The UCF Secondary Faces Toughest Challenge of the Season Versus SMU
ORLANDO - As UCF Defensive Coordinator Travis Williams and Co-Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs prepare their troops for battle against SMU, it will not be difficult to motivate the defensive backs.
After watching about five minutes of film of the SMU receivers and its top tight end, without question, it’s going to be obvious that this group can flat out play football and the UCF defensive backs will be dialed into listening to the defensive coaches.
Here’s what the top three receivers accomplished so far this season:
Danny Gray - 47 receptions, 780 yards, and nine touchdowns
Rashee Rice - 45 receptions, 526 yards, and seven touchdowns
Reggie Roberson, Jr. - 38 receptions, 497 yards, and five touchdowns
Beyond the three receivers, there’s another player that the Knights definitely need to pay particular attention to, and that would be the tight end.
Grant Calcaterra - 32 receptions, 381 yards, and three touchdowns.
Grant Calcaterra, Tight End, SMU
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Further, the next two receivers for the Mustangs come into the game with a combined 22 receptions, 271 yards and four touchdowns. This is a tremendous overall group of wide receivers, complemented by Calcaterra, a Oklahoma transfer.
Beyond the statistics, this group features all three players being listed at 6’1” or taller. That means there will be some jump ball opportunities for SMU receivers going up against what is probably college football’s tallest group of defensive backs.
No player in the UCF secondary is listed below 6’0”. With each team providing height on each side of the equation, it's going to be interesting to see which team wins some of those one-on-one matchups down the field. That’s just a small part of the equation, however.
SMU Head Coach Sonny Dykes knows the passing game. He’s a part of the Air Raid passing game family, and he’s quite frankly one of the most difficult coaches to up against for an opposing defense. He’s going to utilize his traditional plays, but do not be surprised if and when SMU pulls out its bag of tricks like a double pass to get Gray open down the field, or a reverse to Rice.
Dykes provides the riverboat gambler mentality, and that’s something the UCF secondary must keep in mind during each and every snap of the football this Saturday. Of course Dykes needs a playmaker to help distribute the football, and that’s where quarterback Tanner Mordecai comes into the equation.
The redshirt junior signal caller originally signed with Oklahoma, like Calcaterra, being a reserve quarterback for three years in Norman, Okla. Since his arrival at SMU, Mordecai has been tremendous. He’s thrown for 2,887 yards, 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Perhaps his most impressive statistic would be his 70.1% completion rate.
UCF will certainly need to find a way to keep Mordecai off balance, as he’s one of the top playmakers in the country at the quarterback position. He’s certainly blessed with playmakers around him, and he’s not going to be slowed down very easily with those talented options at his disposal.
There’s no question, overall, the UCF secondary will need to make some tough decisions about playing man defense and/or zone defense, as well as how and when to send blitz pressures. All of those aspects add to the complexity of UCF’s secondary taking on one of college football’s top passing offenses in the SMU Mustangs this Saturday at 12 p.m. EST.
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