One of the biggest blowouts of the 2024 season happened in the Week 10 matchup between UCF and Arizona, with the Knights destroying Brent Brennan’s squad. Led by 35 first-half points, UCF easily controlled the game and took down the Wildcats 56-12.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Found the Guy
While it may have taken a while to come to a conclusion, Gus Malzahn’s group appears to have found their starting quarterback. Redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan Rizk put together one of the best quarterback performances of the season in Orlando, throwing for 294 yards and three touchdowns.
Rizk saw action due to the ongoing struggles of KJ Jefferson, EJ Colson, and Jaccuri Brown, and took control of the moment. Rizk finished the game with just five incompletions in the contest, completing 20 of 25 passes with zero turnovers.
Despite holding just a 2-4 record in conference play, Rizk appears to be the hot hand on track toward pushing the Knights to bowl eligibility.
Zero Run Game
While Arizona’s offense has had numerous issues this fall, the rushing attack continues to disappoint. Against UCF, Arizona managed just four rushing yards… FOUR. The leading rusher for the Wildcats was Kedrick Reescano, who carried the ball eight times for 20 yards.
The lack of production in the ground game also stems from an ongoing eligibility issue as the Wildcats’ expected front man, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, continues to wait on a decision from the NCAA regarding his status.
“Starting running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is expected to miss the game as the Wildcats wait on the NCAA to make a determination on Croskey-Merritt’s eligibility,” 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz said back in Week 3. “It stems from Croskey-Merritt’s freshman season at Alabama State in 2019 and questions whether Croskey-Merritt actually redshirted that season. It’s a bit complicated (and weird).”
Weird it is, and weird it remains to be in Tuscon.
Arizona’s Continous Disappointment
After being picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 Conference in the Preseason Media Poll ahead of the season, Arizona has been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this fall. Arizona sits in 15th place after the loss, with a conference record of 1-5 and 3-6 overall. The loss to UCF was the fifth-straight loss for Arizona, with the lone conference win being an upset over former Pac-12 foe Utah.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the 2024 season continues to be treacherous.
