ORLANDO — College football narratives shift on a week-to-week, perhaps even drive-by-drive, basis.
For UCF, the heroics of its 35-34 comeback victory at TCU two weeks ago overshadowed a potentially troubling trend revealed for all to see in Saturday’s 48-21 shellacking at the hands of Colorado: The Knights are struggling to get a grip on Big 12 Conference games and are not built offensively to routinely rally from huge deficits.
Gus Malzahn said as much in his postgame remarks after a contest the Knights never led and one they trailed by a margin of at least three scores for the majority of the second half.
“We’re not the best catch-up team, I would say,” Malzahn said.
And yet, for the second time in three weeks, the Knights found themselves in the position of climbing out of a cavernous hole. Four turnovers and three scoreless red-zone drives stunted any chance of the Knights avoiding the fate of falling in its Big 12 home opener for a second year in a row.
The primary issue is pressuring upper-level passers. Aggression was the word repeatedly used to describe first-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s system, forcing quarterbacks to speed up their process and put the ball in harm’s way.
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Sep 28, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) scores a touchdown against the UCF Knights during the first quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Saturday’s first defensive series, in that regard, was a success. Blitzing safety Braeden Marshall brought back-side pressure on a zone blitz as defensive end Malachi Lawrence dropped into coverage, and Shedeur Sanders threw late over the middle, resulting in an interception for linebacker Deshawn Pace at Colorado’s 29-yard…
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