UCF Football: 3 takeaways from home blowout over UConn

2. UCF defense came up big in rebound against the Huskies

Over the course of the past few seasons, as UCF has boosted their national presence with two straight unbeaten regular season runs and a pair of major bowl appearances, the Knights have made their mark with one of the most prolific offenses in the country. While offense is still at the heart of the Knights’ success in 2019, their defense continues to improve into a unit that complements their high-octane counterparts on the other side of the ball.

In the first quarter alone, the Knights forced turnovers on four of UConn’s first six drives of the game. Over the course of the game, UCF nearly picked off Huskies quarterback Steven Krajewski several other times. It was an overwhelming display of dominance against an offense that had no chance to keep pace.

By the end of the game, UCF’s defense allowed the Huskies to compile 426 total yards of offense. That was mainly a result of starting to cycle first-stringers out of the game. Once that happened, UConn was able to put several touchdowns on the scoreboard against the UCF backups and third-stringers.

But what UCF proved is that they have the horses to make life miserable for most teams around the country. While they might end up in a shootout against a Power Five opponent or a ranked Group of Five foe, the defense gives the Knights a chance to break open and win any game they play in moving forward.