UCF-Rice: Game Balls

The Knights had a game to remember as they defeated the Rice Owls 49-7. The massacre meant that a lot of things went right for the Knights and thus, there were plenty of game balls to give out.

A.J. Guyton- Offensively you have to start with Guyton. He is emerging as the team’s best overall play maker and his stat line was more than indicative of that tonight. He had four receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown, a 36-yard passing score and a 38-yard punt return. Can you say ‘game changer?’

Defensive line- It’s hard to single out any one individual here. UCF’s front four was absolutely dominating throughout the game, as the Knights had five sacks on the afternoon. Torrell Troup clogged the middle as usual (and had three tackles, one for a loss), Bruce Miller had a sack and two tackles for a loss and Jarvis Geathers had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 1.5 sacks.

UCF’s offensive line- They were just as fierce as the defensive front. The running backs had gaping holes to run through the entire game and they also did a solid job of keeping pressure off of Hodges.

Brett Hodges- He wasn’t spectacular but he did what he had to do to move the ball. Hodges went 8-of-13 for 145 yards and a score while also logging a touchdown run.

Brynn Harvey and Ronnie Weaver- Harvey had 71 yards on 12 attempts and Weaver had 58 yards on five attempts while also scoring a 27-yard touchdown. A combined 129 yards on just 17 carries is fantastic.

Derrick Hallman- Maybe the whole moving to linebacker thing is paying off for him. Hallman finished with seven tackles and two fumble recoveries. He also got his hand on a ball and nearly came down with a pick.

Cory Hogue- Hogue patrolled the middle of the field perfectly as the team’s inside backer. He broke up two passes, had six tackles and a forced fumble.

Kamar Aiken and Jamar Newsome- They only had two catches combined on the afternoon, but when those two catches are for 88 total yards and two touchdowns then you could argue that each deserves a game ball. Aiken’s leaping catch in the red zone against heavy coverage was spectacular and Newsome’s run after the catch was equally impressive.

Kemal Ishmael and Josh Robinson- The freshmen defensive backs are coming to life. Ishmael had 11 tackles and had some impressive hits while Robinson logged career interception number two. This one went back for a score, which made just as memorable as his first one.