UCF, Georgia Tech ready to battle in Gasparilla Bowl
TAMPA — UCF will close out its debut Big 12 football season with a Power Five showdown against a relatively familiar opponent under the leadership of an extremely familiar head coach.
The Knights (6-6) face Georgia Tech (6-6) at 6:30 p.m. Friday night in the UnionHome Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. This marks the sixth head-to-head meeting between the two schools, with UCF coming away victorious in both 2020 and ‘22.
Last year’s UCF triumph resulted in the dismissal of Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins. Longtime UCF assistant Brent Key, initially promoted to fill the vacancy on an interim basis, earned the full-time gig after steering the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 finish.
“It’s my alma mater versus my wife’s alma mater,” Key told reporters earlier this month. “We’re pretty united. We’re very united as one.”
Set to appear in a bowl game for the eighth straight postseason, UCF won three of its final four games to achieve automatic eligibility. Georgia Tech alternated wins and losses over the final month, defeating Virginia and Syracuse and falling to Clemson and Georgia.
“Hopefully it prepares us,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. “We played some quality teams in some tough environments. We’re fairly healthy right now, which is good. John Rhys (Plumlee) is closer and closer to 100%, and when he’s that way, we play some really good football.”
UCF will field just about its entire starting lineup, with the lone major change coming at cornerback. Corey Thornton entered the NCAA transfer portal, and announced a commitment to Louisville last week. Decorian Patterson is expected to start in his absence, opposite Brandon Adams.
Here are three things to watch as the Knights invade the Gasparilla Bowl for the third time in five seasons.
Swan song for John Rhys Plumlee, several other standouts
Starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, first-team All-Big 12 defensive end Tre’Mon Morris-Brash and linebacker/ co-captain Jason Johnson headline the group of Knights set to suit up for their last collegiate games.
“This has really just been home for me, from my first time on campus and seeing it all,” fifth-year senior Morris-Brash said after Monday’s practice. “I didn’t really want to leave and have to go somewhere and start over.
“I just felt comfortable here, and felt loved here, and wanted. I’ve been here five years. Why not just finish it off?”
Lokahi Pauole and Tylan Grable will also depart, leaving two massive holes in a constantly reshuffled offensive line entering next season.
Plumlee, who played through a knee injury for the final two months of the season, will still wear a knee brace but should be closer to full speed. He topped 200 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in each of UCF’s final three Big 12 contests.
“Every opportunity is a blessing,” said
Plumlee, a dual-sport athlete who has yet to decide if he’ll play baseball in the upcoming spring. “This is going to be my last game playing as a Knight … in football. This is really exciting for me, and I want to end it the right way. Definitely want to go out on a high note.”
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King poses dual threat to UCF defense
One of the major differences this time around for Georgia Tech is its starter under center.
Haynes King enjoyed a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign after transferring in from Texas A&M, passing for 2,755 yards with 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and rushing for a further 648 yards and nine scores. King, who completed 61.9% of his throws, had three, four-touchdown passing performances and four games with at least 80 yards on the ground.
“Him and the quarterback they had last year (Jeff Sims) were pretty similar — athletic, big guys that can run, big arms and can throw it down the field,” UCF defensive coordinator Addison Williams said. “But they are getting Haynes King involved in the run game a lot more with quarterback runs, moreso than they did last year with the last quarterback.”
King should have his full complement of offensive weapons, too. Jamal Haynes needs 69 rushing yards to hit 1,000 for the season, and receivers Eric Singleton Jr. and Malik Rutherford combined for 91 catches, 1,168 yards and nine TDs.
RJ Harvey could run wild against Georgia Tech’s run defense
Much has been made this fall of UCF’s struggles to stop the run. Georgia Tech, however, has had an even tougher time.
The Yellow Jackets are 128th — thirdto-last — in the Football Bowl Subdivision in run defense, allowing a whopping 225.7 yards per game, 5.41 yards per carry and 28 touchdowns. On paper, that does not bode well against the Knights’ ground attack, ranked fourth in college football at 233.2 yards per game.
RJ Harvey produced a stellar redshirt senior year. The Orlando native topped the century mark in six of his last seven outings, and scored multiple touchdowns in each of his last four.
In last year’s meeting at the Bounce House, Harvey had 12 carries for 74 yards and Plumlee overcame a poor passing day with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts.