The 2024 Big 12 conference schedule has begun as the UCF Knights came back from 21 points down to defeat the TCU Horned Frogs 35-34.  This was a wild game full of blocked kicks and lots of third-down conversions that went to the wire. What it wasn’t was boring. Now, it’s knee-jerk reaction time.

The Little Engine That Could

As the first real test of the season, running back RJ Harvey continues to carry the team. It wasn’t easy, but for the third time in as many games, Harvey eclipsed 100 yards on the ground. He also managed to find the endzone on both the ground and in the air. As the Knights fell further and further behind on the scoreboard, they continued to feed Harvey, which led to his highest output of the season. He finished with a career-high 29 carries and a career-second-best 180 yards. As mentioned in the predictions portion of the preview, the offensive strategy for UCF is to wear defenses down with the run. While the yardage doesn’t show it, the Knights had 145 yards in the first half and 144 yards in the second half, the third down conversions were very telling. In the first half, UCF was four out of eight while TCU was seven of eight. In the second half, the script flipped. UCF was seven of eight and TCU was three of seven.

The story of KJ Jefferson is also a tale of two halves. Jefferson struggled in the first half, going only four of eleven for 64 yards and a touchdown. In the second half, when the defense had to sell out more for the running game, Jefferson was able to do a lot more damage. In the second half, he went nine of 11 for 166 yards and two touchdowns. The go-ahead touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson was highlight-worthy as Hudson took a hard shot, but held on to the ball. The Knights as a whole had no turnovers in what was an amazingly clean game.

A Big 12 Offense in Action

The Big 12 is known for being a conference where defenses are optional. The offense thrives. TCU’s offense was led by quarterback Josh Hoover, who did exactly what was expected. Hoover took advantage of four very talented receivers along with awful tackling by the UCF secondary. TCU kept UCF on the field by converting their first seven third-down conversion attempts. In fact, the Horned Frogs ended the first half going seven of eight. In the second half, TCU continued to convert third downs, but fell back to a mortal pace, especially later in the game when the Knights took the momentum. TCU finished 10/15 on third down.

TCU continued to exploit UCF’s mismatch in the defensive backfield. Top wide receiver Savion Williams made multiple improbable touchdown catches and Jack Bech proved to be very difficult for the Knights secondary to pull down. Bech’s ability to avoid tackles allowed him to have seven plays of 10 yards or more, including a 50-yard touchdown catch.

The Defense’s Had a Rough Day

This was not an easy matchup for the defense. The TCU offense is somewhat the antithesis of UCF’s by focusing on the pass as opposed to the run. With UCF’s defensive line having almost zero impact on pressuring Hoover, it allowed the TCU wide receivers to make plays in stride and convert on third down. Even in the second half, when TCU’s ability to convert on third down became mortal, the Knights were not able to create any pressure in the backfield. UCF had one tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries.

The defensive backfield was forced to do more…a lot more. They had four pass breakups, but they had to make a disproportionate number of tackles. I’ve always said it’s never good when you have defensive backs leading the team in tackles. While linebacker Deshawn Pace led the team with 11 tackles, five of the next six tackle leaders are all defensive backs. That shows how committed TCU was to the pass and how little pressure the UCF defensive line was able to create. What the box score doesn’t show are all the missed tackles and there were a lot. The coaching staff is going to have their work cut out to improve the pass defense before they host Colorado in two weeks.

UCF’s Special Teams Collapsed

What a disaster in the kicking game. Kicker Colton Boomer had not one, not two, but three kicks blocked. Two were field goal attempts, including a 27-yarder at the end of the first half. The third kick was an extra point. The first two kicks that were blocked seemed low. Going into this game, Boomer was perfect after having a rough 2023 season. The coaching staff are going to have to make some adjustments. TCU stacked the right side of the UCF blocking team and had a lot of success. Other teams will see this and try to replicate it.

Uniform Review

UCF opened its conference schedule on the road and went with a whiteout. This is a perfect contrast to TCU going with the blackout. The equipment team opted for the white with black trim block UCF. This allows the logo to use more white space as opposed to the Knights script. This look dwarfs anything Lightmode based. I’m glad they did not use them and wouldn’t miss them one bit if they got retired.

The predicted score was 31-27. It ended up being closer than expected.

Stat Leaders

Passing:
UCF: KJ Jefferson: 13/22 for 230 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int
TCU: Josh Hoover: 35/52 for 402 yards, 4 TD, 0 Int

Rushing:
UCF: R.J. Harvey: 29 carries for 180 yards, 2 TD
TCU: Cam Cook: 11 carries for 35 yards, 0 TD

Receiving:
UCF: Kobe Hudson: 6 catches for 145 yards, 2 TD
TCU: Jack Bech: 9 catches for 200 yards, 1 TD

Game Notes:

• UCF leads the series 1-0.
• This is the first game since Boise State in 2021 where UCF came back from 21 points down to win.
• RJ Harvey now has 29 career rushing touchdowns and is now tied for fourth in UCF history with Greg McCrae.
• RJ Harvey has passed Marquette Smith and Greg McCrae to climb to fourth in career rushing yards at UCF.
• UCF had their first successful two-point conversion since 2022 against South Florida.
• Josh Hoover is the first opponent since BYU’s Zach Wilson in 2020 that an opponent had 400+ yards passing.
• Jack Bech is also the first opponent since South Florida’s Tyre McCants in 2017 that an opposing wide receiver had 200+ receiving yards.
• Sorry, it’s not my best, but I was hailing Hypnotoad.