UCF’s offense is struggling with the change at quarterback. The defense can be a saving grace though giving them the opportunity to stay in games.
UCF needs to find positives wherever it can find them.
Three straight losses to open the season, including the first loss to a FCS opponent in the program’s FBS history, has the program feeling very down. Possibly down enough to consider a repeat of the disastrous 2004 season. Going 0-11 still seems a bit far fetched with the talent on this roster. Then again, the two best chances at a win have already passed them by.
While the offense adjusts to life without Justin Holman, the defense has been something of a constant. Not a strong constant, but a constant.
At the end of the Knights’ 16-15 loss, coach George O’Leary said he was not displeased with his team’s defense. That is not soaring praise, but considering how much the Knights struggled throughout the game in just about all phases, it is probably the best compliment the team could get.
O’Leary told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel:
“I thought the four front guys put some pretty good heat on the kid.
“We gotta close coverage. We were very light in the first half on a lot of the slant angles and some of the other routes. We’ve gotta transition quicker … too much cushion. … I think that’s just some youth in that area, but we’ve just gotta keep working with them so they have more confidence in what they’re doing.”
Again, the criticism is somewhat muted all things considered.
UCF got its first two sacks of the season showing better progress at getting into the backfield and creating some pressure. The Knights also recorded a safety in the first half to go up 12-0.
In total, UCF gave up only 270 yards on offense, just one more yard than UCF gained in the game. In that sense, the Knights did enough to keep themselves in the game. All any team can ask of its offense is a chance to win at the end.
Of course, Reese Hannon got himself going late in the game passing for 188 yards on 15-for-29 passing. He picked the Knights apart on the go-ahead drive that the Knights could not respond to.
In all three games so far, the UCF defense has been something of a bright spot. They kept the game tight against Stanford, a team that just defeated USC on the road, for a half before the pressure became too much. And for much of the game dominated FIU until they too had to crack.
The lesson of the first three games might very well be that the defense is what was expected. It has some issues getting consistent pressure and still some issues in the secondary to resolve, but it has done consistently well enough to stay in the conversation.
As the Knights answer the questions about their offense more and more, their defense is going to have to continue to do its part and give them a chance.
For now — and maybe excluding the South Carolina game this weekend — they will give the team that opportunity. And that is all they can ask for.
