Maryland 34-UCF 18

[Central Floridave]

LOL at the scout qb joke. LOL in a sad way though if it wasn't so true.

#banconferencerefs

 

[SublimeKnight]

LOL at the scout qb joke. LOL in a sad way though if it wasn't so true.

#banconferencerefs

 

[MI-Fan50]

I agree with the OP UCF 34 Maryland 18

You guys have better athletes and Scott Frost looks like a good HC. Durkin is a good defensive coach but he had some flaws for us and I'm not sold yet on him being good at the bigman job.

#UCFSpeed wins this game

And NEVER EVER kick the ball to Will Likely!

 

[jetsaholic]

I agree with the OP UCF 34 Maryland 18

You guys have better athletes and Scott Frost looks like a good HC. Durkin is a good defensive coach but he had some flaws for us and I'm not sold yet on him being good at the bigman job.

#UCFSpeed wins this game

And NEVER EVER kick the ball to Will Likely!

It's actually #UCFast but thanks for the compliment regardless!!!!!

 

[Mikesi]

Thanks for the link, I watched a little in between banging out some work. Some notes from what I saw:

1. We better fix the issues on special teams and be screwed on tight (obvious, but especially facing Maryland). The announcers specifically mentioned that Durkin is one of those coaches who plays a lot of his starters on ST. Will Likely on returns is a known and feared threat. FIU's short kickoffs to avoid Likely seemed to payoff pretty well as the up guys struggled a few times to corral the ball and that kept Maryland at least inside their own 30. If Legatron can't put it deep into the EZ due to wind or whatever then I'd look for us to utilize some of that. Maryland mixed in pop-up placement kickoffs with driven kickoffs into the end zone to FIU, so I'd look for them to continue that to keep our kickoff return crew guessing.

2. Senior QB Hills was impressive. No single standout skill or attribute but he seems to do everything pretty well. Good size and toughness. Nice functional mobility with a second gear in the open field. The arm strength looks about average. He was accurate and looked in complete control of the offense. You can win a lot of games with a guy like this with the right pieces around him. Could end up being the difference in the game this Saturday.

3. Little true freshman running back Harrison is very shifty and has speed to house it. They rotate a lot of guys at RB. D.J. Moore is the clear favorite receiver of Hills. Moore displays good hands and speed. Moore DESTROYED the FIU corner on a stutter and go for a TD -- Need good coverage on Moore to force Hills to go elsewhere with the ball, but Maryland will move him all over the field and ensure he gets his touches. Moore completed a pass to QB Hills on a double reverse almost identical to what we ran with Payton to Holman against SC State.

4. I saw some sloppy tackling in Maryland's secondary. If we can get the ball to some playmakers in space there's a good chance of exploiting that for big gains. FIU was able to open up some holes in the running game early, but they fell so far behind so quickly that they couldn't really build on that later in the game. FIU's starting QB went down early in the game and then returned in the 2nd half. The weather got real messy early in the 2nd half.

5. The announcers did not seem to think UCF (or Purdue in week 4) has a chance. They were advancing Maryland to 4-0 already when looking ahead at their schedule. Here's hoping Maryland's players are looking past UCF as well.

I think it will be a big ask of our UCF squad to beat Maryland. They look pretty deep at all positions. Their lines are big and strong like you'd expect when a P5 team comes to town - I expect them to be winning the line of scrimmage the majority of the night. Most importantly, they have a Senior QB who can get the ball to his playmakers and he can also use his mobility to convert first downs when we do neutralize the other weapons around him. We need a big and loud crowd and a few favorable bounces to pull this one to our favor, IMO.

Thanks for the very good analysis. I read the whole thing and fully agree.
I never expected us to win this game and although i would be surprised if they blew us out at home, a win would definitely be well earned and an upset.

I think fan expections are a little too high for us and this game at this point.

If we win, that would be so huge.

 

[Mikesi]

Since Frost isn't letting on which QB will play, Maryland is currently preparing for both by blindfolding their scout team QB and having him randomly throw long balls

We need to air it out a few times if we can get the QB the time. Holman does throw a nice deep ball.

 

[SCKnight]

We need to air it out a few times if we can get the QB the time. Holman does throw a nice deep ball.

We just need to get the short routes working to keep them honest. If they have to sit back then the run game will eat them. I think one of Holman's problems is he holds the ball too long looking for the long ball to get open.

 

[HammerB08]

Thanks for the very good analysis. I read the whole thing and fully agree.
I never expected us to win this game and although i would be surprised if the blew us out at home, a win would definitely be well earned and an upset.

I think fan expections are a little too high for us and this game at this point.

If we win, that would be so huge.

Thanks, it was a worthwhile watch considering it involves both of our upcoming opponents. I'll be pleased with our September if we keep this Maryland game to within a 2 possession game and we beat FIU with some authority. Everyone needs to remember 2-2 is a good September for this team coming off last year.

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

20 point adjustment for B1G referees, seems about right.

I'm tellin ya! That Michigan bias from the refs was just sick!

 

[UCFBS]

Those were AAC refs last Saturday that missed all the holds and ejected a UCF player on a clean hit.

Huh? I thought we had the contract that showed Big 10 refs? Even the Michigan fans were agreeing it was bad.

 

[pittstoner74]

Now with Milton being the starter, I have more confidence we blow them out. 38-14 if not more.