UCF Game Balls vs Southern Miss

There’s not too much to be optimistic about after another second half collapse for UCF.

After UCF put together its best drive of the season on its opening possession, the Knights were held scoreless, falling to Southern Miss, 17-6. UCF’s defense fought valiantly through the game while the offense stalled, but fatigue eventually took its toll on the Knights, leaving room for only a few noteworthy performances.

Jarvis Geathers - The junior end continues to grow as he adapts to FBS speed. Geathers had 2.5 sacks on the evening and finished with seven tackles. Geathers now leads the team with 5.5 sacks on the season and is becoming a dominating pass rusher.

Torrell Troup - The defensive tackle has emerged as UCF’s most dominating player on both sides of the ball. Troup had fantastic numbers against the Golden Eagles, finishing with seven tackles, 2.5 TFL. On top of that, his size and mind boggling quick first step forced Southern Miss players into the arms of other Knights defenders on numerous occasions, something that doesn’t show up in statistics.

Derrick Hallman - The undersized linebacker continuous to make plays all over the field. The sophomore led the Knights with nine tackles, eight being solos.

Antonio Wallace - The senior end was another UCF defensive lineman who made a big impact. Wallace also had seven tackles and also had 1.5 TFL, including a potential touchdown saving tackle that he sniffed out in the backfield.

Offensively, no individual performances stuck out. Brynn Harvey had a 28-yard run in the opening series, but the team was forced to abandon the run early on. Rob Calabrese also had an impressive first series and completed six of his first eight passes, but seemed to get flustered after taking a big hit in the first half. UCF’s receivers also made some big plays, but drops again plagued the unit.