As the Knights prepare
to face Maryland, what does UCF coach Scott Frost want? It’s simple: the offensive talent possessed by the Terrapins.
When UCF coach Scott Frost looks across at this week’s opponent, he does so with a bit of envy.
Frost wants his Knights to do a much better job of running the football than they did during a blowout victory over FIU to open the season. He wants to
see some holes opened up by his offensive line. He wants his running backs to hit those holes faster, and he wants to see them hit the open field with the speed he envisioned when he came to UCF.
He wants, in essence, what Maryland already has established.
The Terrapins enter Saturday’s game against the Knights at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium ranked No. 9 nationally in rushing offense, averaging 315 yards per game during victories over Texas and in-state FCS foe Towson.
UCF’s defense says bring it on.
“That’s always a challenge we want,” UCF defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said. “We don’t want somebody that’s averaging 100 yards a game. We want the best of the best. If you want the heavyweight championship, you gotta beat the champion sometimes. It’s gonna be a good one. I’m excited.”
Ty Johnson is the leader of the Terps rushing attack and he averages 128 yards per game, but more impressively, he’s reeling off yards at a clip of 15 yards per carry. Against UCF, Johnson is looking to become only the third player in Maryland history to run for at least 100 yards in five consecutive games.
The Terps also feature Lorenzo Harrison III, who can be dangerous as well.
He rushed for 633 yards last season and was 57 yards shy of the Maryland record for a freshman when he was suspended for the final four games after he was accused of firing Airsoft guns at passersby. Charges were eventually dropped due to lack of evidence and Harrison was reinstated to the team.
During the first two games this season, Harrison, who led the Terps with 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in last season’s 30-24 double-overtime victory over UCF, has been a workhorse. He has 78 yards and a team-high 19 carries, and he’ll be looking for more Saturday.
“Obviously they’re very athletic and they have some big offensive linemen. They have two really good running backs … that can hit a hole and go for 60-70 yards,” UCF defensive lineman Joey Connors said.
“It’s definitely a challenge, but we love the challenge as a D-Line. We’re excited to go up there and try to shut it down.”
Meanwhile, FIU essentially shut down UCF’s rushing attack during the season opener. It’s difficult to evaluate the ground attack when the Knights put up more than 400 yards in the air, but more consistency from the rushing attack would certainly take pressure off sophomore quarterback McKenzie Milton.
While the Knights aren’t looking to pound the ball down their opponents’ throats, Frost said his running game needs to do more than its 148 yards against FIU.
Frost has said the pieces in the running game are much better than last year, given the experience of offensive line, the return of top rushers Jawon Hamilton, Adrian Killins and Taj McGowan and the addition of freshman Cordarrian Richardson. The Knights, however, did not show that type of production in the first game and they averaged a paltry 3.6 yards per carry.
McGowan said the running backs need to be more patient and have confidence that the offensive line will open up the holes.
“When we see a hole, hit it instead of running to the outside all the time. We’re not really gaining yards by running out. You get yards by running forward,” Hamilton said. “The offensive line and running backs, we’re tied in. That’s the heart of our offense. We can’t get anything done without the front five. As long as they’re on their Ps and Qs, then everyone else can execute what they have to do.”
The offensive line is well aware of its role in opening up the holes and holding blocks a bit longer.
“We’ve been working on aggression. We’ve been trying to come off the ball harder and trying to work our hips into the blocks … and get like blades of grass, and inches, just trying to force our way through the line of scrimmage,” said offensive lineman Jordan Johnson.
“We want to move the defensive line, against their will and surge off the ball.”