It wasn’t always pretty, but the UCF Knights got a win in Week 3 over Georgia State to move to 2-1 on the season. Now, they turn their attention to Big 12 play and the TCU Horned Frogs.
There are some obvious challenges that UCF is dealing with. The most notable of those is the quarterback situation, where Alonza Barnett is once again set to miss this week with a hamstring injury. In his place, Keyone Jenkins is expected to start for the Knights.
If there is a major saving grace for UCF, it’s that this will be a home game for the Knights. There, they’ve had much more success than on the road in recent seasons.
UCF Knights HC Scott Frost on the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU enters the game against UCF 2-1 on the season. Like the Knights, they blew out an FCS opponent, beat a Group of Six opponent, and lost to a Power Four opponent in non-conference play. Still, going into the season, there were those who thought TCU could be a Big 12 darkhorse.
UCF head coach Scott Frost knows that this is going to be a major test in conference play. After all, as he explained on his coach’s show on Wednesday that they’re facing a “pretty athletic” team.
The major challenge for UCF is going to be stopping quarterback Jaden Craig. He immediately impressed Frost. In particular, because of his athleticism and experience. So, the counter is going to be to try to put pressure on him in the pocket.
UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch shared similar praise for Craig earlier in the week. In particular, the versatility that he gives TCU on offense.
“The ability to run the football opens up so much in the passing game, including the ability to take shots. Being productive in the passing game helps the run game, too. They’re multiple, and it’s difficult defensively to say, ‘Just defend this and you’ll have success,'” Grinch said.
“They can use formations, personnel groupings, motions, shifts and pullers. They also have plays that work off other plays — downhill runs with play-action, nakeds, bootlegs and sprint-outs. That makes it difficult for linebackers to tell the difference. You need 11 guys to stop the run, but you’d better be on top of things in the passing game. They’ve done a really nice job. When you have a quarterback with pocket awareness and pocket sense who can make plays on sprint-outs or nakeds, it really challenges you defensively.”
On the other side of the ball, UCF needs Keyone Jenkins to counter what TCU is doing on offense. That means getting more out of the passing game.
“I hope he gets a chance to in this game,” Frost said.
UCF HC Scott Frost Has a Challenge for Fans
The good news for UCF is that this is a home game. There, Frost hopes that the crowd shows up and helps create a winning atmosphere.
“I hope we get a great crowd,” Frost said. “We need to have a home field advantage. When I’ve been in there and it’s gotten loud, it’s hard to play in there. Hopefully the students show up in a big way and we have the thing rocking.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, September 26th. That should make it hot and potentially rainy at the Bounce House.
UCF HC Scott Frost Previews TCU, Challenges Knights Fans Ahead of Game