UCF was going through a season of upheaval with new coaches, positions and players. Losing Justin Holman is one more wrench in the plan.
UCF knew there would be some differences entering the season. A lot of turnover and change occurred during the offseason.
Whether it was replacing the wide receivers or changing positions or a new assistant coaches and members of the coaching staff or the feeling the Knights could sustainably replace all this top-end talent even with inexperience.
It was a lot to ask from such a young roster. And the last thing UCF needed was more upheaval and change at one of its key leadership positions with one of its best players.
The bad news came down though Monday, although it was not as bad as it could have been in the long run.
Coach George O’Leary announced Justin Holman would miss 2-4 weeks after injuring his throwing hand on the third offensive play of Saturday’s loss to Stanford. O’Leary admitted the injury could have been worse than it was.
For the Knights though, it throws a huge wrench in their plans and their development as a team for the season. Already, UCF was staring down the realistic possibility of a 1-3 non-conference season after the loss to FIU with Stanford and South Carolina on the schedule. The two freshmen who will fight to replace Holman before he is expected to return sometime in early October will have their work cut out for them.
It was hard to differentiate the two O’Leary told Shannon Green of the Orlando Sentinel:
“The two kids that played are very similar, very similar. Both freshmen. One’s a redshirt freshman; [the other] a true freshman — very similar,” O’Leary said. “I thought they gave us a lot of different looks secondary-wise, coverage-wise. I thought the kids did a good job of getting the ball at times. At [other] times, they didn’t. At times they made freshmen mistakes.
“But overall, give credit to Stanford for clearing things up and putting some pressure on the quarterbacks when they [needed] to do that.”
Their final stat lines from the Stanford game? Bo Schneider, who got the initial call after Holman’s injury, went 7 for 19 for 46 yards. Tyler Harris went 7 for 15 for 96 yards with UCF’s lone touchdown. Schneider did lead a solid drive in the second quarter with the score still tied at zero, but a fumble from William Stanback ended the drive.
In the immediate pressure of the Stanford game, there was little opportunity to open the playbook up and UCF was more or less trying to stay alive and afloat. It was not until the urgency of a two-minute drill in the fourth quarter that Harris was able to find Tre’Quan Smith for a touchdown. It was the best passing performance all game.
UCF’s strategy almost needs to change overnight. That is not a good sign considering how much the run game has struggled during the first two weeks. So that leaves UCF still relying on one of its two freshmen quarterbacks to step up.
Furman should be a good place to experiment and gain confidence — for both the quarterbacks and the run game. But it still leaves UCF in a lurch.
Even before then, it certainly seemed like UCF was struggling to adjust and grow together with all the changes — both on the field and off. The young players were trying to fill into the new roles. And the growing pains were apparent as the Knights struggled for consistency against FIU.
Except at quarterback. Holman was a constant performer and made plays where others struggled. The Knights will certainly miss that.
They have to find a way to adjust though. At least for the while Holman is out.
