3-0: Thoughts?

[Guinness_Knight]

Mine:

I think it’s possible to improve the defense (pass D specifically) but not sure how significant. Saw several concerning issues tonight to put it mildly.

Special teams HAS to improve. No excuse for what we saw.

Gus needs to stop nerfing the offense and let it get cooking earlier with balanced play calling. Would love to see him feed KJ high percentage passes early to get him settled and comfortable.

 

[AuburnLegacy_1]

Mine:

I think it’s possible to improve the defense (pass D specifically) but not sure how significant. Saw several concerning issues tonight to put it mildly.

Special teams HAS to improve. No excuse for what we saw.

Gus needs to stop nerfing the offense and let it get cooking earlier with balanced play calling. Would love to see him feed KJ high percentage passes early to get him settled and comfortable.

Takeaways...

Can this UCF team vie for the national championship? After that win in that environment, dare to dream.

Where will UCF be ranked this week?

 

[blackoutknight]

I think we saw a lot of great things come together tonight. Are there still issues? Yes. But this team didn’t quit and our rushing attack is going to win us a lot of games this year. Let’s complain some other day. Today is a day to rejoice. Proud of our team and tonight was the reverse of the Baylor debacle in my opinion

 

[beelit47]

Thoughts are we cant defend a good passing team

We have drastically improved on run defense though

We are run dominant

We have work to do passing

 

[U C to the F]

I think the offense was great, got a groove in 2nd half. Our rushing game is ridiculous and if you are a rushing team you see the gains in the 2nd half like we did. Defense is still a concern, but the rushing D is vastly improved. A TCU/Sonny Dykes team with the short passing is going to eat up a lot of opponents this year, mark it. I think we gave up too much, but getting out of this game with a win is so huge.

 

[U C to the F]

Thoughts are we cant defend a good passing team

We have drastically improved on run defense though

We are run dominant

We have work to do passing

I wouldn’t say that. A Sonny Dykes passing game is ridiculous with the short passes like a Chinese 1,000 cut torture. Plus the TCU WRs continuously made ridiculous catches, those that aren’t normal from any team in a typical game. The defense wasn’t bad.

 

[Guinness_Knight]

Colorado pass offense has to be pumped watching film.

I think we run it down their throats and get the W 🥳

 

[connerito]

I actually like the DC hire. Kids look much more fundamental. Tackling is better. Run defense solid. Pass defense needs an upgrade but I believe in this DC.

 

[SurfaceWarrior]

I actually like the DC hire. Kids look much more fundamental. Tackling is better. Run defense solid. Pass defense needs an upgrade but I believe in this DC.

I thought Dykes schooled him in the first half. Small adjustments in the second. Lots to be concerned about. But a dub is a dub, take it a run out of Fort Worth.

Hope everyone enjoyed Texas. It’s a great place. I love it out here.

 

[DrPhillipsKnight]

I actually like the DC hire. Kids look much more fundamental. Tackling is better. Run defense solid. Pass defense needs an upgrade but I believe in this DC.

yea I’m not use to this kind of tackling. I kept expecting half assed chinander type ankle tackles and for TCU players to run to the house a couple of times.

 

[beelit47]

yea I’m not use to this kind of tackling. I kept expecting half assed chinander type ankle tackles and for TCU players to run to the house a couple of times.

I gotta give him credit, as the game went on we slowly figured them out. Especially stuffing them deep in their zone to get the ball back for the gw drive

 

[Guinness_Knight]

Tackling was really bad at times. Looked like flag football on some of those big plays.

TCU last completion… initial defender launched into the hit. Never wrapped up. TCU bounced off and moved forward. Almost gave me a heart attack.

Hopefully that gets cleaned up.

 

[DaShuckster]

Colorado pass offense has to be pumped watching film.

I think we run it down their throats and get the W 🥳

Yeah, if I'm CU, I'm looking at the secondary and licking my lips. But that said, the Knights have the type of offense that can beat 'um by controling the time of possession and pounding the Buffs' DL. Run the ball!...Run the ball!...Run the ball!

 

[90Knight]

OL played very well overall. They created Running holes and gave KJ time. It looked like they only pressured KJ when they blitzed, but picked blitzes up for the most part. We seemed to convert on third and longs by running the ball all game. Those didn't seem like high percentage plays, yet we kept converting. Lots of confidence in the running game.

KJ looked like a poised veteran QB who knew he'd make the passes to come back and win the game. He's very calm and not frazzled.Showed he's been there before and the pressure at the end of the game didn't phase him. Missed that first deep.pass to Hudson, but settled down and Made big time throws all game. I feel much better about coming back if we fall behind. This is not just a running team. We can move the ball through the air. Nice to see no Ints.

The DL played great vs the run. We had several pressures but no sacks. Give credit to TCU's QB. He made great reads and got rid of the ball just as he's about to get hit. I think we'll get to other qbs. Kid from TCU looked very good all game.

 

[90Knight]

Roof was getting schooled the first half. Gotta give him credit for making adjustments in the second half. Defense came up big in the second half with multiple stops. The way our D played in the first half had me with no confidence we'd stop TCU's passing game, yet we even held them to that long FG attempt. Give up five more yards and the TCU kicker makes the winning FG. But our defense came up with a big stop!

