UCF rolls ECU 47-29: an Analysis

It is always interesting watching Justin Holman play quarterback. As a UCF fan, I never feel comfortable when he has the ball in his hands. There is a sense of "when's the shoe going to drop, where's the turnover that kills all the momentum". There is no confidence, just nervous energy. Against ECU Holman did nothing to stop this from happening. He started the game 4-14 for 26 yards. He would finish the game going 11-29 for 156 yards and 2 interceptions. Well he sure put the rest that silly debate started by internet trolls and moronic columnists that if he had started against Maryland that UCF would have won that game. I know Holman has dedicated his time to UCF, but that time is now over. If Milton is healthy or even at 90% there is no reason for us to ever see Holman again.

But enough about the Holman rant. Unto the game. Remember how I said that UCF is getting better every week? Well that was true against ECU. Every unit contributed to UCF's 47-29 victory over ECU. ECU was supposed to create so many matchup problems for UCF. Was supposed to have the home field advantage in Greenville. Yet it was the Knights that looked to be the more dominant team, despite the poor play from Holman. As the announcers said during the game, UCF has made a complete 180 from where they were last year. That is jot may a credit to Frost, but his whole staff heat have rebuilt this program. Oh and it's only been 5 games.

Offense:

Some misinformed UCF fans thought that Frost's offense was a air raid when he came in. These fans were under the notion that just because Mariotta won the Heisman this meant that the quarterback was the most important piece in the Frost offense. Of course this is not the case. It is the running backs that are the key players. The game against ECU was the embodiment of this. With Holman's horrific play,my he running backs had to step up and oh boy they did. Against ECU, these backs bomb knew for 212 yards on 44 attempts. Oh and scored 4 touchdowns. These running backs, who had been blasted by the fanbase last year for not finding holes, have had a rebirth. It turns out all this unit needed was a new scheme and 2 freshman to interject life int this group.

I could go on and on about these backs. But let's talk about them all individually briefly. First there is senior Dontravious Wilson. The player that had suffered a bad injury last year that had nagged him throughout the year. There is not a single player on this roster that has excelled more under Frost than Wilson. Dontravious has looked like a new player. He has shown the ability to not be brought down by one arm tackles. Instead he has run through them. This was on display against ECU. Wilson ran for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns. On his first touchdown score it appeared that ECU had Wilson stopped , instead Dontravious broke out of the defenders path, caught them flat footed, and strolled into the end zone. Then on his 2nd touchdown he bulldozed his way into the endzone. He has become a tank and the perfect compliment for this offense. It is too bad that he is a senior, because seeing him  under Frost for another year would be exciting.

Then there is Adrian Killins. Can we just call him the Human Highlight Reel? He was unspectacular on the ground running for just 13 yards. However, that was not his only impact on the game. As the Knights trailed 7-0 in the second quarter, Killins took a ECU kick 102 yards for a touchdown. That single play gave UCF all the momentum and the Knights never looked back. If there was a play that changed the game, it was that. And that ladies and gentlemen is what special players do. They make big plays in critical moments. Well Killins has shown that he has that capability. He should be AAC offensive freshman of the year. I have never been this excited for a UCF freshman, yes not even Bortles. Killins is going to be a superstar.

Then there is Jawon Hamilton. Hamilton is the heir apparent to Wilson in terms of complimenting Killins. Hamilton is going to power his way through defenses and break one arm tackles. Going into the ECU game, no one knew if Hamilton was healthy. After all last we saw the freshman was crying on crutches after hitting the turf of the glorified community college that is FIU.  Many UCF fans figured that Hamilton was done. Yet there he was in Saturday rushing for 45 yards and scoring a momentum creating touchdown in the fourth quarter. He might not get the press that Killins had received, but Hamilton is just as key. 

Now I want to give a very special shoutout to a group of players that for years has been maligned by fans. A unit that has been the weakest point in this team for years, but has had a resurgence this season. The unit that I am speaking about is of course the offensive line. Under Brent Key, the line was horrific. To have it a glaring weakness would have been an understatement. Enter Frost who brought in the experienced offensive line coach and UCF alum Greg Austin. Austin has turned this group of maligned offensive linemen into a respectable bordering on good group of players. This line has opened up holes for the running backs. Look at the ECU game. The offensive line gave Holman plenty of time, though he could never capitalize. The line was able to maul ECU's front 7 to open the running lanes for the running backs. The standout of the line has been freshman Jordan Johnson, who has excelled since being inserted into the starting lineup. The running backs may get all the attention, but the offensive line might have shown the biggest improvement this year.

Defense:

I've said it once, I've said it a million times: I love Erik Chinander. He has been the best hiring UCF has made in years. He has brought a passion, an energy hat has made this defensive unit something to watch. All the talk was about the offense in the offseason, but the defense has been far and away the best group of players. Yes the unit will sometimes take the bend not break approach(ECU did rack up 508 total yards mostly through the air), but the defense cannot be run on(ECU had only 33 rushing yards). Consider this: Football Outsiders considers UCF's defense to be the 35th best defense in the country. Who are some of the teams behind UCF in those rankings? Well how about Oklahoma, FSU, Oklahoma State, and of course Oregon. It appears that Frost took Oregon's defensive brains with him to Orlando. 

While Holman struggled early, the defense kept UCF in the game. They held a proficient ECU attack to 0 points in the first quarter and 7 points in the first half. Last year's defense would have crumbled, but this defense held firm and dominated ECU's offensive line. Mark Rucker capped the tremendous first half off with a safety that deflated ECU. Then there was the second drive in the second half where it appeared that ECU would score a touchdown. Yet there was this front 7 holding down the fort and forcing a 4 and out again killing ECU momentum. Of course there is the Hayes pick 6 which is now nominated for a Pies an Trophy award on sbnation. Overall the defense forced  5 turnovers on Saturday. This unit has become appointment viewing and I'm excited to see what Chinander can do as this year progresses. 

Special Teams: Outstanding performance on Saturday. I love the rugby punt style.