UCF football: 3 takeaways from near-upset vs. Cincinnati in Week 12

Cincinnati got a scare from an explosive UCF football team, but they survived in the end. So, what can we take away from the game?

UCF came out swinging, as they jumped out to a 14-3 lead on Cincinnati. Aided by a muffed punt, the Knights looked like they had a chance to get Cincinnati into a shootout, where UCF would have held an advantage. The Bearcats settled down, though, and took a 19-17 lead into the half after finding success on crossing routes.

Coming out to start the second half, Cincinnati tried to land a knockout blow, taking over eight minutes off the clock. They got stuffed at the goal line, though, and had to settle for three. UCF responded, efficiently marching downfield for a touchdown which they capped off with a two-point conversion to retake the lead.

From there, Cincinnati would retake the lead, and by halfway through the fourth quarter they managed to take a 36-25 lead. And while UCF cut that down to a field goal game the Bearcats ultimately held on and beat the Knights 36-33.

So, after one of the most important games in the AAC this season, what can we take away?

3. Desmond Ridder doesn’t need to throw downfield

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder does a lot of things well. He makes quick decisions, runs extremely well, and is accurate underneath. However, if there has been a critique on Ridder this season it’s that he doesn’t stretch the field. This is largely because he simply can’t. He lacks downfield accuracy, and he knows it.

So, he limits to shot attempts that he takes.

This works, largely because he doesn’t need to take downfield shots. Cincinnati is excellent in the power run game, particularly in the quarterback run RPO. The Bearcats showed this off against UCF. They got tons of yards with Ridder keeping it against the Knights, and when UCF was prepared for that the Bearcats had a man to dump the ball to.

This strategy, implemented nearly perfectly against UCF, limits the need to throw deep. Add in the pride Cincinnati takes in its long, exhausting drives to punish opponent’s defenses and the Bearcats don’t need Ridder to find a downfield ball.