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UCF Football: 3 keys to victory vs. UConn Huskies in Week 5

By Clayton Panzeri

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the UCF Knights passes in the first quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on September 21, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the UCF Knights passes in the first quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on September 21, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 07: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the UCF Knights hands the ball off to Greg McCrae #30 the first half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at FAU Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 07: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the UCF Knights hands the ball off to Greg McCrae #30 the first half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at FAU Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

1. Protect the quarterback

Dillon Gabriel was sacked six times last Saturday for the UCF Knights. This combination of holding on to the ball too long and not being able to stop the Pitt pass rush spelled disaster for the Knights.

Favored by almost 50 points, you would expect that it would be a tough task for the UConn Huskies to be able to get to the quarterback, but we will need to see a much-improved offensive line this week.

Not only did the offensive line give up six sacks, but the rushing game wasn’t going anywhere either. Rushing for only 86 yards on the ground the Knights were well below their normal average of 233 a game.

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I expect the UCF line to get mountains better this week, patching up the holes that were previously left from the Pitt defense. While UConn doesn’t have a strong pass rush either, this could be an area to look at for the Huskies to try and steal this game away.

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