ADVERTISEMENT

Duke vs UCF Military Bowl

Agreed, that is the media take that UCF is not taking this 'lower-tier' bowl serious.

Kind of funny though.
I agree with the take. UCF wanted to be in Cotton Bowl. Nobody cares about a "military bowl." It is no different than uat playing in a meaningless NY6 bowl. I don't think the Knights will be as motivated to play as Duke. UCF should be playing USC on Jan. 1.

Not saying UCF will lose, but I would bet on Duke. The Blue Devils have a top 25 rush defense.

Jess Simpson would have been an excellent pick as defensive coordinator.
 
UCF is the better team at full strength but they clearly aren't right now with injuries and defections. I’m not sure this lower-tier bowl matters that much to the Knights.

only losers think like that. and if gus is going to be that kind of coach i don't want any part of it. so we'd be so disappointed that our own poor play caused us to not be in a better bowl, that we would mail it and show everyone our true colors. wow. we're playing in the game that's suitable for our level of performance in 2022.
 
I agree with the take. UCF wanted to be in Cotton Bowl. Nobody cares about a "military bowl." It is no different than uat playing in a meaningless NY6 bowl. I don't think the Knights will be as motivated to play as Duke. UCF should be playing USC on Jan. 1.

Not saying UCF will lose, but I would bet on Duke. The Blue Devils have a top 25 rush defense.

Jess Simpson would have been an excellent pick as defensive coordinator.
Just for clarification... I did not say the Knights will lose. I am only saying if I was betting the game, I would take Duke. I never bet against Gus. I always believe he will find a way.
 
Last edited:
Just for clarification... I did not say the Knights will lose. I am only saying if I was betting the game, I would take Duke. I never bet against Gus.
Wtf are you talking about? You’re not saying we will lose but you’d bet on Duke and never bet against Gus? Do you even know what you’re saying?
 
You’re not saying we will lose but you’d bet on Duke and never bet against Gus?
Yes. You understood correctly.

No. 1, I am NOT predicting UCF to lose.

No. 2, I am saying that the safer bet, for a betting man, is to take Duke at -3. If you held a gun to my head and made me bet, I would be crazy not to take Duke because Duke ended the season playing better football and is more motivated to play in a weed wacker bowl than UCF, which had its sites set on a bigger prize. (Thus, I agree with the take and the line.)

No. 3, lastly I do not bet--and I certainly have NEVER bet against Gus and NEVER will. Gus will find a way to win against all odds.
 
Last edited:
Just for clarification... I did not say the Knights will lose. I am only saying if I was betting the game, I would take Duke. I never bet against Gus. I always believe he will find a way.
Never bet against Gus? Do you know what his bowl record as a HC is? 3-5.
 
I think this is a good match up for this year. We have some real holes to fill. Hopefully a # of the banged up that are staying get healthy enough to compete at a reasonable level. Especially Plumlee.
 
We still play like crap outside of Florida, generally. A lot of guys on this roster have a ton to prove if they want to be a part of something going forward so if they come out flat we've got a lot of problems moving forward beyond talent/depth. Looking back at the seasons we lost the bowl games it can be very deflating heading into a long offseason. I think Gus will be very motivated - can he motivate the guys?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ReturnOf
Today's US airline cancellations as of 7am. One of these is not like the others:
2511 - Southwest
75 - Spirit
63 - Alaska
60 - United
34 - Delta
20 - JetBlue
14 - American
 
  • Like
Reactions: Knight Strength
Let’s get back on track…no idea why some of you think we get blown out here. If JRP is healthy, I think this is an outstanding matchup for us. Duke has literally played no one of worth.

https://saturdayblitz.com/2022/12/11/grading-bowl-game-includes-floridian-team/
I don’t know about a blow out, I think UCF’s offense will be able to move the ball. But as much as I want UCF to do well, there’s just no way to ignore how thin they will be on defense. How can you overlook how they finished the season against Navy/USF/Tulane, and think, ‘sure, they’ll be fine’?

Down D. Brown, D. Wilson, Q. Bullard, J. Jean-Baptiste, and possibly T. Morris-Brash (in a sling, how are none of our beat writers asking/talking about this?), I think this could get very ugly on defense.

And before you respond, ‘those guys that are out were bad anyway, let’s give the younger guys a shot’, I’m just not sure they’re ready. Obviously, if those back-ups were stronger options, they would have been playing more in Nov/Dec when our defense was sinking.

Duke is a top-five offense in the ACC (total yards, rushing, scoring). I think they easily clear their season average of 33.0 point per game.

