UCF’s defense is walking into Saturday with one big unknown and one clear problem.
The unknown is how TCU will deploy Jordan Dwyer in his return to the lineup. The problem is quarterback Jaden Craig, who has already piled up 903 passing yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception this season.
Dwyer is expected to make his season debut after TCU upgraded him to probable on the injury report. He had been out since suffering an apparent foot injury last December, according to Rotowire, which kept him out of the Alamo Bowl against USC. The recovery stretched close to nine months, and while he was active in fall camp, according to Steven Johnson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he sat out all three non-conference games.
That matters because Dwyer was a major piece of the Horned Frogs’ offense last season. He finished second on the team behind Eric McAllister with 730 receiving yards, seven touchdown catches and 54 receptions. With Ed Smalls leading the receiving group this year, getting Dwyer back gives TCU another layer in the passing game.
UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said Tuesday that Dwyer is the kind of player who changes how a defense has to think.
"How are they going to use him, where are they going to line him up, and those things aren't available to us," Grinch said. "And so, it'll be a wait-and-see."
That uncertainty is part of the challenge for a Knights secondary that has been one of the team’s strengths. UCF has given up 189.3 passing yards per game, a number that has slipped from where it was before, but the defense has made up ground by forcing turnovers. The Knights are tied with Baylor for second in the Big 12 with four interceptions.
Demari Henderson has been the biggest ball hawk, with both of his picks coming against Georgia State, a performance that earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Jayden Williams has one interception, and he turned it into a touchdown. Linebacker Tackett Curtis also grabbed the first interception of his career last Saturday.
Craig, though, is the name UCF has to solve first. He has completed 70.7% of his passes and has already shown he can push the ball downfield, something Grinch pointed to when discussing the senior.
Grinch also noted that Craig has been especially sharp in back-to-back 300-yard, three-touchdown outings against Grambling State and Arkansas State. When he goes deep, Grinch said, Craig "puts it on the money."
UCF’s defense has already been forced to respond to an early test. Georgia State jumped out to a 24-point first half with Cameran Brown throwing for 167 yards and two touchdowns. At halftime, Grinch delivered a message that helped spark a turnaround, and the Knights held the Panthers to two field goals after the break on the way to a 44-30 comeback win.
Saturday brings a different kind of challenge, with Dwyer’s return adding another wrinkle to a TCU passing game that already has UCF’s attention.
In Other News...
UCF Heads Into TCU With Two Critical Spots Suddenly Exposed
UCFs depth is about to get tested in a hurry. The Knights head into Saturdays Big 12 matchup with TCU at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando carrying a heavier-than-usual injury burden, with several key names showing up on the league report for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. TCU is dealing with its own list of unavailable and probable players, but the bigger concern for UCF is how it absorbs the losses while trying to keep the season on track at home.
The defensive side of the ball takes a particular hit, with linebacker Lewis Carter among the most important pieces suddenly out of the mix. Carter has been UCFs leading tackler, and his absence changes the look of the middle of the defense, while the situation at quarterback adds another layer of uncertainty for a unit that was already trying to settle in. There is at least some optimism on Carters timeline, with a possible return coming around the October 10 trip to Oklahoma State, but for now the Knights are left figuring out how to patch two critical spots against a conference opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Watson Could Decide How Much UCF Can Trust Its Passing Game
Before UCF can sort out how much confidence it should have in its passing game, the Knights need to keep Duke Watson involved in the way that has made their offense dangerous. The running back has been a key piece for an offense trying to find better balance, especially after a tough showing against Pittsburghs run defense and a stretch in which quarterback Keyone Jenkins has had to work through some rough moments.
That is why TCUs attention is centered so heavily on Watson, even as offensive coordinator Steve Cooper looks for ways to spread the load and give Jenkins cleaner answers. Getting receivers Josh Derry and Tyren Hornes more involved would help, but the bigger question remains whether UCF can keep forcing defenses to honor the run well enough to open up the rest of the playbook during this difficult part of the season. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Opens Big 12 Play With Pressure Building On Its Offense
UCF heads into Big 12 play with a sturdy run game and a tight end who has become one of the most reliable red-zone options on the roster. Dylan Wade is closing in on a place in the program record book for receiving touchdowns by a tight end, giving the Knights a steady target as they prepare to host TCU in a conference opener set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The matchup comes with the usual early-league pressure, but it also arrives with the kind of home-stage atmosphere that can help a team settle in fast.
Sonny Dykes is already bracing for the noise, expecting a loud and supportive crowd at UCFs home stadium, and that setting could matter as much as any early-game execution. For the Knights, the bigger question is whether the offense can carry the momentum it has built on the ground into a conference game where every possession tends to get a little heavier. A strong start would do more than just protect home field, because Big 12 openers have a way of revealing whether a teams early-season identity can hold up when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]