3 THINGS TO WATCH: UCF's rushing attack could overpower porous South Florida defense
Navy sunk UCF's chances to host the American Athletic Conference's football championship game with a stunning upset victory in Orlando last weekend.
But the Knights can still get there — be it in Cincinnati or at Tulane, depending on the outcome of Saturday's nationally televised noon showdown between those teams — if UCF can handle rival South Florida one last time.
UCF (8-3, 5-2 AAC) heads to Tampa for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the lowly last-place Bulls (1-10, 0-7). The Knights, who somewhat surprisingly dropped just two spots to No. 22 Tuesday night in the College Football Playoff selection committee's rankings, can clinch automatically with a victory.
South Florida has cycled through three quarterbacks — a list that does not include Timmy McClain, who will be giving UCF scout team looks after transferring in August. Coach Jeff Scott was unsurprisingly fired in November after a 4-26 tenure as over three seasons, with a 54-28 humiliation at Temple seemingly the final straw.
Still, emotions figure to run high this week, given this stands to be the last head-to-head meeting for at least another six years. UCF departs the AAC for the Big 12 in July, and South Florida's schedule is nearly entirely booked through the 2027 season.
"It's a real special game for all of us, especially guys who have been here a long time," senior offensive lineman Samuel Jackson said. "I just want to keep on winning against them, keep playing great and having fun, honestly."
UCF has won seven of the past nine meetings with its rival to the west. Here are three things to watch Saturday.
1. Can the Knights respond again?
Last week's loss, UCF's third to an underdog this season and second at home, seemed to sting more considering it occurred on Senior Day, and the Knights lost control of their postseason destiny.
"It was about as bad you could think," Jackson said when asked about the emotions in the locker room. "It wasn't anyone yelling at each other, or anything like that, but we were disappointed with what happened and the implications that game had. We just came up short as a team, and we knew that.
"But now this week, everyone's ready to go out and win this and see how the chips fall."
UCF is 2-0 after a loss this season, rallying past both Georgia Tech and Cincinnati.
South Florida, of course, has nothing to lose. Most — if not all — of its coaches could be out of a job in the coming weeks, and players may seek new homes via the NCAA's transfer portal when it reopens next month. The Bulls showed plenty of gusto last week at Tulsa, calling a handful of trick plays on offense and converting an onside kick in the second half.
Malzahn, his staff and his players should expect USF to throw everything at them.
2. John Rhys Plumlee's shoulder status
Knights head coach Gus Malzahn made a surprising quarterback switch at halftime, electing to use Mikey Keene with John Rhys Plumlee nursing a sore shoulder. Plumlee attempted 18 passes, and came up well short of the end zone on an intercepted Hail Mary.
On Monday, Malzahn reaffirmed, "John Rhys is our starting quarterback," with Keene waiting in the wings if needed.
From a matchup standpoint, Plumlee — if healthy — seems the better play given USF's enormous struggles in run defense. The Bulls rank 128th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (224.5) and dead last in yards per attempt (5.98).
UCF deviated away from its ground-heavy attack last week, with Navy ranked sixth nationally against the run and last in the AAC against the pass. The Knights gained a season-low 84 rushing yards, and carried the ball just 24 times — 22 fewer than their average on the year.
3. USF's stars in the backfield
There has not been a lot for Bulls fans to get excited about this season, but the young backfield looks extremely promising for 2023 and beyond.
Brian Battie became the sixth player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season, doing so with his fourth consecutive 100-yard outing last week at Tulsa. Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Byrum Brown completed his first 21 attempts in his first collegiate start.
Brown's 21 consecutive completions is the highest total for any FBS passer since 2016, when Middle Tennessee's Brent Stockstill connected on 22 straight throws.
"Some of their guys, they have a lot of skill. It's just the system they're in," junior defensive end Josh Celiscar said. "I don't believe we take any team for granted at all. We're going to go in there and handle our business."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: 3 things to watch against South Florida Bulls
