The UCF Knights lost to the Florida Gators, 24-13, in a non-conference game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday night.
UCF (3-2, 1-1 in Big 12) managed just 273 yards of total offense in the contest, as they fell behind by 21 points at halftime and never got the lead cut to single digits.
Florida (3-2, 1-1 in SEC) gathered up some momentum after an awful start to the season, one that might take some heat off their head coach.
UCF wasn’t at full strength for his game, but not due to injuries. Two key players — wide receiver Xavier Townsend and defensive back Byron Threats — put an end to their Knights careers this week by announcing their intention to enter the transfer portal. That played a role in UCF’s run-heavy approach to the game.
Here are three takeaways on the game.
Opportunity Lost
UCF has always seen games like this — against Florida, Florida State and Miami — as opportunities to prove they’re getting to their level.
The fact is the Knights and the Gators have only played each other three times, dating back to the 1999, which was the year after Daunte Culpepper left for the NFL. UCF could have used him. Combined, the Knights were outscored 100-27 in their first two meetings.
But, in 2021, there was a breakthrough. The Knights got the Gators at a neutral site in Tampa and won, 29-17. But, that was a bowl game. Not a regular-season matchup.
The next logical step was to go to The Swamp and face a Gators team that is smarting from a slow start and who has a coach in Billy Napier who is squarely on the hot seat.
UCF couldn’t get it done. While it’s their closest loss to the Gators, it’s not the breakthrough they were hoping for.
What struck me was how much UCF was dominated in what they do best — the run game.
Run Blocked
There’s no deception when it comes to the Knights. They want to run the ball and entering the game they were No. 2 in the country in rushing at 326 yards per game.
This was a good matchup for the Knights. Florida was ranked No. 109 in run defense, allowing 188.8 yards per game.
Florida played some of the best run defense it’s played all season, and the first half set the tone. By halftime the Knights only had 29 yards rushing. They carried the ball (18) more than they threw (13), but nothing was working. And, with the Gators up 24-3 at the break, UCF was put in an uncomfortable position of trying to rally behind its ground game.
It just didn’t work. The Knights kept pounding the rock to running back RJ Harvey and quarterback K.J. Jefferson and all it got the Knights was 108 yards on the ground.
Florida won because it took away what UCF does best, and the Gators did it for four quarters.
The Tone-Setter
In a college football world where big plays seem to rule, one could look at Florida’s opening drive as the tone-setter for this contest.
Malzahn won the toss but opted to defer and Florida took the football to start the game. What happened next put the Knights on notice — a 15-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes and ended with Elijhah Badger’s 13-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Graham Mertz.
It wasn’t over at that point, but the Gators put the Knights on notice that they could play their way, too. The Knights never truly answered.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
