Kansas State spoils UCF’s Big 12 debut with a double-digit victory
UCF Coach Gus Malzahn discusses a previous play with officials during a timeout in the fourth quarter against Kansas State Saturday September 23, 2023 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — UCF invaded Bill Snyder Family Stadium last night, and wanted to make a statement to the rest of the Big 12.
After all, the clash was the Knights debut in the league. Not to mention it was against the reigning Big 12 champs. However, Coach Gus Malzahn and his players received a rude awakening instead of a warm welcome. Kansas State outlasted UCF 44-31, and handed Malzahn his first loss of the season.
It was a night of season-highs and lows for the Knights, but not in a good way. Kansas State’s defense limited UCF to a season-low, 407 yards of total offense. Malzahn’s offense only ran 59 plays, which was another season-low. The Knights defense allowed a season-high, 537 yards, including 281 on the ground.
What frustrated Malzahn the most was the penalties committed by his players. UCF generated a season-high, 10 penalties. Malzahn knows those types of mistakes can’t be made on the road.
“This is the first conference game, the first loss, so there’s a lot of football left,” Malzahn said. “I believe we have a good football team, we’ll rebound, and this’ll be a really good growing moment for our team and our coaches.”
With so many miscues, it’s hard for Malzahn to pinpoint the main issue. There’s plenty of glaring weaknesses though. UCF’s defense couldn’t tackle in the second half. The unit allowed Kansas State running back DJ Giddens to have a career day.
Giddens steamrolled through defenders for a jaw-dropping, 207 yards. He also averaged 6.9 yards per carry, and scored four touchdowns. Malzahn was disappointed by the performance of his defense. He thought the unit would’ve done a better job against the run.
The Knights simply got tired of tackling Giddens. He looked stronger with every carry. It was clear the Wildcats introduced the Knights to some grown man football with their physicality. Kansas State (3-1) dominated in the trenches too. It was a measuring stick for the Knights. Now Malzahn is trying to pick up all of the pieces, and head back to the drawing board.
“Everything got exposed, which is really good moving forward, because now you know,” he said. “The good thing is we know what to work on, and the goal is getting better, and I believe we will.”
Quarterback Timmy McClain had a promising outing. McClain completed 14 of his 24 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The problem was the Wildcats’ pass rush. The Knights’ offensive line couldn’t provide proper protection, and allowed four sacks. On top of that, the crowd overwhelmed the unit in the second half.
McClain was able to connect with wideout Kobe Hudson for two touchdowns. Hudson hauled in five passes for a game-high, 138 yards. Johnny Richardson averaged 12.7 yards on six carries, and RJ Harvey recorded a rushing score. That’s something Malzahn wants the offense to build on.
Once the smoke cleared, the defense was fatigued, and on the field for too many plays. That led to missed tackles, and the Wildcats were able to pick up yards in chunks. One bright spot for the defense was Jason Johnson’s game-high, 12 tackles. The rest of the defense failed to penetrate the backfield. Which is why Malzahn understands the unit has a long way to go. He wants his players to soak in this loss, and embrace being humbled.
“Bottom line, this shows us where we’re at, we’re going to have to play really good, and disciplined,” the 57-year old coach said. “We didn’t do those things that it takes to get a quality win against a really good opponent on their homefield.”
Regardless, UCF (3-1) showed heart, and never gave up. And that’s what matters to Malzahn moving forward. The Knight battled back, despite being down by double-digits in the fourth quarter. If the game had an additional period, Malzahn was confident the Knights would’ve rallied back and won.
UCF will return home to host Baylor next Saturday, and Malzahn is anticipating an intense week of practice to correct all of the mistakes. The experience is there now that everyone got a taste of Big 12 football. There’s going to be growing pains, but Malzahn wants his players to improve every game. Still, the players and coaches have to look at themselves in the mirror, rally behind each other, and bring their best effort against the Bears.
