UCF Knights vs Boston College Eagles Football Recap

UCF 30, Boston College 3

It may be an overstatement to say that UCF is establishing itself as a national power after one dominant performance over a power conference stalwart, but it is not an overstatement to say that UCF is well positioned to make a run at an undefeated season.    Boston College, on the other hand, is reeling after two consecutive losses to open the season.   Last week’s loss at home to a Northwestern squad that was playing an inexperienced backup quarterback was a shot across the bow.   A loss to a Conference USA foe in which the Eagles were dominated in all phases of the game serves notice to the ACC Atlantic that there may be a full-on crisis in Chestnut Hill.

It is not the loss that should worry Boston College fans.   After all, star running back Montel Harris, thought by many to be the top offensive player in the conference coming into the season, is still out with a knee injury after fall camp.   He is expected to suit up for BC’s next game against Duke on September 17 th.   Additionally, UCF is an emerging power under a head coach that was well thought of enough to be hired as the head coach at Notre Dame before resigning just days later due to the discovery that he had not earned a master’s degree, as he had claimed on his resume. 

Rather, it is the nature of the loss that is startling.    Boston College has had great success in recent years by dominating in the trenches.   In this game, UCF’s lines – on both sides of the ball – were the clearly superior units.   Without Harris, the Eagles were not able to run the ball, finishing the game with a mere 57 rushing yards.   Harris’ absence may not have made a difference, though, as the UCF defensive front got the better of the BC offensive line all game long.   Andre Williams shouldered the load in Harris stead, and gained 59 yards on 12 carries, but he had to fight tooth and nail for yards against the Knights’ front seven.

The passing game was not a bright side for the Eagles, either, as Chase Rettig struggled against the defensive pressure.   His passes were often forced under pressure and he averaged a mere 3 yards an attempt on a 10 for 23 passing night in which he threw two interceptions.

While the offense struggled all night, the defense put on a pretty strong performance for three quarters until the wheels came off in the fourth.   By then, the Eagles defense seemed gassed and was no longer able to fight the strong push of the UCF offensive line on a night when the men in black pounded out 45 rushing attempts, nearly double the number of times BC ran the ball.   The Knights dominated on the ground, averaging 5.2 yards per rush for 235 total rushing yards. 

The success of the UCF rushing attack opened up the Knights passing game and sophomore dual-threat quarterback Jeff Godfrey had perhaps the best overall performance of his career.   Not only did Godfrey gash the Eagles defense on the ground, as the Knights’ second-leading rusher with 69 yards on 13 carries, but he also completed passes on an 80% clip, going 20 of 25 for 187 yards and no interceptions. 

Head Coach Frank Spaziani has lost games before, but this one has to have him searching for answers heading into conference play.   Even with the expected return of Montel Harris next week, his team’s struggle on both the offensive and defensive lines must be a huge cause for concern, even against perennial ACC doormat Duke.   The next three games on the schedule figure to be the Eagles’ best chances for wins, with Duke, UMass and Wake Forest lined up.   After that, there are very few easy wins on the schedule, and unless BC can improve in the trenches, the Eagles might be looking at one of their worst seasons in recent memory.

As for UCF, after outscoring its first two opponents, Charleston Southern and Boston College, 92-3, they go on the road to face an insurgent Florida International squad that just knocked of Louisville on the road, followed by a road trip to Provo to face a BYU team that has won at Mississippi and lost by a single point at Texas.   If they can emerge from those games unscathed, they enter CUSA play with a realistic opportunity to run the table.

Next games:    Boston College at Duke, Saturday, Sep. 17 th, 12:30 on ESPN3.   UCF at Florida International, Saturday, Sep. 17 th, 6 PM on ESPN3.