Opponent: Central Florida Knights (1-1, 0-0 American Athletic Conference)
Location: Bright House Networks Stadium (44,206)
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Time: 7:00 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 0-0

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Opponent Preview

The Knights are in their first season under new head coach Scott Frost, with long-time head coach George O’Leary resigning after the team lost their first 8 games last season. UCF never won a game last season, going 0-12 (0-8 American Athletic Conference). However, from 2012-2014, the Knights had a combined record of 31-9. Their best season during that span came in 2013, when they went 12-1 (8-0 American Athletic Conference), and beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. UCF finished that year ranked #10 in the nation, and QB Blake Bortles went on to become the first quarterback drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Frost comes to UCF from Oregon, where he was a part of the staff from 2009-2015. He served as the Ducks’ wide receivers coach until 2012, after which he was promoted to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He played his college football as a quarterback at Stanford and Nebraska, before switching to defensive back and playing 6 seasons in the NFL. Frost held a few graduate assistant positions before working on the staff at Northern Iowa for 2 seasons (on the defensive side of the ball, oddly enough). That was the only experience that he had when he became Oregon’s wide receivers coach in 2009.

He has brought Oregon’s infamous up-tempo spread offense with him to UCF, and it has already begun to show in the team’s rushing numbers. This is an offense that is built around running the football between the tackles, with a dual-threat quarterback to keep the defense honest, and plenty of play-action passing. Frost hired Troy Walters to be his offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at UCF. Walters’ last position was as Colorado’s wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator, where he worked from 2013-2015. Together, they have UCF’s offense moving very quickly, but have some work to do to recruit the pieces necessary to get the offense humming.

For the first 2 games of the season, Justin Holman was the man running the show behind center for the Knights. His total numbers have been rather unimpressive, going 17/39 with 212 yards, 2 TD, and 0 INT. He has also carried the ball 19 times for 86 yards and 1 TD. However, he was apparently injured just before the second half of the team’s game against Michigan last week, and did not play for the remainder of the game. The Knights’ backup quarterback is Nick Patti, who has gone 8/18 for 85 yards, 0 TD, and 0 INT. He has added 22 yards on the ground via 9 carries. Frost has not disclosed any information on Holman’s status for this game, so Maryland will have to prepare for both quarterbacks this week.

The strength of UCF’s offense is their running game. They have averaged 236 yards on the ground over the course of their first 2 games this season, including rushing for nearly 300 yards on the vaunted Michigan defense last week. The Knights’ top two running backs are Dontravious Wilson and Jawon Hamilton. Both have rushed for over 90 yards this season, and are averaging about 4 yards per carry. The team also boasts a freshman speedster at running back in Adrian Killins, who ripped off an 87-yard touchdown run against the Wolverines.

Erik Chinander is UCF’s defensive coordinator, with Frost bring him along with him from Oregon. Chinander served as Oregon’s outside linebackers coach in 2014 and 2015. He was also a graduate assistant at Oregon from 2010-2012. Interestingly enough, in his playing days, he was an offensive lineman, but has since switched over to the defensive side of the ball for his coaching days. Under his leadership, the Knights have installed a 3-4 hybrid front defense, similar to the one that Oregon has run during the last few seasons. The team’s linebackers are the focal point of this defensive scheme, with 8 of UCF’s top 9 tacklers so far this season coming from the linebacker position. Inside linebackers Mark Rucker and Chequan Burkett have led the way so far, each racking up 14 tackles.

The Knights’ special teams unit had a rough day against Michigan last week. Their first two punts were partially blocked, and their first field goal attempt was blocked.

Maryland Preview

The Terrapins are riding high after a big 41-14 victory over Florida International last week. They have jumped out to a 2-0 start to their season, and will be looking to improve to 3-0 this week before their bye week next week. It will be the team’s first-ever meeting with UCF, and their second road trip to Florida in two weeks.

Quarterback Perry Hills shone in his second start last week, showing off his arm a bit more than he did against Howard two weeks ago. He currently leads the Big Ten Conference in completion percentage, completing 73% of his passes over the course of his first two games. He went 13/18 for 210 yards, 3 TD, and 0 INT against Florida International last week, with nearly half of those completions coming to sophomore wide receiver D.J. Moore. Moore had a breakout game against the Golden Panthers, with 6 catches for 147 yards and 2 TD. He also added a 21-yard pass back to Hills on a reverse in the game. The game was all about explosive plays, with freshman running back Lorenzo Harrison adding one of his own on a 40-yard touchdown run.

Defensive coordinator Andy Buh’s defense shone in pass coverage against Florida International, with the team’s quarterbacks completing just 50% of their passes for 170 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Junior linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr. scored the first touchdown of the evening, taking an Alex McGough pass the other way for six points. The defense got some excellent news just before kickoff, when it was announced that J.C. Jackson, the transfer cornerback from Florida, would be eligible to play in his first game after academic issues held him out of the team’s game against Howard.

While the pass defense has been strong for the Terrapins so far this season, the run defense has not. The Golden Panthers were able to run the ball right down the throat of Maryland’s defense to the tune of 5.1 yards per carry. With inexperienced players at defensive tackle, it may take a few weeks for Buh to find the right combination of players to stop the run effectively. While he hasn’t made too many changes to the depth chart, Brett Kulka is now listed as a co-starter at defensive tackle with Cavon Walker. Against a UCF team that has run the ball well so far this season, it will be crucial for Maryland’s defense to shore up their run defense this week.

As I mentioned above, UCF’s special teams unit struggled last week against Michigan. You can bet that head coach DJ Durkin has made his team aware of that, especially with his emphasis on special teams play this season. The Terrapins have already blocked one punt this season, and will be looking for more against the Knights this week.

Zack’s Keys to the Game

  • Stop the Run – If you can stop the run against UCF, you’ll effectively stop their offense. No matter who is behind center for the Knights, they will struggle when put in obvious passing downs. And if you keep them behind the chains, they can’t use their tempo very much.
  • Keep Protecting the Ball – Maryland hasn’t turned the ball over yet this season (yes, I’m knocking on wood). Continuing that trend will be crucial for road games like this, no matter who the opponent is.
  • Block That Kick! – Take advantage of UCF’s special teams struggles and get those hands up.
  • Take Care of Business – Maryland should win this game. Get in, take care of business, and get out. Enjoy the bye week as an unbeaten team, prepare for Homecoming against Purdue.
Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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