Louisville at UCF Score Predictions
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It’s time to make predictions. The Louisville at UCF game is here. It’s been almost a year since the last meeting went down to the final moments with Louisville coming out on top 42-35.
Brian Smith - Publisher
Despite UCF’s desire for revenge from last season’s loss, Louisville is going to come out firing and make this a battle for all four quarters. Offensively, the Cardinals possess talent at the skill positions beyond quarterback Malik Cunningham, and the Knights will be hard pressed to slow all them down.
Watch out for wide receiver Tyler Hudson. The Central Arkansas transfer caught eight passes for 102 yards during Louisville’s first game against Syracuse. The 6-foot-2 197-pound playmaker is one that will likely gain some double coverage from UCF, opening up passing lanes for other offensive players.
Hudson will also score his first touchdown for Louisville, using his big frame to shield off UCF defenders.
That’s going to be the issue. Cunningham will be able to throw to a variety of players, with varying talents, helping the Cardinals to take an early lead. Their defense, however, is going to succumb to UCF’s power rushing attack.
Last week, Louisville gave up 208 yards and two rushing touchdowns to Syracuse. Like the Knights, the Orange have a talented running back and a mobile signal caller. That’s going to create issues for the Cardinals on defense once again.
Related: UCF vs Louisville Depth Chart
Led by running back Isaiah Bowser, UCF will continuously pound the football and average more and more yards per carry, quarter by quarter, until the flood gates open in the middle of the final stanza.
Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will hit Ryan O’Keefe for the go-ahead touchdown pass with less than eight minutes remaining, and the Knights will hold on for the come from behind victory.
UCF 34 Louisville 27
Jack Edwards - Staff Writer
The Knights are riding high after a 56-10 beatdown of South Carolina State. The crowd was electric early, the offense was firing on all cylinders, and the defense did not budge all night. That game can be taken with a grain of salt, as it was an FCS school, but nonetheless, the Knights look ready to have a special season.
On the other side, Louisville did not have a great week. The Cardinals traveled to Syracuse to be handed a 31-7 loss to the Orange. Louisville had a ton of missed opportunities down the stretch, making the score look way worse than what could have been.
UCF will likely rely on John Rhys Plumlee’s legs early and often, as Syracuse found success doing the same with quarterback Garrett Shrader. Plumlee showed off his speed vs SC State with 86 yards on the ground.
Syracuse also found success getting the ball to playmakers on screens and checkdowns, with the occasional deep ball, and I feel UCF will employ a similar strategy. Defensively, Louisville struggled in space with tackling, and also had trouble containing the Syracuse receivers. It seems like a game UCF should dominate offensively.
Mistakes on offense really cost Louisville from keeping the game close. Two interceptions and a fumble were credited to Malik Cunningham. The Cardinals drove into Syracuse territory five separate times and came away with points just once. They really did not have too much difficulty moving the ball, but those mistakes destroyed any type of momentum.
I expect the Knights to cruise offensively, but I do not see Louisville having a repeat of last week’s offensive performance. Malik Cunningham is too talented to expect bad performances out of him. The Cardinals will keep it close in the first half, but UCF will make adjustments on defense and pull away in the second half, continuing their impressive run at home.
UCF 42 Louisville 24
Andrew Johnson - Staff Writer
UCF recorded its seventh straight home opener in a dominant 56-10 win against FCS opponent South Carolina State. The Knights will now host the Louisville Cardinals on Friday with intentions to make things right after a series of unfortunate events unfolded in last season's matchup.
For UCF, the offense is led by starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, whose unique speed and leadership traits should help the Knights get revenge against the Cardinals. He should have nearly 100 yards rushing with two passing touchdowns.
There’s a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball as well who will likely have similar production stats to last week. UCF also has the advantage of playing at home in the Bounce House Friday night.
For Louisville, quarterback Malik Cunningham leads the offense, as he ranks third in the Cardinals record books with 10,801 passing yards. UCF has the talent at defensive end and depth on the defensive line to keep fresh bodies attacking the quarterback. The Knights should be able to limit Cunningham’s mobile abilities and contain Louisville’s rushing attack.
The Knights get revenge for the heartbreaking last minute loss from a season ago to start the year 2-0. UCF’s offense will be too much for a struggling Louisville defense that gave up nearly 500 total yards to the Orange.
UCF 31 Louisville 20
Guilherme Leal - Staff Writer
This is probably the game I’ve been looking forward to the most in 2022. All of that because UCF at Louisville in 2021 simply sealed the Knights’ fate for the season. Isaiah Bowser suffered an injury that made him miss some games, UCF’s first loss of the season coming on a pick six and, of course, this was the last time we saw Dillon Gabriel playing for the Black and Gold.
I believe Friday’s matchup will almost be the same thing: the game that will determine what UCF will really do in 2022. Although the Knights had a big win in the season opener, the Cardinals are a much more challenging opponent than South Carolina State. Even against the Bulldogs, we could notice there is still work to be done on special teams and a bit on the offensive line, which forced John Rhys Plumlee to multiple rush attempts.
Seeing that Louisville struggled against Syracuse, this makes me believe even more on a UCF revenge win. Quarterback Malik Cunningham is still someone UCF’s defense must study on a develop a strategy, but last year’s matchup is good film to watch.
I believe it will be a hard-fought game, but the home advantage will make a difference.
UCF 28 Louisville 21
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