Prediction: Duke 41, UCF 27
 
  • Like
Reactions: PositYourself
I don’t know about a blow out, I think UCF’s offense will be able to move the ball. But as much as I want UCF to do well, there’s just no way to ignore how thin they will be on defense. How can you overlook how they finished the season against Navy/USF/Tulane, and think, ‘sure, they’ll be fine’?

Down D. Brown, D. Wilson, Q. Bullard, J. Jean-Baptiste, and possibly T. Morris-Brash (in a sling, how are none of our beat writers asking/talking about this?), I think this could get very ugly on defense.

And before you respond, ‘those guys that are out were bad anyway, let’s give the younger guys a shot’, I’m just not sure they’re ready. Obviously, if those back-ups were stronger options, they would have been playing more in Nov/Dec when our defense was sinking.

Duke is a top-five offense in the ACC (total yards, rushing, scoring). I think they easily clear their season average of 33.0 point per game.

Prediction: Duke 41, UCF 27
This!
 
I don’t know about a blow out, I think UCF’s offense will be able to move the ball. But as much as I want UCF to do well, there’s just no way to ignore how thin they will be on defense. How can you overlook how they finished the season against Navy/USF/Tulane, and think, ‘sure, they’ll be fine’?

Down D. Brown, D. Wilson, Q. Bullard, J. Jean-Baptiste, and possibly T. Morris-Brash (in a sling, how are none of our beat writers asking/talking about this?), I think this could get very ugly on defense.

And before you respond, ‘those guys that are out were bad anyway, let’s give the younger guys a shot’, I’m just not sure they’re ready. Obviously, if those back-ups were stronger options, they would have been playing more in Nov/Dec when our defense was sinking.

Duke is a top-five offense in the ACC (total yards, rushing, scoring). I think they easily clear their season average of 33.0 point per game.

Prediction: Duke 41, UCF 27
The only response I have to that is look at the turds we laid down the stretch in 2021 and what happened in the bowl. usf by all accounts should have beat us last year and they had no defensive coordinator. Then next game we beat UF.
 
The only response I have to that is look at the turds we laid down the stretch in 2021 and what happened in the bowl. usf by all accounts should have beat us last year and they had no defensive coordinator. Then next game we beat UF.
Lol UF was without a HC and had a ton of opt outs (so did we, I realize that). The stakes were much higher for Malzahn and UCF to build momentum into the following season.

Duke has zero opt outs, all the same starters from the regular season, and a first-year HC (ACC Coach of the Year) that desperately wants a bowl win to take momentum into next season.

You are comparing apples to oranges. It’s okay to be a fan and hope your team wins, but I don’t buy that comparison at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PositYourself
What kind of effect will the cold weather have on Plumlee hamstring is my biggest question? If Plumlee can run and has a good game, we win.

We will also get a sneak peak on how the defense will look next season in this game. It seems like T-Will liked to blitz a lot and got burnt from time to time from over blitzing. We will see how other Williams calls the defense in this game.
 
What kind of effect will the cold weather have on Plumlee hamstring is my biggest question? If Plumlee can run and has a good game, we win.

We will also get a sneak peak on how the defense will look next season in this game. It seems like T-Will liked to blitz a lot and got burnt from time to time from over blitzing. We will see how other Williams calls the defense in this game.
Go Knights, Charge on
 
It's going to be close and then turn into a bloodbath in the second half.

JRP will play in the first half and TC will be dead to rights in the second.
 
I agree with the take. UCF wanted to be in Cotton Bowl. Nobody cares about a "military bowl." It is no different than uat playing in a meaningless NY6 bowl. I don't think the Knights will be as motivated to play as Duke. UCF should be playing USC on Jan. 1.

Not saying UCF will lose, but I would bet on Duke. The Blue Devils have a top 25 rush defense.

Jess Simpson would have been an excellent pick as defensive coordinator.
I can't understand that thinking. Who wants to lose...ever? True competitors never want to lose....even in a pickup game on a playground.
 
What kind of effect will the cold weather have on Plumlee hamstring is my biggest question? If Plumlee can run and has a good game, we win.

We will also get a sneak peak on how the defense will look next season in this game. It seems like T-Will liked to blitz a lot and got burnt from time to time from over blitzing. We will see how other Williams calls the defense in this game.
This is what I am very interested in. Although AW did say he's not going to change a whole lot, I am thinking we might see more man coverage. TW was a lot of zone coverage and I have to think the CB coach wants to man up. We'll see though!
 
There is a lot of pressure on Plumlee, essentially last time he is with the team till June. WRs want the ball, if he can't get it to them they will remember. If McClain or Castallanos develops a better chemistry leading the offense during the spring, it's a terrible decision to ignore that.
 
ADVERTISEMENT