What We Learned Against ECU

Prior to Sunday’s game, Inside Knights gave you some keys to victory for UCF and a few things to look for. Let’s see how these things played out in Sunday’s 13-10 overtime loss to ECU.

Five most important things for UCF:

1. Don’t hold the ball. Quarterback Michael Greco didn’t account for many sacks by holding on to the ball too long, but he does need to limit the losses on the sacks he takes.

2. Joe Burnett needs to step up. Burnett was mostly kicked away from and got a little reckless when he fielded a few punts deep inside his own territory. Aside from that, he played nearly flawless coverage on Sunday, and had a nice game overall.

3. Score off turnovers. The Knights didn’t convert off any of the ECU turnovers, but ECU sent the game into overtime on a drive that began following a botched punt by Blake Clingan.

4. Hang on to the ball. The turnover bug reared its ugly head yet again at the worst time possible as Greco fumbled away the ball near the end of regulation, then threw an interception on the first play of overtime.

5. Enjoy the home cooking. Despite the disappointing outcome, UCF continues to play much better at the friendly confines of Bright House Networks Stadium.

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What to look for:

1. Look for the weather to impact the game. It was cold (Florida cold) but the elements certainly didn’t interfere with the play of the game as the rain held off.

2. Look for Brynn Harvey and Rob Calabrese to get majority of the snaps. One out of two isn’t bad. Harvey was the featured back all night, but Calabrese didn’t see the field.

3. Look for special teams to make a big difference. The biggest special teams play came when Blake Clingan couldn’t cleanly handle a bad snap and ECU took over for the eventual tying score in UCF territory.

4. Look for Brynn Harvey to have a big day. Harvey ran the ball well, although the statistics may not agree with that statement. Harvey ran through the few holes that were available to him and showed good burst, despite gaining just 30 yards on 17 carries.

5. Look for field goal kicking to play a role. UCF kicker Daren Daly hit a 49-yard kick then missed a 52-yarder. ECU kicker Ben Hartman overcame two early misses to nail the game winning 39-yard field goal in overtime.