UCF to Try for 3-0 vs. Memphis on 9/30

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The University of Central Florida dominated the Big 10’s Maryland Terrapins on the road 38-10. This result was so improbable in my mind that when the Terps made it 21-7 in the middle of the 3rd quarter, I thought collapse was imminent. UCF proved my pessimism wrong and finished the job to go to 2-0. Next on the schedule on September 30th in Spectrum Stadium? — The dangerous Memphis Tigers.

UCF quarterback, Mckenzie Milton, who has yet to be sacked this season, led the team with 94 rushing yards on six carries against the Terrapins personifying the #UCFast offensive identity. But the squad laying down 250 yards total on the ground after losing starting running back Jawon Hamilton for the season after two attempts in the game went to a different tag. . . #UCFamily.

Running back Taj McGowan elaborated with his thoughts, “Out the gate, we knew we all had some role to play. I just didn’t know it was gonna happen like that. . . Seeing my brother [Jawon] going down like that. It made me upset for a moment. It really took a lot to re-focus in cause I was just so upset about how it happened. But I understood that the next man had to be up and we needed to do whatever we needed to do to get that done”. McGowan continued, “Every time I saw him [Hamilton] on the sideline I was like ‘I’m doing this for you’. This is for him. So that’s how I felt”.

Head Coach Scott Frost shared his thoughts on his team’s ability to unify through adversity and deliver an improved running performance,”any time you are part of something bigger than yourself and you recognize you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good of the team or a group or a cause you see how much fulfillment there is in that.”

That’s not to say the trademark #UCFierce defense didn’t make its mark. They held the Terps to 197 yards recording five sacks and two interceptions with a pick-six by Mike Hughes.

Of course, it’s only two games. Also, the victories achieved were against an incomplete FIU team and Maryland, a run-first offense who played 3rd string passer Max Bortenschlager for more than three quarters. Let’s not lose sight of these facts. But Central Florida has won convincingly in both their matches, setting the table to prove they are more than a “directional school” in their campaign to crack the top 25. That being said, the University of Memphis Tigers aren’t competition to be ignored.

The Tigers recently upset UCLA. The Bruins are not only a nationally renown tradition-rich program as a member of a Power Five conference, the PAC-12. Between these two teams, it’s very realistic that this is a preview of the AAC Conference Championship.

Listening to Coach Frost and the players, UCF’s crew is aware that this is a statement game. 2016 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Shaquem Griffin hinted that his team was talking about clearing the Top 25 milestone in the locker room.

Griffin shared, “It rings through everybody’s ears. Everybody puts their little two cents about it, but you can only do one game at a time. We can’t control the rankings. We just gotta dish at we have to do and that’s play football”.

A victory over the Tigers would be hard fought, but it would be the Knights in position to control their own destiny for the rest of the season.