UCF going for sweep of Tulane — and AAC title
As UCF and USF were battling back and forth last week, Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt closely watched.
The Boca Raton native knew if the Knights won, his Green Wave would get a second chance against them in the AAC championship in New Orleans.
It’s what they’ve wanted since their 38-31 loss to UCF on Nov. 12.
“Honestly, I was almost pulling for them,” Pratt said of last Saturday’s matchup in Tampa. “I wanted to see these guys again.”
The Knights blew a 28point lead, trailed and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left to win in dramatic fashion 46-39 over USF.
The victory put them in the AAC title game for the first time since 2018.
For Tulane, the result means a shot at revenge.
The Green Wave beat Cincinnati 27-24 to earn the right to host the conference championship.
“We left a lot on the field [in] the first go around but just that opportunity to play them again … hopefully [we] get after them really good,” Pratt said.
Tulane coach Willie Fritz has watched a lot of film from the first matchup.
“There are some things, obviously, they had a lot of success with — mainly the quarterback run,” he said. “We need to do a much better job in that area.”
UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee ran for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Green Wave. He added 132 passing yards and one touchdown through the air as well.
“He’s got great speed, great movement,” Fritz said. “He’s a big guy. You’re not going to take him down with an arm tackle.”
Tulane senior linebacker Nick Anderson remembers Plumlee well. The Knights recorded 468 total yards,
336 of which came on the ground, while going 10 of 18 on third down.
“Not being able to stop the run and not being able to get off the field on third down really was a thorn in our side,” Anderson said. “It was more of a frustration, not with the coaches, but with myself and my level of play. There were plays in that game where I was undisciplined.”
Anderson was critical of himself following Tulane’s defensive performance. If his team got another chance at the Knights, he’s certain of a different outcome.
“Because that’s not us,” Anderson said. “We’re not a team that goes out and gives up [almost] 500 yards. It’s definitely something that’s been on my mind since then and it’s something we intend to fix on Saturday.”
Hosting UCF again with a championship at stake, the Green Wave have history on their side, too.
Since the AAC championship game started in 2015, no team has ever won on the road during the regular season against the team hosting the title game and won there again to claim the championship.
“We’re super excited just to get to clean up some of the details from the last time we played them and get to showcase what we’ve been working on,” Pratt said.