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We’re eyeball deep in election season here in the state of Florida, so we here at Black & Gold Banneret want to give you a few minutes to get away from the constant stream of political ads and finally let your voice be heard.
We hear all the time about approval ratings, polls and who’s up and who’s down, so we thought we could apply some of those concepts to UCF Football.
Fellow citizens of Knight Nation, we give you our annual UCF Knights Bye Week Approval Ratings.
Here’s how it works: In this column, we give you four polls with one simple yes-or-no question: Do you approve of the job each unit is doing this season? We’ll also give you some stats, rankings, and pros and cons. The four units are offense, defense, special teams and the coaching staff
Alright, no more filibustering. Cloture invoked. Let’s do this!
Offense
UCF 2018 Offensive Stats
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
| Total Yards/Game | 537.1 | 6 | 530.5 | 5 |
| Rushing Yards/Game | 261.1 | 9 | 198.7 | 33 |
| Passing Yards/Game | 276.0 | 25 | 331.8 | 10 |
| Team Passing Efficiency | 150.6 | 30 | 178.47 | 2 |
| Completion % | 59.1% | 78 | 67.7% | 5 |
| Points/Game | 44.4 | 6 | 48.2 | 1 |
| 3rd Down % | 51.5% | 6 | 45.5% | T-15 |
| 4th Down % | 66.7% | T-20 | 50.0% | T-69 |
| Red Zone Offense | 90.0% | 25 | 84.5% | 64 |
| First Downs Offense | 188 | T-14 | 327 | T-9 |
| Time of Possession | 26:38 | 118 | 28:04 | 105 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 5 | 15 | 27 |
| Sacks Allowed/Game | 1.29 | 19 | 1.00 | 5 |
| TFL Allowed/Game | 4.29 | 14 | 5.31 | 38 |
Pros:
- UCF’s offensive numbers, especially scoring, have kept pace with last year’s offense.
- The Knights are showing more balance between run and pass than in 2017.
- Turnovers and negative-yardage plays are down while 3rd downs are up.
Cons:
- McKenzie Milton and the passing offense have come back to Earth. Yardage, efficiency and completion percentage are down from 2017.
- The Knights have allowed more sacks this year, though that’s mostly due to the Memphis game.
- Time of possession is expectedly poor, although not that much worse than 2017.
Poll
Do you approve of the UCF offense’s performance thus far in 2018?
Defense
UCF Defensive Stats
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
| Total Yards Allowed/Game | 395.4 | 73 | 427.9 | 93 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed/Game | 182.9 | 92 | 159.8 | 59 |
| Passing Yards Allowed/Game | 212.6 | 46 | 268.1 | 115 |
| Team Passing Efficiency Defense | 108.25 | 16 | 125.89 | 56 |
| Points/Game Allowed | 18.1 | 17 | 25.3 | 52 |
| 3rd Down % Allowed | 41% | 88 | 41% | 85 |
| 4th Down % Allowed | 44% | T-34 | 48% | 61 |
| Red Zone Defense | 74% | T-17 | 85% | T-79 |
| First Downs Allowed | 159 | T-88 | 280 | 98 |
| Turnovers Forced | 18 | 3 | 32 | 2 |
| Sacks/Game | 1.86 | 78 | 2.08 | 62 |
| Tackles for Loss/Game | 8.9 | 4 | 5.8 | 67 |
| Defensive TDs | 2 | 15 | 4 | 8 |
Pros:
- The defense has improved overall, allowing fewer total yards and points, and clamping down much more on opponents’ passing game.
- UCF is on pace to force about as many turnovers as last year. That has been key, especially in the last six quarters (7 turnovers forced on 22 possessions).
- Red Zone percentage is down, and negative-yardage plays are up
Cons:
- UCF’s rushing defense has been suspect at times, especially against UConn, FAU and Memphis.
- The Knights are still having some trouble getting off the field on third downs.
Poll
Do you approve of the UCF defense’s performance thus far in 2018?
Special Teams
UCF Special Teams Stats
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2018 (7 games) | FBS Rank | 2017 | FBS Rank |
| Net Punting | 35.69 | 93 | 38.72 | 47 |
| Punt Return Avg. | 9.83 | 53 | 14.71 | 6 |
| Punt Return Avg. Allowed | 20.33 | 127 | 6.83 | 62 |
| Kickoff Return Avg. | 19.77 | 79 | 24.83 | 10 |
| Kickoff Return Avg. Allowed | 20.82 | 67 | 20.37 | 61 |
| Field Goal % | 100% | T-1 | 72.2% | 67 |
Pros:
- Matt Wright has lived up to his Matty Ice nickname. He’s 100% this year.
Cons:
- Kick and punt coverage overall have taken big steps back. That has also contributed to Mac Loudermilk’s less-than-stellar net average.
Poll
Do you approve of UCF’s special teams performance thus far in 2018?
Coaching
Miscellaneous Stats
| Category | 2017 (7 Games) | FBS Rank | 2018 | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2017 (7 Games) | FBS Rank | 2018 | FBS Rank |
| Turnover Margin/Game | 1.86 | 3 | 1.31 | 2 |
| Fewest Penalties/Game | 8.43 | T-121 | 8.38 | 126 |
| Fewest Penalty Yards/Game | 78 | 122 | 68.31 | 116 |
Pros:
- Josh Heupel has done the impossible: Kept the offense apace with last year’s record performance.
- Randy Shannon’s defense has done the job: Kept offenses out of the end zone. At no time was this more important than the second half of the Memphis game.
Cons:
- Penalties continue to be an issue, although not that much more of an issue than last year.
- Aside from Matt Wright, special teams has seen quite a bit of erosion, notably in the return game and coverage.