What We Learned Against Rice

The UCF Knights notched their first road victory of the season as they traveled to Houston, Texas and defeated the Rice Owls, 49-7. Let's see how our keys to victory played out.

Keys to the Game for the Knights:

1.) Establish dominance early on- UCF certainly did that as they scored on their first play from scrimmage and were eventually up 21-0 before the first period clock expired.

2.) Keep Nick Fanuzzi on his toes- Fanuzzi was on his back more than his toes as the Rice offensive line couldn't block the Knights defensive line.

3.) Don’t allow the big play- The UCF defense didn't allow the big play, nor did they allow many small plays.

4.) Get the ball into the hands’ of your playmakers- A.J. Guyton was a force as he caught four passes for 113 yards including a 76-yard pitch and catch touchdown. Guyton also threw for a touchdown, the first of his collegiate career.

5.) Convert in the red zone- UCF didn't have that many red zone opportunities as they were scoring touchdowns from long range.

What to Look for:

1.) A desperate UCF team- The Knights were focused and dominant, and the team executed a great game plan.

2.) A sellout crowd- You could count the fans on both of your hands. Maybe both of your hands and toes.

3.) Plenty of blitzing from Rice- Rice blitzed, but they rarely got home. The Knights offensive line was very good in pass protection.

4.) More true freshmen- Because of the nature of the game, there were plenty opportunities for freshmen to play. Josh Robinson scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 24-yard pick six.

5.) Toren Dixon extends his streak- Dixon had some meaningless catches. Congrats to him.

Predictions:

1.) UCF covers the spread- The Knights made that 10-point spread look insignificant.

2.) Brynn Harvey surpasses the century mark for the third time this season- Harvey would've easily went over 100 if the game were closer. 68 yards on 12 carries isn't bad though.

3.) The Knights log at least two sacks- UCF had five sacks, one and a half by Jarvis Geathers.

4.) A dynamic play in the return game for UCF- A.J. Guyton returned a punt 38 yards, but it didn't lead to any points.

5.) Rice doesn’t sniff 100 yards rushing- The Owls gained a lot of meaningless yards in the second half long after the outcome was decided. They still only finished with 104 rushing yards on 37 attempts.