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The Knights offense lost its engine in quarterback Blake Bortles, but the team’s cabinet of skill players still is overflowing. As many as four receivers could make a case as the team’s best pass-catching option, while running back Will Stanback returns from an injury trying to prove he’s worthy of an NFL look.
UCF may have the most experienced defense in the country, nearly returning double-digit starters in addition to a host of backups. Penn State’s passing game gave the Knights problems, more so because UCF’s Cover 2 pass rush wouldn’t have prevented the Nittany Lions from progressing through seven or eight reads, if there was such a thing. But the back seven remains good enough to compete with most FBS teams in 2014.
Here are some UCF players to watch out for on Saturday.
1. WR Rannell Hall: UCF’s best receiver also is a good blocker and kick returner and occasionally runs the ball. He didn’t play against Penn State due to an elbow injury, but caught 57 passes for 886 yards last season. Hall spearheads one of the deepest and most experienced receiving corps in the country.
2. WR J.J. Worton: The 6-foot-2, 212-pound senior is aiming for his fourth consecutive season with at least 40 catches and 500 receiving yards. Missouri hopes Aarion Penton can grow into a shutdown corner, right now the Tigers cornerbacks are just a bunch of average players with good athleticism.
3. QB Justin Holman: He’s 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds. Missouri recruited him for a while. He spent last season backing up Blake Bortles and exited the spring as the team’s No. 1 quarterback, but a poor fall camp cost him the job to freshman Pete DiNovo. Looking to break out of an offensive rut, coach George O’Leary reinstated Holman in the second half against Penn State and the offense lurched forward almost immediately.
4. CB Jacoby Glenn: A freshman All-America last season, he intercepted Christian Hackenberg in the opener in addition to making 11 tackles. He’s an attention-grabbing player who could be the best small-school cornerback in the FBS. Hackenberg and Penn State plowed through UCF’s talented veteran defense easier than expected. Expect Glenn and the secondary to be amped for the challenge Missouri’s pass offense presents.
5. LB Terrance Plummer: At 6-foot-1, 236 pounds, Plummer is a bone-crushing inside linebacker with NFL Draft aspirations. The Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP led the team with 110 tackles last season, 8.5 of those for loss. He added nine stops against Penn State in UCF’s opener.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
