What To Watch For: UCF Knights

LOUISVILLE NEEDS BETTER EFFORT

I don’t remember the first time I wrote this post. I’ve been writing on this site for over a decade and I spend each week looking at the opponent's previous games and I try to spot things that I think will factor into the game happening that week. I pour over stats and listen to press conferences. I genuinely try to find any and all angles that look like they could impact the game. I always have four or five things to look out for but I’m not doing any of that this week.

Just play like the game matters. That’s all I want to see from this team. That’s all that will truly matter. UCF will score points because they have good players too. They have some weaknesses that Louisville should be able to exploit. I don’t even really care about the particulars. Just show some real effort and some real energy.

Lack of energy is why you see guys missing tackles in the open field because they don’t wrap up. It’s also why you see two white jerseys trying to make a tackle instead of four or five. Lack of energy is how you let a pass rusher run by you off the snap and end up literally tackling him. It’s how you let a defensive lineman that you outweigh by 70 pounds push you into the running back on a run play.

The Syracuse game should have been a shootout. Robert Anae called a great game and made things easy for his passing offense. Kudos to him and some genuine credit to UofL’s defense for adjusting after a rough start. But they got in a hole because they had no juice. The offense never got in a rhythm because they were timid and soft.

This season is a lost cause unless these players show that they really want to be out on the field together. What I’m watching for is any sign that this all matters to them.