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UCF Football: 3 takeaways from crushing loss at Cincinnati in Week 6

By Clayton Panzeri

CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 04: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the Central Florida Knights looks to pass in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on October 4, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 04: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the Central Florida Knights looks to pass in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on October 4, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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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) /

3. Dillon Gabriel is very human

Freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel started out the year as the third quarterback on the roster, not thinking that he would start, let alone lead the Knights to a 4-1 start. Gabriel has been a prolific passer to start his career and one that has electrified the country. What we saw on Friday night in Cincinnati was growing pains that all quarterbacks go through, especially young ones.

Gabriel was rushed all night and forced to throw with pressure in his face time and time again. Match that with a great Cincinnati secondary and it made it tough on Gabriel to make any great throws on the road. The result was Gabriel going 26-for-47 and throwing three interceptions, which happened to be some of the most costly turnovers of the night.

Dillon Gabriel is going to no doubt be one of the best quarterbacks in the Group of Five for many years to come. The Knights, unfortunately, did not get Gabriel’s best performance and one that he wants to quickly forget. This performance goes to show how human even highly touted freshman quarterbacks can be.

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