In the first of this two-part look at the UCF/Gamecocks matchup, I am going to bring you all a preview of what to expect from the UCF offense and compare it to the Gamecock defense. I was able to check out a replay of the UCF/Penn State game, and I think that game probably gave the best insight into what the offense is all about. UCF's first two games came against an Akron team that, while they narrowly lost at Michigan is not the greatest competition as well as an FIU team that is frankly terrible.
Penn State's defense has not faced world-beaters to open the season either, but UCF was able to rack up over 30 points and over 500 yards of offense on the road against that group. Several things stood out to me, watching the game back.
Up front, UCF's line played well against the Nittany Lion front. As the game went on, I thought Penn State (under former USC assistant John Butler) did a better job of stopping the run but UCF was solid up there picking up blitzes and opening up some lanes. The Golden Knights are getting another boost this week as the team's best lineman, left tackle Torrian Wilson, is slated to be back for the Carolina game. It's a pretty experienced group along that front five as well.
As far as UCF's offense, it can be a tough one to defend; that's easy to see from the game film. In the passing game, they will take some shots downfield but there is a lot of stuff to the perimeter and to the sidelines. In both the run and passing game, UCF tests the perimeter a ton which means USC's linebackers and defensive backs are going to need to have a strong game and also tackle well. They run a lot of comebacks, outs, and hitches in addition to mixing in some bubble screens. If defensive backs give the receivers room, they will get it out quickly and pick up some positive yardage.
Quarterback Blake Bortles is a pretty impressive player to me based on what I have seen. He's a big kid that has a good arm with some mobility as well. He is not Connor Shaw, but he can recognize pressure and scramble out and is athletic enough for some designed runs as well. Most of UCF's inside runs looked like either draws or a zone read look. Bortles ran for a touchdown that was a nice play in the Penn State game.
The thing that stands out about Bortles in the passing game is that he does not make a lot of mistakes. He had a lengthy streak broken in the Penn State game of passes thrown without an interception. He did force a few balls in and made some mistakes that were atypical, and not-so-coincidentally those mistakes came when he saw pressure. A few times, Penn State got pressure up the middle in Bortles' face and he misfired on some balls. In general, he's got the arm strength to make tough throws like outs to the opposite hash or down the field. The key for South Carolina is going to be finding a way to create pressure with the front four without having to blitz a ton and to not lose contain if he's able to get out of the pocket because he does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield.
I think UCF WR J.J. Worton is a very solid player; he's got good hands and can make some very tough catches in addition to being a strong route-runner. Josh Reese was another that stood out for UCF in the receiving corps.
Running back Storm Johnson, who was a transfer from Miami, is a very capable runner. He had a long touchdown run on a stretch running play that was another one that really tested the perimeter. When UCF runs the ball out there, the Gamecock linebackers have to get in the mix and shed some blocks or Johnson is a guy that can make you pay.
Another thing to watch for: UCF ran the wildcat play once against Penn State, and it turned out to be a 49-yard run. They will use former QB-turned-WR Jeff Godfrey in that role. Godfrey may have scored against Penn State if he didn't run out of gas (looked like he pulled up with a hamstring injury or something on the run). Given that USC struggled against Vanderbilt with the wildcat, it's something UCF could opt to try.
Defensively, my keys would be as follows in order for the Gamecocks to have success: 1) win up front with the front four. Don't let the run game get going up the middle or on the edges. Get pressure on Bortles. 2) Try to force some turnovers and mistakes. UCF's offense can pile up yardage and will try to give what the defense takes on its way to the end zone, so USC needs to try to take it away from them. 3) Tackle well and play aggressively in the back seven. With all of the stuff USC will see in the running/passing game on the edge, the Gamecock secondary needs to be aggressive and not give a ton of cushion to receivers. Additionally, they need to recognize quickly what UCF is doing offensively and tackle well in the open field. UCF has ball-carriers at RB and wide receivers who are more than capable of breaking tackles and turning them into bigger plays.
Penn State's defense has not faced world-beaters to open the season either, but UCF was able to rack up over 30 points and over 500 yards of offense on the road against that group. Several things stood out to me, watching the game back.
Up front, UCF's line played well against the Nittany Lion front. As the game went on, I thought Penn State (under former USC assistant John Butler) did a better job of stopping the run but UCF was solid up there picking up blitzes and opening up some lanes. The Golden Knights are getting another boost this week as the team's best lineman, left tackle Torrian Wilson, is slated to be back for the Carolina game. It's a pretty experienced group along that front five as well.
As far as UCF's offense, it can be a tough one to defend; that's easy to see from the game film. In the passing game, they will take some shots downfield but there is a lot of stuff to the perimeter and to the sidelines. In both the run and passing game, UCF tests the perimeter a ton which means USC's linebackers and defensive backs are going to need to have a strong game and also tackle well. They run a lot of comebacks, outs, and hitches in addition to mixing in some bubble screens. If defensive backs give the receivers room, they will get it out quickly and pick up some positive yardage.
Quarterback Blake Bortles is a pretty impressive player to me based on what I have seen. He's a big kid that has a good arm with some mobility as well. He is not Connor Shaw, but he can recognize pressure and scramble out and is athletic enough for some designed runs as well. Most of UCF's inside runs looked like either draws or a zone read look. Bortles ran for a touchdown that was a nice play in the Penn State game.
The thing that stands out about Bortles in the passing game is that he does not make a lot of mistakes. He had a lengthy streak broken in the Penn State game of passes thrown without an interception. He did force a few balls in and made some mistakes that were atypical, and not-so-coincidentally those mistakes came when he saw pressure. A few times, Penn State got pressure up the middle in Bortles' face and he misfired on some balls. In general, he's got the arm strength to make tough throws like outs to the opposite hash or down the field. The key for South Carolina is going to be finding a way to create pressure with the front four without having to blitz a ton and to not lose contain if he's able to get out of the pocket because he does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield.
I think UCF WR J.J. Worton is a very solid player; he's got good hands and can make some very tough catches in addition to being a strong route-runner. Josh Reese was another that stood out for UCF in the receiving corps.
Running back Storm Johnson, who was a transfer from Miami, is a very capable runner. He had a long touchdown run on a stretch running play that was another one that really tested the perimeter. When UCF runs the ball out there, the Gamecock linebackers have to get in the mix and shed some blocks or Johnson is a guy that can make you pay.
Another thing to watch for: UCF ran the wildcat play once against Penn State, and it turned out to be a 49-yard run. They will use former QB-turned-WR Jeff Godfrey in that role. Godfrey may have scored against Penn State if he didn't run out of gas (looked like he pulled up with a hamstring injury or something on the run). Given that USC struggled against Vanderbilt with the wildcat, it's something UCF could opt to try.
Defensively, my keys would be as follows in order for the Gamecocks to have success: 1) win up front with the front four. Don't let the run game get going up the middle or on the edges. Get pressure on Bortles. 2) Try to force some turnovers and mistakes. UCF's offense can pile up yardage and will try to give what the defense takes on its way to the end zone, so USC needs to try to take it away from them. 3) Tackle well and play aggressively in the back seven. With all of the stuff USC will see in the running/passing game on the edge, the Gamecock secondary needs to be aggressive and not give a ton of cushion to receivers. Additionally, they need to recognize quickly what UCF is doing offensively and tackle well in the open field. UCF has ball-carriers at RB and wide receivers who are more than capable of breaking tackles and turning them into bigger plays.
