Central Florida has spent much of the season climbing a mountain, but recently suffered an ugly fall.
On Saturday, the Knights went to Austin and lost 35-3 to No. 2 Texas.
For their Homecoming week, the Knights will face another mountain in No. 13 Houston, which is coming off a teeth-gnashing win against Tulsa.
The Knights’ pass defense had trouble stopping the Longhorns’ passing attack, allowing 470 yards on a 14.2 average. UCF will go up against another pass-happy team in the Cougars, who lead the nation in passing yards.
UCF head coach George O’Leary said he wants to avoid a shootout.
‘Hopefully we will not have to match points, because they are averaging about 45 points a game, and to good teams too,’ O’Leary said.
While the Cougars do have a potent offense, O’Leary said the key will be which team manages the game better.
‘I think the key with these guys is field position for one, and being able to produce a lot of three-and-outs to secure that field position,’ O’Leary said. ‘I enjoy playing these kinds of offenses because it amounts to a game of conditioning. When the offense is against the defenses, it boils down to who has conditioned better during the week leading up to the game.’
O’Leary said UH’s no-huddle offense is a major reason for its success.
‘Our defense is going to have to work hard,’ O’Leary said. ‘It is not going to be the plays as much as it is the conditioning. Houston runs a very fast-paced offense, and as soon as the play is dead they are right back up there ready to go again.’
Leading the Cougars’ offense is quarterback Case Keenum, who leads the nation in passing yards and touchdowns. O’Leary said Keenum is a quarterback who has a lot of tools.
‘He is a very good player,’ O’Leary said. ‘He throws for great accuracy and gets rid of the ball real well. He is very similar to the kid they had a few years ago in Kevin Kolb. For a young kid, he can definitely hurt you with his feet, as well. He throws well and makes great reads.’
O’Leary said Keenum’s talents are’ ably assisted by his comrades.
‘They have a couple of good receivers and a few good running backs,’ O’Leary said. ‘They create a lot of yards after the catch, which is what a lot of people do not realize. It is not necessarily Keenum who is doing all the work. It is more of the play of his receivers that keeps the offense moving down the field. The receivers do a great job of making people miss and breaking through arm tackles.’
Still, the daunting task of stopping UH’s offense has not completely consumed O’Leary and his staff, as they plan to stay balanced when the Knights have the ball.
‘I think we will just have to be ourselves. We will not have to change up who we are, but go out and play our game,’ O’Leary said. ‘We are about 50-50 with the run and the pass. In a game like this, it will not come down to field goals, but more touchdowns to produce more points. Being able to sustain the run and coming up with big plays in the pass game will be the key for us to maintain control of the flow of the game.’
