After a 3-0 start, some apologies are owed

Hope you had a great “Bye Week,” Knights fans!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend of relaxation.  UCF went on the road last week and took down the Horned Lizards of TCU in stunning fashion, winning 35-34.  In a game that felt bizarrely one sided in TCU’s favor for a good chunk of time, ended up being a victory for the Knights both in the final score and in the statistics of the game (just ignore the special teams play).

If I’m being perfectly honest, I was worried about the game before it started.  TCU is a talented and disciplined team.  UCF had to travel to Fort Worth for TCU’s family weekend, and Gus doesn’t have the best record when playing on the road.  The cards seemed to be stacked against us (at least in my mind).  

Speaking of my mind, let me give you a sneak peek into how it operates when it comes to the Knights. First, let’s get one thing straight — I live, breathe, and die for UCF. Just ask my wife (whom I met at UCF, by the way). Half of our monthly budget goes to fund my UCF apparel addiction. The opening of Alumni Hall UCF has been, how shall we say, “catastrophic” for my bank account. Second, I live by the motto, “trust but verify.” I’m a former auditor.  I’m skeptical by nature. If I assume the worst, then I’m never disappointed. It’s my way of protecting myself. Call it self-preservation. If I seem grumpy to you, just remember it’s my preemptive coping mechanism. Making fun and cracking jokes while UCF is down is also a foolproof way to lighten up a not-so-fun situation. That may not be your style, but it’s how I manage to get by. Plus, it’s cheaper than therapy!

All of that being said, I have some apologies to hand out.  While the final score of the game indicates that I was justified in some of my concern, I do owe some apologies.  So let’s talk about it.

I’m sorry that I didn’t believe in Gus…

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t really expect Gus to waltz into a packed stadium and strut out with a road win. His UCF record while playing on the road is, well, let’s just say it’s shakier than a Jenga tower in an earthquake. This road game had “disaster” written all over it. When UCF found itself down by three scores, I had already mentally drafted my “better luck next time” memes. But in the end, Coach Malzahn stuck to his game plan like a kid with a new toy. He got the running game moving with the Big12’s best running back, RJ Harvey, and he Pounded. The. Ball. Gus systematically wore down the TCU defense, scored points, and won the game. I didn’t think Gus had it in him. Shows how much I know about football. I would have panicked, abandoned the run, and started chucking the ball downfield like a desperate Hail Mary. I was wrong, all along. This is why he earns the big bucks and I sit on my couch making memes.

I’m sorry, but Sunny Dykes is just as responsible for the Knights win as Gus is…

Give Gus and the Knights their due. They persevered and walked away with the win. HOWEVER, let’s not forget that TCU was in control of the game until they weren’t. TCU relied so heavily on their passing game that they might as well have been allergic to running the ball. If I were a TCU fan, I’d be absolutely livid that the Horned Frogs either couldn’t or refused to run the ball and run down the clock. Seriously, it’s like they were trying to win a game of Madden instead of real football. It’s tough to look back at the game and wonder how things could have changed if TCU had not been so one-dimensional on offense. But hey, hindsight is 20/20, and in this case, it’s also pretty hilarious. (Side note: TCU getting stomped at SMU doesn’t help either)

I’m sorry that I didn’t trust KJ…

I’ll be perfectly honest, I thought the KJ Jefferson experiment was over after the first two games. I figured, “cupcake” scrimmages against lesser teams, and KJ didn’t blow the roof off in the passing game? We’re cooked. A lot of folks have said that he’s a glorified game manager, and I was buying the rhetoric like it was on sale. I didn’t trust his passing ability and I didn’t believe he could help us win in big game situations. Boy, was I wrong. KJ kept a level head all game long and made plays when he needed to. He hit deep balls to Kobe Hudson all night long (with a little help from some friendly pass interference calls), and in the end, he connected with Kobe for a game-tying TD pass that won UCF the game. I can’t wait to see how his game progresses the rest of the season. Maybe I should start trusting my team more and my pessimism less. But hey, old habits die hard and I’ve been burned by UCF more ofen than not when I get my hopes up!

I’m sorry to Boomer and the kicking game…

Three blocked kicks. THREE. Never have I seen such a poor performance from the kicking game in any football game. Ever. After the way UCF’s star kicker, Colton Boomer, fell apart during the end of the 2023 season, I was ready to pounce when he missed his first kicking attempt against TCU. Follow that with a second and third, and I was apoplectic. Points were tougher to come by for the Knights than a parking spot on campus during finals week, and his kicks could have changed the momentum of the game. Upon further review, however, not all of the kicking hiccups were Boomer’s fault. The Knights’ kicking unit had issues all game long, but not all the issues were on Boomer’s shoulders. The special teams unit allowed TCU to push them around like a bully taking lunch money, and at least two of the missed kicks were due to blocks or touches by TCU. In addition to my apology, Boomer is owed an apology by the UCF special teams coach, who let him down, big time! Maybe they should all chip in and buy him a nice dinner or something.

I’m sorry to TCU fans, because Randy Pittman fumbled that ball…

In the second half of the game, Randy Pittman caught a critical pass from KJ and the ball came out. Randy was ruled down by the referees as the play unfolded, but it was not clear cut. A review was initiated (much to the chagrin of a screaming Gus on the sideline, yelling at the offense to hurry up and snap the ball). In a referee review that took literal years off my life, I watched as Randy’s ANKLE (or shin) was down when the ball came loose. Since when has the rule ever been that a player’s ankle or shin has to be down and not his knee or elbow?! Yes, the ruling was in the Knights’ favor, but I thought for sure that he fumbled that ball. Nine times out of ten, that gets ruled as a fumble. Not sure what the refs were looking at, but someone was definitely looking out for UCF! Maybe the football gods decided to throw us a bone for once. Either way, I’m just glad I didn’t have to break out my stress ball collection.

I’m sorry, but WHAT? How was that NOT a penalty…

As we’ve already established, I’m no football expert. I’m not paid millions to stand on the sidelines, call plays, scheme up defenses, or do post-game pressers. Nor am I qualified to wear a referee’s hat. However, I know a bad call (or lack thereof) when I see one. At one point during the game, Xavier Townsend lined up to fair catch a TCU punt. Townsend very clearly signaled for a fair catch of the punt, caught the ball… and then was immediately tackled to the ground by a TCU defender. It was so blatantly illegal that even my grandma, who thinks a touchdown is a shopping discount, could see it. That’s not good sportsmanship, but fine, we’ll take the 15 yards on the penalty, I thought. The referees then got together and agreed there was no penalty. WHAT?! I nearly fell out of my chair and spilled my seltzer. To say the refereeing of the game was suspect would be an understatement. It was a bad hit and TCU should have been penalized.

Next week, UCF returns to the Bounce House to host the “Buffs” of Colorado, along with their perpetually polarizing coach, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders. I can’t wait to see if the Knights can build upon their road win in Fort Worth and notch another conference win against Colorado. It’s going to be a showdown of epic proportions! Will the Knights rise to the occasion, or will Prime Time steal the spotlight?  Let’s hope the Bounce House lives up to its name and gives us a game to remember!

“Charge On, stupid!”