Opponent Preview: UCF
October 17, 2013 | Football
Oct. 17, 2013
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UCF is 4-1 on the year, with wins coming against Akron, FIU, Memphis, and Penn State, arguably the Knights' biggest win of the year. At the time, the Nittany Lions were undefeated.
UCF's only loss came against 12th-ranked South Carolina. UCF led 10-0 at the half, but South Carolina went on to score 28 unanswered points to win 28-25.
George O'Leary is in his 10th season as head coach of the Knights. During his tenure as the UCF head coach, he has a record of 64-56, with two C-USA division titles and two C-USA conference titles. Over that time, O'Leary has made five bowl appearances and is 2-3 in those games.
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Series Recap
This will be only the second time these two teams have played against one another. Louisville and UCF first met in 1985, with Louisville winning 42-21.
Familiar Faces
Central Florida has 70 players on its roster from the state of Florida, 10 of which come from the Miami area. Conversely, Louisville has 38 players on its roster that are from Florida, 16 of which come from the Miami area.
Teddy Bridgewater and four other Cardinals from Northwestern High School will be going up against former teammate and UCF starting left tackle Torrian Wilson. He had arthroscopic knee surgery early this season, but expects to play on Friday after missing the game against Memphis.
Turnovers
UCF and Louisville both rank in the top eight in turnover margin and turnovers lost. The Knights are sixth in turnover margin, while Louisville is eighth in the category. In turnovers lost, both teams have given up the ball just five times.
Offense
Second year starting quarterback Blake Bortles leads the Knights offense. This season, Bortles has completed 64.8 percent his passes for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns, with three interceptions. His 160.4 passer efficiency rating is good enough for 15th in the nation. Along with being efficient as a passer, Bortles is mobile enough to run with the ball, running the ball 29 times through five games.
Tailback Storm Johnson, who will be leading the way on the ground for UCF, has 87 carries, 455 yards, and seven touchdowns. His scoring total ranks first in the conference and 21st nationally.
Breshad Perriam and Rannell Hall are Bortles' go-to options at receiver. Perriam has 18 catches for 397 yards and one touchdown. He is ranked fifth in the nation, averaging 22.06 yards per catch. Opposite of Perriam, Hall has the team lead in catches with 21 and is tied for first on the squad with three touchdowns. Hauling in those 21 catches has given him 373 receiving yards.
As an offense, UCF ranges from 10-89 nationally in multiple offensive categories.
| Average | National Rank | |
| Points Per Game: | 31.8 | 50 |
| Total Offense: | 414.0 | 66 |
| Passing Offense: | 270.0 | 38 |
| Rushing Offense: | 144.0 | 89 |
| Red Zone Offense: | 95.2% | 10 |
Defense
| Average | Rank | |
| Points Allowed Per Game: | 16.6 | 11 | |
| Total Defense: | 353.0 | 32 | |
| Passing Defense: | 212.8 | 42 | |
| Rushing Defense: | 140.2 | 38 | |
| Red Zone Defense: | 66.7% | 7 | |
Linebacker Terrance Plummer is a team leader in many defensive categories: tackles, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, and interceptions. Working alongside Plummer is Troy Gray, who has 27 tackles and one interception this year.
Strong safety Clayton Geathers is second on the team in tackles, with 42. Jacoby Glenn has bolstered the secondary, leading the squad with six pass deflections and seven pass breakups.
Collectively, the Knights are holding opponents to 16.6 points per game, which ranks 11th in the country, and stopping opposing offenses 66.7 percent of the time in the red zone.
As a defense, UCF ranges from 7-42 nationally in multiple defensive categories.
Special Teams
Wide receiver Rannell Hall is the team's kick returner, averaging 20.6 yards a return. Punter returner J.J. Worton averages 15.2 yards a return.
Kicker Shawn Moffitt has made all six field goals he has attempted this season and has a long of 37 yards.
Among the NCAA leaders in punting average, Caleb Houston averages 45.2 yards per punt, which is good for 13th in the nation.
Sean Galvin rounds out the three kickers UCF will use to handle the special teams duties. Thirteen of Galvin's 30 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks and opposing teams are starting their drives, on average, at the 25-yard line.
