):

DE Tre'Mon Morris Brash (39) - 73.4
DE Josh Celiscar (30) - 57.2
DE Big Kat Bryant (52) - 44.3
DE Landon Woodson (17) - 41.6

Defensive Tackle (4):

DT Keenan Hester (51) - 57.1
DT Ricky Barber (15) - 55.0
DT Anthony Montalvo (34) - 52.5
DT Cam Goode (38) - 48.9

Linebacker (2):

LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (69) - 52.5
LB Tatum Bethune (69) - 49.4

Safety (3):

S Quadric Bullard (56) - 71.3
S Dyllon Lester (24) - 66.3
S Divaad Wilson (58) - 49.4

Corner (5):

CB Corey Thornton (58) - 65.7
CB Davonte Brown (59) - 60.7
SCB Devunte Dawson (1) - 60.0
CB Brandon Adams (21) - 54.8
SCB Justin Hodges (68) - 50.1

Pressure Tracker (combination of sacks, hits and hurries):

6 - Big Kat Bryant
4 - Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste
2 - Tre'Mon Morris-Brash, Cam Goode, Keenan Hester
1 - Josh Celiscar, Landon Woodson, Anthony Montalvo
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