Through three weeks of a college football season, it’s hard to tell just how good or bad a team may be the rest of the year, but trends generally start to develop.
UCF coach Gus Malzahn said Monday they’re using the bye week to evaluate offense, defense and special teams — the good and the bad. While the Knights (2-1) aren’t ranked, how do they compare to the rest of the country?
A look at five statistics, team and individual, that can provide a clear picture at what UCF does well, what the Knights don’t and an early look at potential trends to watch out for the remainder of the season:
1. Scoring offense is once again elite
UCF has averaged more than 40 points each year since 2017 and that hasn’t changed.
UCF’s offense controls the time of possession by four more minutes a game compared to last year to average 44.7 points per game. That ranks first in the American Athletic Conference and eighth nationwide.
UCF’s first opponent, Boise State, has the No. 1 scoring offense nationally, averaging 52.7 points. The Broncos only scored 31 against the Knights.
2. Top 20 rushing defense
Although the Knights gave up more than 100 yards on the ground against Louisville, they still rank 18th at stopping the run.
UCF allows 78.3 rushing yards, which — like its scoring offense — tops the AAC. The Knights are three spots above Memphis, which comes to town Oct. 22.
The ability to slow down the run is thanks to UCF’s defensive line that has lived up to preseason hype.
3. Middle-of-the-pack total defense
The Knights need to work on pass defense. Despite the struggles, allowing 276 yards through the air, this defense has vastly improved since last season.
UCF ranks near the middle at No. 71 out of 130 teams in total defense, giving up 354.3 yards.
That’s six spots below average, but it’s important to remember last year’s defense finished 123rd. This unit has improved and it’s starting to show in the numbers.
4. Jaylon Robinson averages almost 20 yards a catch
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the redshirt junior from Texas has taken off. Robinson is averaging 19.5 yards per reception which ranks 41st out of 200 receivers.
His output could drop as backup quarterback Mikey Keene replaces Dillon Gabriel (broken left collarbone), but it’s clear Robinson is a serious downfield threat.
Robinson has recorded catches of 47, 28 and 25 yards. Tack on twohauls of 22 yards and one 21-yard catch and that’s half of his 12 receptions.
5. 3rd-down struggles but not as bad as you think
One area that UCF hasn’t been great at on either side of the ball is third down.
On defense, the Knights let teams convert 38%, which is actually pretty average. That ranks 74th.
Offensively, UCF has found success on about half of attempted third downs, or a 47% conversion rate. The Knights are one of the better teams on third downs, ranking 32nd.
Four of the UCF’s remaining nine opponents rank in the bottom 10, converting on third downs: South Florida, UConn, Temple and Navy, the latter of which is 126th.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
