What We Learned Against ECU

The Knights dropped to 0-2 in conference play as they lost their second consecutive road game, 19-14, to the ECU Pirates. Let's see how our keys to the game played out.

Keys to the Game for the Knights:

1. Win the first half. UCF had a golden opportunity to take the lead entering intermission, but wide receiver Kamar Aiken let a pass slip through his hands in the end zone, and quarterback Brett Hodges was picked off on the next play. UCF was still far from out of it, as they were down just 10-7 at the break.

2. Be aggressive Brynn. Brynn Harvey had his best game of the season as he made the right cuts, found the holes, and ran with power. His 4.4 ypc. average was his best this year.

3. Don't be intimidated. The Knights may have lost, but they certainly weren't intimidated by the bigger Pirates. The UCF offensive line got solid push in the first half and opened up holes for the running game.

4. Take the crowd out of the game. The Knights got on the scoreboard first, and the crowd was far from a factor in the outcome.

5. Pick on Pinkney. ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney had one of his best days as a Pirate as he completed 27 of 40 passes for 293 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.

What to look for:

1. A physical game in the trenches. There was plenty of physicality, but the passing game for ECU is what propelled them to the victory.

2. Look for extracurricular activity. Aside from the normal "woofing" that you see in about every game, there really wasn't anything extracurricular to speak of.

3. Look for less runs from Brett Hodges. Hodges wasn't much of a factor in the running game, as he carried the ball five times and lost 21 yards.

4. Look for at least two interceptions total. Hodges went for four by himself and Pinkney added another in what turned into a turnover-fest.

Predictions:

1. Over 262 yards of offense for UCF. The Knights threw for a little more than that and finished with 336 yards of total offense.

2. Kamar Aiken gets another touchdown. Aiken did score at the end of the game, but it was too little, too late.

3. Harvey surpasses 100 yards rushing. Brynn Harvey ran well, but had just 71 yards on 16 carries.

4. Emery Allen builds on his performance from last week. Allen was a non-factor as much of the Knights secondary played poorly.

5. ECU makes at least one big play through the air. Dwayne Harris caught a 47-yard pass and there were plenty of big plays through the air for the Pirates.