College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the UCF Knights season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– UCF Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 10-3 overall, 6-2 in AAC
Head Coach: Josh Heupel, 3rd year, 22-4
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 35
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 19
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 39
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Offense 3 Things To Know
– The machine isn’t slowing down. No, UCF might not have cranked up the 627 points of the 2017 team, but under head coach Josh Heupel over the last two seasons, and the O continues to work at warp speed and lethal efficiency.
The Knights were second in the nation behind LSU averaging 541 yards per game, and they were fifth in scoring averaging 43.4 points per outing. And it’s all going to keep on going.
CFN in 60 Video: North Carolina Preview
North Carolina at UCF, Sept. 4
– The Knights are once again great at quarterback. It didn’t quite happen like it was supposed to – Darriel Mack and former Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush were expected to provide a fantastic quarterback punch – but injuries led to the rise of Dillon Gabriel, a 6-0, 186-pound sophomore who stepped in and bombed away for 3,653 yards and 29 touchdowns with seven interceptions, and he ran for four scores.
Wimbush is gone, but Mack is back after suffering a broken ankle that cost him most of last year. McKenzie Milton is still trying to work his way back from the frightening leg injury from a few seasons ago, but the team has to count on Dillon and Mack.
Helping the cause is another loaded receiving corps. Leading receiver Gabriel Davis is now a Buffalo Bill, but veteran Tre Nixon is back after averaging close to 17 yards per grabs with seven touchdowns, and senior Marlon Williams is back after finishing second on the team with 51 grabs. Former WKU transfer Jacob Harris has one year left after averaging 24 yards per catch.
Throw in TE Jake Hescock – a former Wisconsin transfer – 6-4 new-recruit Ja’Cyais Credle and former Oklahoma transfer Jaylon Robinson, and there’s great-looking depth.
– Adrian Killins is gone from the running back rotation, but Otis Anderson is back after leading the way with 726 yards and five scores – he’ll work at a wide receiver at times, too – and Bentavious Thompson and Greg McCrae are both back after combining for 1,133 yards and 15 scores. There’s even more young talent waiting in the wings.
The offensive front wasn’t great in pass protection, but it did a great job for the running game – and it was all just getting going.
Losing C Jordan Johnson hurts, but three starters are back including 6-6, 335-pound junior Samuel Jackson at one tackle spot and 6-4, 312-pound guard Cole Schneider at guard. Getting Tennessee transfer Marcus Tatum to help at tackle is a good thing, and years of good recruiting has improved the depth.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense was terrific. It might have failed to come through in the fourth quarters of a few games – the Knights were outscored 89-50 in the final frame – but it was second in the AAC, third in the nation in pass efficiency defense, and led the nation in tackles for loss.
Leading tackler Nate Evans is gone from the linebacking corps, but overall, 11 of the top 12 tacklers are expected to be back.
– It starts with another whale of a secondary, led by all-star S Richie Grant – who was second on the team with 78 stops – and with Antwan Collier back at safety after coming up with 66 tackles and a team-high four picks, and former Alabama transfer Aaron Robinson owning the nickel job with three interceptions.
Tay Gowan is an all-star-caliber corner on one side, and Brandon Moore – a star in his first two seasons – should be back after missing almost all of last year with a knee injury.
– The secondary might be the team’s biggest strength, but the defensive front six is going to be terrific, too. Evans might be gone from the linebacking corps, but 6-2, 238-pound thumper Eric Mitchell is back and 5-11, 228-pound junior Eriq Gilyard is a terrific veteran – the two tied for third on the team with 77 tackles, but Mitchell was the better of the two at getting behind the line.
The line gets back 6-4, 285-pound senior tackle Kenny Turnier – a former Oregon State Beaver who led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss, and sophomore Tre’mon Morris-Brash is a rising star pass rusher on the outside. There isn’t massive bulk across the front, but everyone can move.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top UCF Knights Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top UCF Knights Players
Best UCF Knights Offensive Player
RB Otis Anderson, Sr.
Let’s just put Anderson here as a catch-all offensive threat. The starting quarterback will be the statistical superstar – if one goes the entire season – and a few of the offensive linemen will be a part of the all-conference teams, but the 5-11, 174-pound Anderson is the jack-of-all-trades who’ll be the indispensable piece of the puzzle.
He led the team with 726 yards and five scores – averaging well over six yards per carry – can move to receiver with 31 grabs for 365 yards and three touchdowns, and he could be used as a return man, too. He averaged over 13 yards per punt return with a score, but he likely won’t do too much on kickoffs.
