Things went from bad to worse for the UCF Knights in a blowout home loss to the UConn Huskies.
Every time UCF seems to hit rock bottom this year, the team finds a new low to sink to.
Unexplainably, frustratingly and helplessly further down into the abyss.
The Knights are 0-6. Their own mistakes are to blame again. More turnovers, disorganization and poor play. UCF is as bad as its 0-6 record indicates. Their descent into the pit feels complete after Connecticut UCF 40-13 at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday.
Not even the return of Justin Holman could help.
Sure, Holman led a strong 13-play, 73-yard drive for a field goal to open the game. But then it quickly devolved into an embarrassment with UCF giving up big plays, baffling blunders and just the kind of things you expect from a team that is 0-6 and deserves to be.
The Huskies answered the Knights initial field goal with a touchdown. Then the comedy of errors began.
UCF was set to return the kick. Hayden Jones took it at the goal line, took one step out and thought he had not left the endzone. The referees called it what it was — a safety.
The rout began from there. The Huskies scored 31 points from that point unanswered. The Knights, without a run game, began forcing things as Holman and the offense grew more and more frustrated. Holman was decent in his return with 255 yards and a touchdown on 27-for-50 throwing. But the fact he needed to throw the ball 50 times said all that was needed about an offense that has no dimension to it.
The defense could not support the offense, not with Holman throwing three interceptions on top of all the offense’s troubles. The Knights seemed to be digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole.
Connecticut was just there to take advantage. Bryant Shirreffs threw 16 for 22 for 255 yards. Noel Thomas, Alec Bloom and Arkeel Newsome each had 60 yards receiving. The Knights could not stop anyone in the air. And giving up a short field — UConn’s started three drives inside UCF’s 40-yard line thanks to turnovers — only made the task more difficult.
The Knights were just not in the game at a certain point. Holman’s frustration seemed to grow as receivers dropped passes and passes sailed by them. It was a failure in all three phases yet again for UCF.
There seems to be no panacea and no way out.
