Dillon Gabriel’s Heisman Campaign: Three Games Circled on the Calendar
The most coveted individual trophy in American sport would be the Heisman Trophy. Past winners are a who’s who list of former and current collegiate and professional players. Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Charles Woodson, Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, and DeVonta Smith are just some of the incredible names to hoist the trophy.
For Dillon Gabriel to join that fantastic list of former college football players, he needs to not only play well, but play well during three specific games. Those three games would be hosting Boise State at the Bounce House on Thursday, Sep. 2nd at 7 p.m., traveling to Louisville to play the Cardinal on Friday, Sep. 17th at 7:30 p.m., and once again going on the road to play at Cincinnati on Saturday, Oct. 16th, although a game time and television network still needs to be established. Here’s why those three games will determine if Gabriel can compete for and win the Heisman Trophy.
Prime Time Television for Opening Night
Not only does UCF have the opportunity to play Boise State during a Thursday evening game with very little competition for viewership, the Broncos are one of the few non-Power Five programs that can garner attention from writers and fans like a FBS program. Fair or not, perception matters.
Boise State has been a good football program for over a decade. They win big games and are consistently going to bowl games. There’s an added bonus with Boise State this year. The Broncos brought back Andy Avalos to be their head coach.
The former Boise State assistant is now a first-time head coach and that will be an additional set of eyes wanting to tune into the game and see how Coach Avalos and his squad perform against a top-notch program like UCF with Gabriel at the controls.
If Gabriel leads the Knights to a big victory, during game no. 1 of the regular season, it’s a big deal. Adding the ESPN viewership for a game with another good program with a first-year head coach, well, that’s a thing of beauty for Gabriel and the UCF sports information department. One can bet that all the opportunities to promote Gabriel prior to the game will be taken, and rightfully so.
First Road Game Presents Major Challenge
The Knights will travel to Louisville to play a talented Louisville team. It’s a Friday game, so just like with Boise State, the Knights will have a bigger audience viewing the game than usual. There’s simply one key component to consider with this game.
Gabriel needs to be the reason the Knights go out and defeat Louisville.
Louisville’s offense can be difficult to prepare for because of all its eye candy with fakes and motions, so the Knights will likely need to score in excess of thirty points. Even if the Knights find a way to grind out a 42-39 barn burner, that means plenty of action took place, and most likely that means Gabriel lit up the Cardinal defense.
Last season, Gabriel took Georgia Tech’s defense apart during the Knights’ first road game, going 27 of 41 for 417 yards passing, four touchdowns and one interception. Gabriel rushed eight times for 30 yards for good measure.
If Gabriel can once again come out hot, on the road, during a night game televised by ESPN, that will do wonders for his Heisman opportunities. Based on everything he’s proven during his first two college football seasons, there’s no reason to doubt Gabriel’s ability to play well on the road or during a prime time game.
Facing Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder and a Talented Cornerback
Playing on the road and winning catches the attention of fans and Heisman voters alike. This will likely be the toughest test for Gabriel and UCF all season long. Cincinnati was in contention for the college football playoff last fall and deserve to be considered a prime contender to play its way into the college football playoff conversation once again. Leading the charge for the Bearcats would be their fifth-year senior signal caller, Desmond Ridder.
Against UCF last fall, Ridder tore the Knights’ defense to shreds. He went 21 of 32 passing for 338 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Additionally, Ridder ran for two more scores from 14 carries for 57 rushing yards. He’s a beast.
Gabriel, meanwhile, went 26 of 49 passing for 243 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Gabriel also ran 11 times for 30 yards but no touchdowns. This game can be a Heisman moment for Gabriel and the Knights, as well as redemption. The Bearcats defeated UCF 36-33 in a fantastic game last season. There’s also a certain cornerback to watch for the Bearcats, and he could be a key factor in this game as well.
If you like long and rangy cornerbacks with the skills to change a college football game, then Ahmad Gardner should be a player you watch. Gabriel will need to know where the 6’2”, 190-pound junior cornerback is lined up at all times. He’s a playmaker, as evidenced by being named USA Today First-Team All-America and Second-Team All-America honoree by The Athletic. Facing Ridder and Gardner during a big road game is unique.
Overall, this is the final test. If UCF wins this game and it’s undefeated before going into the following weekend’s game against Memphis (Friday, Oct. 22nd), Gabriel will already be in the mix for the Heisman Trophy. From that point forward, theoretically, every game would be huge for Gabriel’s Heisman opportunities.
Final Thoughts
There’s no reason to believe Gabriel will not be in the Heisman race. With the Boise State, Louisville, and Cincinnati games the prime opportunities for him to catapult himself in front of the eyes of Heisman voters, there’s certainly a great opportunity.
Gabriel is one of college football’s top quarterbacks and top performers overall. Let’s see how he executes during the games circled on this season’s calendar.
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation