The UCF Knights losing streak increased to four games as a last-minute touchdown propelled the Iowa State Cyclones to a 38-35 win. At 3-4, UCF’s season is spiraling out of control and they cannot catch a break anywhere. It’s knee-jerk reaction time.
Is the QB Question Settled?
If you watched the first half, you would think there is no more debate about Jacurri Brown being the guy for UCF. After seeing the second half, you might not be convinced. Iowa State being the fifth-best team in the country in terms of passing yards made it difficult to move the ball in the air. There were some head-scratching decisions though. On four different occasions, Brown tried to air it downfield on third down with no success. The passing game just flat-out didn’t work. The passing game had some hiccups due to a slippery field that impacted their footing. Brown’s first interception had tight end Randy Pittman slip after the throw and it led to the turnover. Is Brown still the answer at quarterback? Was his 40% completion rate and 62 yards a result of good defense or bad offense?
The Running Game Breaks Out(For a While)
UCF’s offense brought the running game back from the dead. After three subpar games, RJ Harvey went off, gaining 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. That includes an 80-yard touchdown in the first half. Brown also added a 67-yard score on the ground himself and finished with 154 yards and two touchdowns. This was the best game the much-maligned offensive line has played since UCF’s game against TCU a month ago. After a slow start, UCF’s offensive line kept Iowa State’s defensive front from blowing up the line of scrimmage and opening just enough holes for Harvey and Brown to do some damage.
So that was largely written in the first half and a minute into the second half. After the first drive, UCF’s second-half offense cratered. Here’s how UCF’s offensive drives went in the second half after the Brown touchdown at the beginning: Punt, punt, TD*, punt punt, interception. The touchdown was a one-yard run by Harvey because of a defensive blunder that put the ball at the Iowa State one-yard line. More about that below. The Knights mustered only 151 yards of offense in the second half with Harvey gaining 18 yards on nine carries. In the first half, the team had 265 yards and Harvey had 178 yards on 16 carries. The Knights also went zero out of four on third down in the second half and lost the second half time of possession 22:30 to 7:30.
The Defense Giveth and the Defense Taketh Away
Unlike last week against Cincinnati, UCF’s defense could not keep Iowa State out of the endzone. The Knights’ offense has struggled to points on the board and needed the defense to keep the score low. While Iowa State did score 38 points, the UCF defense was able to put their own points on the board. The first time was a 63-yard pick-six by BJ Adams in the second quarter. The second was a 71-yard* pick-six by Braeden Marshall in the fourth quarter.
*Just kidding. While Marshall did have an interception and return into the endzone, he dropped the ball at the one-yard line before crossing the goal line. The ball bounced in the endzone but stayed in bounds and no one picked it up. By rule, the ball was placed at the spot it was dropped and UCF’s offense started at the Iowa State one, which became an easy RJ Harvey touchdown.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht carved the UCF defense apart in the second half. Becht passed for only 48 yards in the first half but gained 226 in the second half. He also ended up as the leading rusher for the Cyclones. On 11 of his 17 non-sack runs, he gained a first down or scored a touchdown. Seven of those 11 runs were for five yards or more. Becht’s reading of the field and avoiding tackles were outstanding, including avoiding what should have been a sure-fire sack by Lee Hunter and turning it into a big gain.
Now What?
The losing streak extends to four games. After seeing what looked to be the closure of the QB debate last week, we now have more questions. Is Jacurri Brown the answer? Was KJ Jefferson the problem? Is it the offensive line? Can the season be saved? Should UCF start to play for the future? With an undefeated BYU coming to town, Gus Malzahn will have very little time to answer these questions.
Uniform Review
UCF busted out their gold helmets to go with white tops and black bottoms. This combo works better visually than reading about it. UCF has shied away from any gold this year, so the gold helmet is a welcome curveball. Homecoming should have a gold helmet, so for those who are gold fanatics, stand by. I have to say, I love Iowa State’s all-black uniform
The predicted score was 31-20 Iowa State. The defense was opportunistic creating 14 points off turnovers, but still gave up 38 points. The offense just could not keep up in what became a shootout as Iowa State outscored UCF in three of four quarters. We are witnessing something magical in Ames as Matt Campbell and the Iowa State Cyclones are on pace for its first-ever season with ten or more wins. Meanwhile, UCF falls to 3-4 and will need to find some magic to become bowl-eligible.
Stat Leaders
Passing:
UCF: Jacurri Brown: 8/20 for 62 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int
ISU: Rocco Becht: 20/46 for 274 yards, 1 TD, 2 Int
Rushing:
UCF: R.J. Harvey: 25 carries for 196 yards, 2 TD
ISU: Rocco Becht: 20 carries for 97 yards, 2 TD
Receiving:
UCF: Kobe Hudson: 3 catches for 26 yards, 0 TD
ISU: Jaylin Noel: 8 catches for 153 yards, 0 TD
Game Notes:
- Iowa State leads the series 1-0.
- RJ Harvey is now the fourth player in UCF history with at least 3,000 career rushing yards.
- RJ Harvey now has 480 career rushing attempts. He passes Daunte Culpepper and Marquette Smith to move up to sixth all-time at UCF.
- RJ Harvey’s 80-yard touchdown run is tied for the sixth-longest run in school history.
- Jacurri Brown’s 154 rushing yards is the second-highest single-game rushing total by a quarterback in UCF history
- Kobe Hudson has caught a pass in 30 consecutive games. That is tied with Ted Wilson for seventh all-time at UCF.
- Sorry it’s not my best, but I got dizzy counting the years since Iowa State last won a conference championship.
