The 2024 season started slow, but the UCF Knights got the train rolling in a 57-3 beat down of the New Hampshire Wildcats. It’s knee-jerk reaction time.
Second Verse…Same as the First
We’ve seen this before. Over the previous two seasons, UCF was led by John Rhys Plumlee, a running quarterback with accuracy inconsistencies. New quarterback KJ Jefferson did not have a hot start. Before the last drive in the first half, Jefferson was 2/8 for 23 yards. When the Knights got the ball back at their own 20 with 0:43 left in the half, Jefferson hit a jump ball to Kobe Hudson for 46 yards en route to an RJ Harvey rushing touchdown. He also had a bad interception in the second half where the passing lane was clogged and putting a little air underneath would have avoided the turnover. Head coach Gus Malzahn admitted he made a few bad calls that led to the slow start.
Jefferson did settle down a bit after the turnover and was able to take advantage of the wheel route with both of his second-half touchdown passes going to his running backs. One was to Myles Montgomery for 49 yards and the other to Johnny Richardson for 22 yards. Jefferson finished the day completing his last four passes before leaving the game for the second unit.
Jefferson is going to have to figure out how to get the ball to his wide receivers. No wide receiver other than Kobe Hudson had a catch and his accuracy did not look solid. Even on his completions, the passes required some adjusting to the ball. The Knights would have had one to two more touchdowns with more accurate passing. That’s why schools like scheduling FCS teams early on. While we know what Kobe Hudson and Xavier Townsend can do, someone has to step up and help out.
The Run Game is as Good as Advertised
We knew coming in that UCF was going to be a run-heavy team and they did not disappoint. In our preview, we noted that UCF is a running team and they were going to run New Hampshire’s defense into the ground. They did just that. The team ran for 199 yards in the first half, helping them score 20 offensive points. Leading the attack was Harvey, who eclipsed 100 yards rushing on a 13-yard touchdown to put the Knights ahead 29-3. He also had a 60-yard run earlier in the game.
As expected, UCF’s running backs gashed overmatched New Hampshire in the second half. Montgomery caught a pass from Jefferson and scored on a 49-yard pass and catch and on the ensuing drive, Peny Boone exploded on a 59-yard touchdown run as the blowout continued. Harvey and Montgomery each had runs of 20+ yards while Richardson, Jacurri Brown, and Townsend all had runs of at least 10 yards.
The Ted Roof Defense Shows Up
Looking at the depth chart, you knew this defense was going to be different than the ones Travis Williams and Addison Williams brought. Last year was Addison Williams’ first year as a defensive coordinator and it showed. Ted Roof brings in many years of experience that Williams can absorb. The defense used a more traditional nickel defense with sophomore Braeden Marshall filling that role. Marshall was very active with four tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup. The lead defender was linebacker Deshawn Pace. The Cincinnati transfer led UCF with five tackles and a first-half interception that was returned inside the New Hampshire five-yard line. The Knights would score a touchdown shortly after. Another transfer, East Carolina’s Antoine Jackson, had the other interception for the Knights.
While the defense did not record any sacks, they did record five quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss. They played tighter coverage and were in a better position to make a play. Injured defensive lineman John Walker was missed.
UCF’s Special Teams was on Point
Last year, special teams were always a problem for the Knights. While one game against an FCS opponent isn’t a good judge if the issues that plagued the unit are gone, but tonight was certainly a trend in the right direction. Kicker Colton Boomer had a sophomore slump last year, hitting only 13 of his 21 field goal attempts. Against New Hampshire, the UCF kicker was perfect, connecting on both of his field goal attempts and all seven of his extra points. His longest field goal was 44 yards. This has to be a confidence booster for him.
Townsend was very impressive as the lead return man. He returned three kicks with an average of 28 yards per return and six punts with an average of 14.3 yards. He made better decisions about changing directions and avoiding bad returns than he did last year. Punter Mitch McCarthy wasn’t needed all that much, punting the ball twice with a respectable 37.5-yard average.
The special team’s defense got in the action too. Yet another transfer, Ole Miss’ Ladarius Tennison, blocked a punt that was recovered by the Wildcats in the end zone for a safety. Unfortunately, the Knights were not able to capitalize on the ensuing offensive drive.
Uniform Review
UCF went with their black helmet with white script Knights. A new wrinkle this year is a white facemask, which meshed amazingly well with the rest of the uniform. Along with the helmet, the Knights went with their normal black top and black bottom. With the gold trim being very subtle, this is practically a black/white combo and it worked.
The predicted score was 56-10. I got pretty close.
Stat Leaders
Passing
UCF: KJ Jefferson: 7/14 for 164 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
UNH: Seth Morgan: 14/28 for 95 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int
Rushing
UCF: R.J. Harvey: 11 carries for 142 yards, 2 TD
UNH: Myles Thomason: 10 carries for 20 yards, 0 TD
Receiving
UCF: Kobe Hudson: 2 catches for 61 yards, 0 TD
UNH: Logan Tomlinson: 2 catches for 73 yards, 0 TD
Game Notes
- UCF leads the series 1-0.
- UCF has won every season opener since 2016. That’s nine seasons.
- UCF’s 454 rushing yards as a team in a single game is a program record since joining the FBS in 1996. The previous record was 402 yards. The all-time record is 461 yards set in 1992.
- Sorry, it’s not my best, but the KJR transferred again in the offseason.
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