 

[ucffan642]

I wish our corners would knock the WR’s at the line instead of letting them run free into their routes. It allowed them to use QUICK 5-10 yard routes (and turn them into 15-20 yd gains)

The quick passes nullified our pash rush

 

[beelit47]

I wish our corners would knock the WR’s at the line instead of letting them run free into their routes. It allowed them to use QUICK 5-10 yard routes (and turn them into 15-20 yd gains)

The quick passes nullified our pash rush

I kept saying this too. Maybe not wvery down but sometimes you gotta jam receivers to throw off the timing.

 

[U C to the F]

Pace is a fantastic tackler and player. He was a great pickup.

 

[lawknight]

Run D looks much improved. As has been repeated numerous time pass D needs work. I worry about pass teams Colorado and Arizona. Glad we don't play Texas Tech or Ok state (this sets up good for us). Iowa State had problems with Iowa's run game so that plays to a strength of ours paying at their house. Jefferson may be very good.

I do worry about coaching/clock management costing us a winnable game.

 

[AuburnLegacy_1]

I do worry about coaching/clock management costing us a winnable game.

Gus should have hired an analyst (like Terry Bowden) to help with game day coaching and clock management decisions.

Gus should have hired back David Gibbs as a defensive analyst to help with the secondary.

 

[Lord Christopher]

I am no expert but, early it looked like we were in a base defense with zone coverage. In the second half it seemed like more man coverage, especially 3rd down. Anybody else see it that way. Their QB was able to pick that zone apart in the first half. Which made the game hard to watch.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

Yeah, if I'm CU, I'm looking at the secondary and licking my lips. But that said, the Knights have the type of offense that can beat 'um by controling the time of possession and pounding the Buffs' DL. Run the ball!...Run the ball!...Run the ball!

Buffs O Line isn’t great so we might actually get some sacks. Win the turnover battle and we win game.

 

[connerito]

We are ranked number 16 on unbeaten teams by ESPN

 

[connerito]

I am no expert but, early it looked like we were in a base defense with zone coverage. In the second half it seemed like more man coverage, especially 3rd down. Anybody else see it that way. Their QB was able to pick that zone apart in the first half. Which made the game hard to watch.

I thought our DC made some nice adjustments at half

 

[KISA]

Takeaways...

Can this UCF team vie for the national championship? After that win in that environment, dare to dream.

Where will UCF be ranked this week?

TCU is good but not elite. We will see what our record is after playing Colorado and UF. Those 2 games will be big tests as well.

 

[vroomba]

We definitely have to figure something out on pass defense considering CU is gonna pass 40+ times. A bit surprised to not see Boone get a few more touches too considering his quality, but might need him fresh for the back half of the season.

 

[rainman614]

Mine:

I think it’s possible to improve the defense (pass D specifically) but not sure how significant. Saw several concerning issues tonight to put it mildly.

Special teams HAS to improve. No excuse for what we saw.

Gus needs to stop nerfing the offense and let it get cooking earlier with balanced play calling. Would love to see him feed KJ high percentage passes early to get him settled and comfortable.

I agree - our pass rush has to be better for Colorado. They are an all out air raid team. We need to use the bye week to improve our pass rushing. We cannot let Colorado throw the ball at will. We also need a good home crowd to get loud. Honestly, if we get a couple of hits on S. Sanders he appears to get more timid, while KJ appears to get more aggressive and run over players.

I want to Boomer make these chip shots. We all know he can do it. We have seen him do it the first half of last season. He was confident and had swagger. Somewhere there he lost his confidence and he folded with pressure. Also, I also want to see more effort to block their kicks when they have these 40+ yard field goals.

I'd like to see KJ make a couple of easy passes to start the game, like after we get our first, 1st down. Just something to get his completion % a bit better to start to build his confidence. They do that in the second half and he takes off. I don't disagree with him taking a long shot on one of the first plays though, just to test their secondary. I do believe we need to start the game with a run because we need to establish our dominance up front. If we can show them we can run at will then we end up being able to throw the ball better.

 

[rainman614]

TCU is good but not elite. We will see what our record is after playing Colorado and UF. Those 2 games will be big tests as well.

I keep hearing UF will fire Napier. Any word if it will be before or after the UCF game? I'd love to see Napier vs Norvell. Winner gets to keep their job!

 

[connerito]

I keep hearing UF will fire Napier. Any word if it will be before or after the UCF game? I'd love to see Napier vs Norvell. Winner gets to keep their job!

Both have big buyouts. Florida will move forward from Napier. FSU no way ( not this year) Florida has dreams of Lane Kiffin. I don’t see it happening, but that’s the word.

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

Not nearly enough pressure on the TCU QB. He had all day to throw!

 

[DaShuckster]

I'd like to see KJ make a couple of easy passes to start the game, like after we get our first, 1st down. Just something to get his completion % a bit better to start to build his confidence.

