B.T.'s Breakdown: Three Takeaways From UCF's Win Over Georgia State

UCF Knights coach Scott Frost described his team as "businesslike" during its win over Georgia State, 44-30.

The Knights (2-1) might have gone into halftime down by four, but Frost said the team did a good job staying calm, not panicking, and not getting frustrated with each other at the break. For that maturity, they were rewarded with an improved second-half performance and a victory over the Panthers to wrap up their non-conference slate.

"That game is going to serve us well down the stretch in the Big 12 season," Frost said. "There's going to be a lot of games like that because everybody's so close, and you got to find ways to win close games."

Below is a breakdown of three key takeaways from this game as the Knights move on to their Big 12 slate next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against TCU:

They Had Us in the First Half, Not Gonna Lie
Offensive Line Adjustments and Blocking Help
Keyone Jenkins Not Perfect, but Got Job Done

1. They Had Us in the First Half, Not Gonna Lie

While Alex Grinch's UCF defense got off to what looked like a solid start against the Panthers with a turnover-on-downs and a three-and-out, the visitors proceeded to score on each of their drives for the rest of the half, helping them get ahead at the halftime whistle, 24-20.

The Knights' defense allowed 323 yards in the first 30 minutes, with an average of 7.7 yards given up per play. This average is slightly skewed by a few big plays, such as a 78-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Qwantavius Wiggins, but the point remained that the Panthers were scoring with both long drives marching down the field, alongside quick big plays. In the words of defensive back Demari Henderson, UCF "ain't played the ball we knew how to play."

However, in the face of their first adversity of the season, the defense that had just allowed 128 rushing yards in the second quarter alone responded by allowing just 47 rushing yards in the entire second half. In seven second-half drives, Georgia State managed just six points, with quarterback Cameran Brown throwing three interceptions. One such interception came moments after quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw an interception, which ended up being the offense's biggest miscue of the night.

With the Panthers' offense kept at bay, Jenkins and the offense were left with opportunities to build a lead that got to two touchdowns before the clock hit zero seconds.

2. Offensive Line Adjustments and Blocking Help

Following the game, Frost said right guard Owen Spell was not at 100% on Saturday night due to a case of plantar fasciitis. So the Knights switched up the starters on the offensive line. Redshirt freshman Jacob Maiava took over at center while Connor Meadows shifted to right guard.

The move ended up paying dividends, with UCF leaning hard on the run throughout the night thanks to the running lanes that were opened up. Running back Duke Watson was the biggest beneficiary of this, rushing 14 times for a career-high 177 yards, averaging 12.6 yards per carry, and two touchdowns.

"I mean, we were just more focused, more physical," Watson said of the offensive line. "I feel like we was way more physical than last week, way more intent on our assignment, and I feel like when we're more focused, we can play faster and physical."

Aside from Watson, Landen Chambers and Taevion Swint rushed nine times a piece for 62 and 40 yards, respectively, while Jenkins only managed 25 yards with his legs, with two of his eight carries ending in the end zone.

However, the linemen were not the only ones making blocks: the wide receivers and tight ends were as well, something Frost cited as important following the game.

So, with improved blocking across the offense, the rushing attack got the opportunity to bounce back after last weekend's loss to Pittsburgh, leading to the offense bouncing back as a unit.

3. Keyone Jenkins Not Perfect, but Got Job Done

While Jenkins scored three times in his first start as a UCF Knight, it was not a blemish-free start. While he did take advantage of a few opportunities to run and pick up a pair of touchdowns with his legs, he only completed seven of his 17 pass attempts through the air for 86 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Frost said "the nature of the game" did not lend itself to Jenkins throwing the ball very much.

However, even with just 17 pass attempts, Jenkins only completed 41% of them, and his lone interception came at a moment when the game was all tied up in the third quarter. Fortunately for the FIU transfer, Georgia State did not capitalize on that mistake, since linebacker Tackett Curtis grabbed his first career interception the very next play. Frost said that there were "a couple of missed formations," so he would need to repeat himself more in the future, but that he had "a lot of plays" that he trusted Jenkins to throw.

"We got to let him probably let it loose a little more if we're going to win some more games down the stretch, but you know, I was just really happy with how the team stayed calm and just kept playing," Frost said. "Tougher win than you want, but any win's a good win."

So, despite the mistakes, Jenkins still did enough in his first UCF start to lead the Knights to a two-touchdown victory. Now, he has a week before the Knights host TCU next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to clean them up.

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