UCF’s dramatic transformation
The stage was set for the UCF football team to stomp small, vulnerable South Carolina State quick and early during its season opener before an announced home crowd of 36,260 fans Saturday.
Instead of an early crush to kick off the tenure of new coach Scott Frost, Knights fans settled for slowly wearing down the Bulldogs during a 38-0win.
Redshirt sophomore kicker Matt Wright gave the Knights an early advantage, tying a UCF single game record with four field goals before halftime.
UCF struggled to punch in a touchdown despite starting drives from South Carolina State’s territory twice in the first half— one of those set up by a 37-yard punt return from Chris Johnson and the other triggered by a fumble Jamiyus Pittman recovered recovery.
Senior quarterback Justin Holman finally put the Knights’ first touchdown on the board with 1:45 remaining before halftime when he sprinted into the end zone for a 10-yard score.
Holman got off to a rough start running Frost’s rapid-fire offense, taking a line drive sack that popped his helmet off in the first quarter. He rallied in the third quarter, reminding fans about his big playmaking ability when he zipped a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith. The play cemented UCF’s 31-0 rout before the fourth quarter kicked off.
Holman completed 6 of 8 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown pass in the third quarter alone. Overall,
he finished the night 14-for-28 for 193 yards and was sacked three times.
The victory snapped a 13-game losing streak dating back to UCF’s loss against NC State in the2014 Bitcoin Bowl. The Knights (1-0) shut out the Bulldogs (0-1) 17-0 in the teams’ only other previous meeting in 2008.
After finishing last place among Football Bowl Subdivision schools in total offense and No. 113 in defense last season, it was UCF’s defense that made the more consistent statement.
In all, the Knights forced three turnovers. True freshman defensive lineman Trysten Hill and redshirt junior linebacker Shaquem Griffin collected their first career sacks. Defensive lineman Joey Connors forced and recovered a fumble and Shaquill Griffin cameup with the team’s first interception since Nov. 7, 2015, against Tulsa.
Coincidentally, Shaquill Griffin is the most recent player to run back an interception for a touchdown, a feat he accomplished on the road against Temple last season with an 81-yard return.
UCF’s new fast offense got off to a slower start, but Holman showed signs of what he can do in the middle of the third quarter when he connected with freshman receiver Dredrick Snelson for a 32-yard gain. The Knights ultimately scored on that drive, with senior running back Dontravious Wilson delivering the team’s first rushing touchdown since Nov. 7 against Tulsa.
It took a little while for UCF’s offense to hit the gas, but once players found a rhythm in the second half, they never looked back. In all, UCF amassed 462 total yards of offense.
Despite the Knights’ winless 2015 record, South
Carolina State coach Oliver Pough said he expected a tough challenge. After all, Pough didn’t have any tape to review for UCF’s new system and no one on his staff had any experience coaching against an Oregonoffense and defense. The Bulldogs also sported a significantly smaller roster, which made it difficult to field a scout team in practice.
“These guys will just try to run 100 miles per hour against you if they can and that justwears you down at a point in a game when things are critical,” Pough said of UCF before the game.
The Knights will surely enjoy the win after failing to score a victory last season, but tougher tests loom.
UCF will soon begin preparation to play atNo. 7 Michigan on Saturday.