UCF Football: 3 Reasons the Knights will struggle at Boise State

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Aug 31, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (10) runs the ball against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports battle for the ball /

1. Plumlee is not a reliable passer

It’s no secret that the Broncos’ defense struggled last week, giving up 56 points and 450 passing yards to Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr. That’s the important detail, though. It was against a Heisman candidate. That’s not something UCF football features.

John Rhys Plumlee is a good quarterback, but he’s not nearly the kind of passer that Penix is. In fact, that’s the hole in his game. A look at the season-long stats indicates improvement from Plumlee year to year, but he still has games where his fundamentals falter and his accuracy dips drastically.

In 2022, he racked up strong numbers against weak competition but struggled in big moments. Against Louisville, he completed just 47 percent of his throws and led the offense to a 0-point second half in a close game. His completion percentage was below 60 in four games, and his QBR was below 50 in seven.

Against Duke in the Military Bowl, his QBR was just 17.7. Time and time again, he struggles mightily in these games against respectable competition.

Boise State’s defense is not as bad as Penix made it look last week, and Plumlee is not a passer capable of replicating that game.

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