UCF awaits South Carolina

The Knights have only beaten one ranked team on the gridiron ever. This Saturday, they’ll try to take down their second. The anticipation is high: As of Monday UCF’s first home game against No. 12 South Carolina (2-1) was already sold out.

This is a big game for the Knights, who started their season 3-0 for the first time since 1988. When the South Carolina Gamecocks march into the Bright House for a noon kickoff, it won’t be the same as that time UCF beat No. 13 Houston 37-32 at home in 2009. Houston hasn’t appeared in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings since 2011. South Carolina hasn’t gone unranked for a full season since 2006.

It’ll be a challenge for the Knights’ offense, though they’ve already won three games with more than 30 points per game. The Knights have brought a re-energized rushing game into their offensive mix to balance out an improving passive attack, with Storm Johnson emerging as the team’s lead rusher. But the Knights will need to rely heavily on quarterback Blake Bortles, who has shown himself capable of throwing consistent 250-yard games or more, with a career-high 314 yards to start the season against Akron.

He’ll contend with a tough Gamecocks defense that allowed just 147 passing yards against Vanderbilt Sept. 14, one of two sub-200-yard passing games they’ve allowed this season.

But South Carolina has also struggled against solid pass defenses, with quarterback Connor Shaw held to less than 200 yards against North Carolina to start the season. The Knights allowed 262 yards in the air in their win against Penn State on Sept. 14, but only allowed 258 passing yards combined against their first two opponents.

One factor that’s conspicuously absent for the Knights this year is forced turnovers. They’ve only caused one this season, a 6-yard interception return by defensive end Troy Gray. Last season they picked off 11 passes in 14 games. In the first three games this season the Knights haven’t recovered a fumble. Last season they did it 16 times.

Defense has also lagged behind last season in stuffing drives that made it into the red zone. Last season the Knights allowed only 58 percent of red zone penetrations to become a touchdown. This season they’ve allowed five of six into the end zone. Against Penn State they couldn’t stop the Lions at all, letting them into the end zone all four times that they came within 20 yards.

The key for the Knights’ defense could be getting stops closer to the visitors’ side of the field. Last season the Knights only allowed 40 percent of third-down conversions and 41 percent of fourth-down conversions. In that category the Knights have more than kept pace with last season’s defense. So far this season they’ve allowed only 33 percent of third-down conversions and 66 percent of fourth-down conversions. Against Penn State, their toughest opponent so far this season, they stopped 75 percent of third-down attempts and 50 percent of fourth downs.

That may be the best defensive performance against Penn State that the Knights have ever had.

They’ll have to keep up their famous jacked-up intensity against tough teams if they want a memorable moment in the Bright House that’ll be seen nationwide. In a first for the Knights, they’ll be broadcast on network television when they kick off at noon Saturday, Sept. 28, aired nationally on ABC.

Rollins

The Tars are off to another strong start as they trounced Longwood University 20-2 on Sept. 21 in Morgantown, W.Va., making a tradition out of season-opening wins.

And they did it all in a driving rainstorm that dumped more than an inch of rain in chilly temperatures. The home weather advantage didn’t do much to help Longwood, who suffered four sacks at the hands of Matt Hunt and two forced fumbles courtesy of Anthony Krause.

Quarterback Jeff Hoblick aired out the ball with 173 yards passing plus another 62 yards through the mud to lead the team in total yardage. Two Alex Politis field goals put the Tars on their way to 20 points.

Will Reischmann and J.D. Brady also had touchdowns in the game.

The Tars will skip their scheduled showdown against the University of South Carolina club team and a subsequent road trip to Kennesaw State, taking two weeks off before they host Middle Georgia State on Oct. 12.