UCF could not get its offense going and mistakes compounded the problem in a surprising, upset loss to Furman at home.
The story felt so painfully familiar in this young season for UCF.
The run game was not getting anywhere. The young quarterbacks were not ready to make the big plays needed to win games. The defense got worn down in the end, giving up the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
Yes, Saturday’s 16-15 loss to Furman at Bright House Networks Stadium felt eerily similar to UCF. A pattern has established and it is not a good one for the Knights, left looking for answers following their game against an FCS opponent. A lot of long-term goals have to be called into question with one more game against South Carolina in non conference before American season starts.
There are a lot of questions to answer. Because once again, UCF’s offense struggled simply to move the ball.
The Knights gained just 269 yards, passing for only 98 yards. The Knights came no closer to answering their question at quarterback, splitting the time with Bo Schneider and Tyler Harris. Schneider played the majority of the first half, going 7 for 11 for 63 yards and Harris playing most of the second half, going 7 for 17 for 35 yards.
Schneider was probably the most effective. He got the ball moving int eh first half as UCF took a 12-0 lead on a touchdown, field goal and safety. The touchdown received a big boost from Nick Patti, who ran several plays out of the “wildcat” formation. He rushed for a team-high 58 yards on 14 carries.
That began to disappear in the second half as Furman adjusted to the formation and what UCF was trying to do.
The success with the formation hid some problems though. Those problems came to roost in the second half.
The Knights had two turnovers erased off of video replay. But the bug continued to hit in the second half as the Knights committed four turnovers. No matter how much talent a team may have over another, four turnovers is often too much to overcome.
The Knights threw three interceptions and had one fumble. The fumble came with UCF preparing to drive for the go-ahead field goal. The interception came on UCF’s final possession, Schneider’s first of the second half, as the Knights had to drive from their own 10-yard line to get into field goal range.
If the level of play for UCF was not enough to cause concern, so too was the injury bug. Jordan Akins suffered a gruesome leg injury on the first drive of the game. Taking away UCF’s best offensive option.
Without all that, the Knights struggled to find a rhythm and struggled to gain a foothold on the game. Furman had a good game plan and executed it well. The Paladins were the aggressors defensively and forced the Knights to their back foot.
Reese Hannon was able to get into a rhythm offensively as UCF’s defense went in and out of periods of dominance and periods of getting dominated. The Knights could not consistently get pressure and the Paladins seemed to find a way to keep drives alive or flip field position.
With an offense struggling to find its identity with Justin Holman out, not having the opportunity for easy scores really hurt. And its own mistakes compounded the problems for the Knights.
Once again, UCF is asking itself the same questions it had after the FIU loss. Maybe more alarmingly now with conference play right around the corner.