2. QB Dillon Gabriel, Soph.
3. OG Cole Schneider, Jr.
4. WR Tre Nixon, Sr.
5. QB Darriel Mack, Jr.
Best UCF Knights Defensive Player
S Richie Grant, Sr.
One of the nation’s top defensive players over the last few seasons, he followed up a 108-tackle, six-interception sophomore season with 78 tackles and an interception with eight broken up passes.
The 6-0, 194-pounder is an NFL defensive back still working in the UCF secondary. He might not be bulky, but he can move, he gets all over the field, and he can get into the backfield. Best of all for UCF, he’s not alone – the reset of the defensive backfield is fantastic.
2. DT Kenny Turnier, Sr.
3. CB Aaron Robinson, Sr.
4. LB Eric Mitchell, Sr.
5. LB Eriq Gilyard, Jr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The UCF Knights Offense
Is it just as simple as being totally awesome all the time? The UCF attack was great in every game, and it was strong even in the three losses. However, it failed to generate 460 yards three times.
Loss at Pitt, loss at Cincinnati, loss at Tulsa
Okay, so there were a few other issues, too – like turnovers. The Knights turned the ball over six times in the ten wins, and nine times in those three losses, but when the O rocks, the team seems to be able to overcome everything else.
The program has lost 39 games over the last ten years. It didn’t get to 460 yards in any of them.
Biggest Key To The UCF Knights Defense
Force a few more fumbles and come up with a few more game-changing plays.
This is really nitpicky for a defense that was among the nation’s best on third downs, led the country in tackles for loss, and was great overall, but … recover the ball when it’s on the ground.
UCF forced 15 fumbles, and it recovered a mere eight – and three of those were in the bowl win over Marshall. The last time UCF failed to come up with double-digit fumble recoveries in a season was that 0-12 aberration in 2015.
The offense and giveaways were bigger issues, but the defense only came up with two takeaways in the three losses, and that was the only three times and the team lost the turnover margin.
Key UCF Knights Player To A Successful Season
C Matthew Lee, RFr.
Jordan Johnson was a terrific longtime center and anchor for the attack. He’s gone, but most of the remaining linemen are strong enough to come up with another good season up front.
The 6-4, 290-pound Lee got in four games worth of work as a true freshman – preserving his redshirt – working behind Johnson, and now he’ll get the first look. There are other options – veterans at other spots might get tried out – but if Lee is great, that eases the pressure everywhere else.
Key Game To The UCF Knights Season
North Carolina, Sept. 4
The home games at Cincinnati and Temple will be a huge deal in the American Athletic Conference title chase, and going to Memphis and USF will be even bigger, but as a program, UCF thinks bigger than just a conference championship.
Call the opener against North Carolina the tone-setter for everything else.
In the battle to get the Group of Five spot in a New Year’s Six bowl – and dreaming of getting into the CFP – starting out with a home win over a terrific North Carolina team is a must.
– UCF Knights Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 UCF Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: UCF 191 – Opponents 45
– Time of Possession: Opponents 33:31 – UCF 26:07
– Passing Yards Per Game: UCF 316.7 – Opponents 199.5
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: UCF Knights Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
The wheels have come totally off.
After losing just one game in the previous two seasons, UCF had a disastrous 2019 with three losses, two in American Athletic Conference play, and it was booted out of the New Year’s Six penthouse to play a fellow Group of Five program in the Gasparilla Bowl, and …
Yeah, whatever.
The Knights trounced a fantastic Florida Atlantic team that blew through to a Conference USA championship, rocked Stanford, obliterated Temple, beat its rival USF – again – on the way to taking out Marshall in the bowl.
What did it take to beat UCF?
Three losses on the road by a grand total of seven points. You have to go back to December 17th of 2016 for the last time this program lost a game by more than eight points – and it only lost four games since then.
Oh yeah, and UCF came up with a ten-win season despite having to throw a true freshman quarterback to the wolves. Dillon Gabriel now has a year of experience, and Darriel Mack is back.
A whole lot of other Knights are back, too.
Set The UCF Knights Regular Season Win Total At … 10
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 10.5
Just assume the program will win ten games overall – at worst, it’ll pull a 2019 and win nine regular season games and a bowl – but be really, really disappointed if it doesn’t finish in the top two in the conference and play for the American Athletic Conference title game.
There are landmines.
The opener against North Carolina is going to be a big, big problem, and going to Georgia Tech will be harder than the oddsmakers will make it appear.
Going to Memphis, Houston, and yes, USF are all going to be fights, and playing an improved Tulsa, Tulane, Temple, and biggest of all, Cincinnati will be dangerous.
There’s enough to this regular season slate to keep UCF from finishing with a clean sheet, but it’s going to take something special for this team to lose three games again like last year.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
