UCF walked out of Kansas with a much-needed win, but the bigger challenge now is making sure that one good result doesn’t turn into another dead end.
Scott Frost’s team snapped a 12-game road losing streak on Saturday and climbed back over .500 at 5-4. That puts the Knights one victory away from bowl eligibility, and with the season entering its final stretch, Frost made it clear Monday that the job is far from finished.
The next test comes at home against Arizona State, a team that looks a lot like UCF on paper. The Sun Devils are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play after beating Colorado 20-10, and they bring the same kind of ground-heavy approach the Knights have leaned on themselves.
Arizona State freshman tailback Cardae Mack is the engine. He’s averaging nearly six yards a carry, with 603 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and he’s added 123 receiving yards and another score through the air. Three weeks ago against Kansas State, he took over completely, piling up 159 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 28-17 win while accounting for every point his team scored.
That makes stopping the run the obvious priority for UCF’s defense, which has held up well against the run so far this season. If the Knights can keep Mack from getting loose, Arizona State may have to lean more heavily on freshman quarterback Jake Fette, who recently replaced the struggling Cutter Boley.
Fette has done enough to keep things moving, throwing two touchdowns against BYU and another in the win over Colorado. Still, the Sun Devils’ clearest path is on the ground, especially after Kansas found plenty of success rushing the ball against UCF last weekend.
The Knights will try to lock up postseason contention on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 3:30 p.m.
In Other News...
UCF Backfield Suddenly Faces A Huge Concern Before Arizona State
UCFs backfield took a hit in its recent game when Duke Watson and Landen Chambers both went down, leaving the Knights with a real depth concern heading into a pivotal matchup with Arizona State. Watsons injury is to his foot, and the timing is especially unfortunate with the Knights trying to keep their offense on schedule against a Sun Devils team that will demand answers in the run game.
Landen Chambers situation is still less clear, which only adds to the uncertainty around how much help UCF will have in the backfield. Scott Frost is expected to address both injuries in his upcoming press conference, and until then Taevion Swint looks like the next man who could be asked to take on a bigger workload if the Knights need to reshuffle their rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dior Johnson Is Carrying UCF But A Bigger Test Is Coming
UCF kept its unbeaten start intact with an 87-75 win over Yale, and Dior Johnson once again set the tone for a team still finding its early-season rhythm. Johnson led the way with 28 points and seven rebounds, while the Knights also got double-digit scoring help from other contributors as they pulled away with a stronger second half to move to 2-0.
The next step looks a little tougher. South Alabama comes in off a double-overtime win over Jacksonville State, with Stephen Williams powering that effort with 27 points and 13 rebounds, so UCF is about to see a more demanding test than the one Yale provided. For a team leaning heavily on Johnson early, the question now is whether the supporting cast can keep pace when the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]