UCF football: 3 takeaways from tough loss at Kansas State
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This is an exciting season in Orlando as UCF football enters its first season in the Big 12, but some of that excitement was shut down on Saturday night.
Here’s what we learned in the Knights’ first defeat in Power Five conference play.
1. Plumlee wasn’t perfect, but he’s greatly missed
Gus Malzahn has to figure out the quarterback position in future seasons, but for 2023, it’s clear that John Rhys Plumlee was the man to run this offense.
His injury against Boise State opened the door for Timmy McClain to start against Kansas State on Saturday night. The offense started strong under McClain, but the Knights couldn’t put together a four-quarter performance in their Big 12 debut.
Instead, the offense sputtered. After scoring 17 points in the first half, UCF scored just seven points in the second.
The Malzahn offense is designed around running quarterbacks, and McClain just didn’t do that effectively against the Wildcats.
He has the athleticism to move around in the backfield, but his approach to the passing game resembled a kid playing Madden. He regularly took the snap, sensed the slightest bit of pressure, and started running backward and side to side.
This was a maddening offensive performance to watch.