UCF Thrashes FIU: A Tactical Analysis

Offense:

McKenzie Milton shined against Florida International. The fumbles and wrecklessness that had concerned the fanbase against Maryland were eliminated. Instead we got to see the flashes of brilliance that show why he is the future of the quarterback position at UCF. Milton would go 8-14 for 173 yards, 1 touchdown and ran for 26 yards. He was pulled as the Knights took a insurmountable lead in the second half. All the criticisms against him were wiped out. Oh and he also turned an improbable broken play into points. On a designed scramble, Milton realized that all his lanes were clogged. Instead he pulled the ball back, bought some time and threw a laser to Jordan Akins who scored. It's those plays that make him so special. Then there is the option with Dontravious Wilson. UCF had the ball on Florida International's 30 yard line. McKenzie looked like he had some space to gain a few yards after running to the right of the line, instead he pitched the ball to Wilson who found a gap and scored a touchdown. Hat is a play that an upperclassman would make, not a freshman. If this is what Milton looks like in his first two starts, I can not wait for him to get a few more starts under his belt. 

Let us talk about running for a moment. When Scott Frost first came to UCF, I said that UCF would get back to their running identity. Well let us compare the 2015 year to 2016. In 2015 UCF ran for 975 yards and 4 touchdowns. Through four games in 2016, UCF running totals 947 yards and 11 touchdowns 26th in the country in total running yards. So I would say this is a vast improvement over whatever last year was. What makes this rushing attacking so special is the three headed beast that is Dontravious Wilson, Jawon Hamilton, and Adrian Killins(more on him later.) Against Florida International the three combined for 150 yards and 4 touchdowns(other players contributed to the total of 276 yards and 6 touchdowns). Wilson's 3 touchdowns are the most by a UCF running back since Storm Johnson's 3 touchdowns vs Baylor. Frost has overhauled this running game and made it so much better.

Let us talk about Adrian Killins for a second. This is a player that was overlooked by George and the previous staff. A kid from Mainland an hour away from UCF. He was the first recruit that signed for UCF when Frost arrived. He was formally introduced to the UCF fanbase on his 87 yard touchdown run against Michigan. Against FIU, he continued to shine. First he took a screen pass from Milton 60 yards and set UCF for the Wilson touchdown. Then in the third quarter, Killins had a 63 yard touchdown run that was the final dagger in the game. Killins would finish the game with 210 all purpose yards. Killins now has 241 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries for a 15.1 average. To say that he is going to be special is an understatement. It is like Kevin Smith and a healthy Brynn Harvey had a love child and that child is Adrian Killins. He might be the most explosive player in the AAC as a freshman. Just like Milton, Killins has seen limited action, but has improved every game this season. He hasn't reached the peak of his powers yet and that should scare other teams. 

Every single unit on the offense was impressive. The 53 points were the highest points by a UCF team since the 2013 campaign. The 501 total yards were the highest UCF had since 2014. This is what the Scott Frost offense is supposed to look like. Sure it was against lowly FIU, but UCF needed this game. Needed to show that this team will beat the lowly teams and do it in devastating fashion. It was so impressive.

Defense:

I love you Erik Chinander. Seriously the smartest move that Scott Frost made was bringing Chinander over to UCF. Chinander has rejuvenated a dead unit. According to Football Outsiders this unit is the 34th best unit in the country which is impressive. The 3-4 from 4-3 has breathed new life into the defense. The defense was outstanding against FIU. FIU failed to break 100 total yards in the first half and it was only in the middle of the third quarter that the Panthers finally broke 100 total yards against UCF. None of the 3 quarterbacks FIU used threw for 100 yards, in fact they weren't even close. UCF had 5 total sacks and finally forced a turnover(interception by Drico Johnson). But it is the way that this defense mauled FIU that is most impressive. I haven't seen a defense perform like this since the Huxtable days. UCF ranks 19th in the country in yards allowed per game. It showed against FIU as the Knights held FIU to only 189 total yards. It was like watching a bunch of men play a pop warner team. Thank you for all of that Erik Chinander. 

Let us talk about Shaquem Griffin. He led the Knights against FIU having 3 tackles for loss, a pass deflection, and 2 sacks. He excelled so much so that he was named to the AAC Honor Roll for his performance. The move to outside linebacker has benefitted Griffin. He has had a career resurgence and has become UCF's most valuable defensive player.