IMO, that's one of the keys to a Knight win. You can bet CU knows that UCF plans to run the ball down their throats. So their defensive game plan will be to 'load the box' and force KJ to throw the ball to beat them. As good as the Knights' ground game is, it's gonna be tough sustaining drives if they can't keep CU's defense honest.

 

[U C to the F]

Not scared of CU’s run defense and their OL will make our DL look like superstars. They haven’t lit it up against anyone, and they really haven’t played anyone. Struggle against SDS and CSU…Sorry, but I’m also not sold on NU being great.

The biggest disappointment I have this year is the DL, thought they would be a force and they aren’t. TCU used quick passing plays and tore up our 1st half zone, it reminded me of the SMU beat down on us the last time Sonny Dykes was coaching. Mikey Keene throwing it away out of bounds 20 times that game too, ugh such a bad game. Nonetheless, our 2nd half adjustments on defense were super refreshing to see, when’s the last time that happened at UCF? GOL days probably, but usually lacked the depth.

TCU is a really good team, dynamic offense. #3 made ridiculous catches, and that Bech guy, good lord. I think we will see how great that road win is later in the year when TCU is contending for a Big12 CCG spot.

 

[CBlackwellRN]

Run D looks much improved. As has been repeated numerous time pass D needs work. I worry about pass teams Colorado and Arizona. Glad we don't play Texas Tech or Ok state (this sets up good for us). Iowa State had problems with Iowa's run game so that plays to a strength of ours paying at their house. Jefferson may be very good.

I do worry about coaching/clock management costing us a winnable game.

I felt like Gus managed the clock really well Saturday for our winning drive. Perhaps he’s learning from his atrocious clock mgmt in the past.

 

[Central Floridave]

It's not your George O'leary's 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense anymore...

It's Gus's 7.6 yards and a cloud of dust offense.


RJ Harvey:

• CAR
  59
• YDS
  448
• TD
  8
• AVG
  7.6

 

[jared151]

I agree - our pass rush has to be better for Colorado. They are an all out air raid team. We need to use the bye week to improve our pass rushing. We cannot let Colorado throw the ball at will. We also need a good home crowd to get loud. Honestly, if we get a couple of hits on S. Sanders he appears to get more timid, while KJ appears to get more aggressive and run over players.

I want to Boomer make these chip shots. We all know he can do it. We have seen him do it the first half of last season. He was confident and had swagger. Somewhere there he lost his confidence and he folded with pressure. Also, I also want to see more effort to block their kicks when they have these 40+ yard field goals.

I'd like to see KJ make a couple of easy passes to start the game, like after we get our first, 1st down. Just something to get his completion % a bit better to start to build his confidence. They do that in the second half and he takes off. I don't disagree with him taking a long shot on one of the first plays though, just to test their secondary. I do believe we need to start the game with a run because we need to establish our dominance up front. If we can show them we can run at will then we end up being able to throw the ball better.

We need more height and power on our DL. I’m no expert but someone like #69 on our OL who stands at 6-10 330lbs should be there pushing and throwing his arms up to block those.

 

[knight_01]

I think our DC wanted to run a bend don't break defense. I am guessing that Gus' game plan was we could put up enough points to win in that scenario. So just play off the receivers and keep them in front. Wait for them to make a mistake and guess what? In the second half we started to see that success. There were a couple of drops from TCU which helped us out, and that's the goal of a bend defense. Let the other teams rack up first downs but make them have to string together 10-15 play drives and the chances of incompletes will likely cause a punt or FG. Whereas, on our side with a strong running game, the chances of stringing together a 10-15 play drive are much greater because a 0 yard gain on a run is way less common than a drop.

 

[Central Floridave]

TCU take:

We all knew that UCF was going to run the ball; that is their entire offensive identity. The Frogs knew that. Look at the first half; the defense was able to contain it and make UCF QB KJ Jefferson beat them. But something happened in the third quarter, completely changing the game's outcome. I wish I could pinpoint what it was. Even TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes says that the Knights showed nothing different in the second half compared to the first. THEY SHOWED NOTHING DIFFERENT. When you start getting gashed for 8+ yards at a time, you have to adjust; whether that is stacking the box with eight defenders or switching up the personnel, you must try something.

TCU Football: What Did We Learn Against UCF​

Story by JD Andress
• 21h • 3 min read
Linky: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/tcu-football-what-did-we-learn-against-ucf/ar-AA1qGksC

 

[U C to the F]

Sonny Dykes alluded to how gassed they were in the 2nd half b/c of the relentless and effective running of the ball from UCF. KJ, RJ, Penny, Miles and Johnny…fresh backs attacking a tired defense, it’s crazy to think about.

 

[AuburnLegacy_1]

Sonny Dykes alluded to how gassed they were in the 2nd half b/c of the relentless and effective running of the ball from UCF. KJ, RJ, Penny, Miles and Johnny…fresh backs attacking a tired defense, it’s crazy to think about.

UCF has FOUR running backs who average 6.0 yards per carry or more.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

As long as we score points it doesn’t matter if we run a lot or throw more to me. 35 points will win us quite a few games. Hope the points keep changing on scoreboard. I didn’t think we could beat TCU in a shootout but the great 2nd half by both sides did it.