I recently joined the #UCFTwitterMafia. And I have a whopping two dozen followers @UCF_Jebshred. HaHa. But I am a UCF Football season ticket holder, and an alumni from the class of 1997. I enjoyed my time being a Golden Knight, watching Daunte Culpepper sling it around in the Citrus Bowl, surfing the nearby beaches of Central Florida, and obtaining a B.A. in Radio/TV Journalism. My favorite place to surf during my UCF days was in the north parking lots of Playalinda Beach, on the Canaveral National Seashore. I made some great friends and memories during my time in Central Florida. I'm very proud of what the UCF Football program has been able to accomplish. They've come a long way from the days where the only option was to listen to a game on the RADIO, let alone watch the team play in an on-campus stadium. The last decade's progress has been meteoric to put it mildly. So I am excited for the 2021 UCF Knights College Football Season and looking forward to the Future of College Football.
Go Knights and Charge On!
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HERE'S MY GAME ONE PREDICTION
I could parrot what all of the pundits, as well as the sports gambling sites are saying about this game. I could also act surprised when those predictions don't happen. But I won't do that. I won't tell you that these are two evenly matched group of five teams OR that both are debuting a brand new head coach. I won't point out how the team from Idaho travels well, even recently upsetting an ACC school on their opening day in Tallahassee back in 2019. I also won't talk about how either of these teams fared during a Covid season in 2020. Why?? Because none of it will be relevant on Thursday night in the Bounce House. Maybe I'm just a UCF homer, but here's what I think is actually going to happen in the home opener...
OFFENSE - Eat My Road Blue Liver Lips
I don't even need to consider too deeply what the visitors bring to this match-up, offensively. Shakir and Johnson are in fact stud WRs, and the transfer portal may have very well added some talent to their RB room. But the opponents are not going to keep up with Dillon Gabriel and the boys. It's going to be full throttle for the Knights, and this game could be out of reach by half time. The team from the Mountain West Conference will not handle UCF's frenetic offensive pacing and creative play calling, while also dealing with the shocking heat and humidity that is Orlando in September. The blue team will leave the game with tread on their face, from being flat-out run over by the black and gold offense. These visitors from the west will taste no victory tonight, but rather the dust and dirt from the UCF offensive skill players.
DEFENSE - Cleans Up Well
I know the Knights Defense is not a strength as of late. I blame Covid. But I think there's talent there, and I believe that Coach Travis Williams builds and improves on a squad that had a lot of ability, but just wasn't executing. There were so many times last season, where the defense was on the verge of a big play, that might have stopped a drive, or simply caused a better outcome, but ultimately, was ineffective. The last outing for the defense was the Boca Beat Down, and they looked a mess. But I think things get straightened out this season. Coach T-Will will get better outcomes. BigKat Bryant and Eriq Gilyard will lead by example. Divaad Wilson self actualizes. And everything begins to click. The Knights are going to tackle better, and they're going to get after the Boise Quarterback. I won't be surprised to see the backup QB finish out the game.
FINAL OUTCOME - Boise Gets Bounced
The Bounce House will be at another level, and players from both teams will come out all geeked up. But Coach Gus settles our boys down, calls the right plays, and controls the tempo of the game. The defense steps up, a power running game emerges, and the boys in blue are exploited for being slower and weaker. All of this, and a ton of humidity, are just too much to overcome for the visitors in week one. Knights Dominate 38-10
Tell me I'm wrong.
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