UCF Football: 5 bold predictions for Knights in October 2019

2. The UCF defense is going to have an opportunistic October

The game against UConn is a preview of where the UCF defense is looking to transport itself heading into October. Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon had the Knights tormenting the Huskies with a pair of interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries. They had a shot at snatching a couple more interceptions as the defensive front got consistent pressure on UConn’s two quarterbacks.

Luck is going to turn for the Knights on that side of the ball, as they start to snatch even more takeaways in October. Cincinnati has had issues coughing up the football, and that could turn the tide in a game that looks fit to be a barnburner. After the bye week, UCF gets to face East Carolina and Temple teams that have been even worse than the Bearcats at tossing interceptions.

Currently UCF sits ranked 51st nationally in takeaways. Catching a Mississippi State defense with twice as many turnovers generated is going to be difficult, but they will climb up into the top 20 in turnovers gained by the end of October and situate themselves among the top teams in turnover margin nationally.

Look for the Knights to snatch at least one interception against Cincinnati and at least two against both the Pirates and Owls, and to recover a fumble or two along the way as well. All told, the month of October holds some big gains in store for UCF.