UCF Knights Stock Report: Offensive Line
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It’s been a wild year for the offense of the UCF Knights. Up one game and down in another, the Knights have not found a definitive rhythm during two of the losses and even during one of the wins, that being the Georgia Tech game.
When the UCF offense is hot, however, it’s white hot. See the Temple game or the second half performance versus SMU. An important part of the reason the Knights get rolling stems from the offensive line.
This is a unit that understands power football. UCF is No. 6 in rushing, averaging 242.4 yards per game on the ground. That’s where this unit makes its mark. UCF has talent at running back, but it’s also moving the chains because of the push up front. They have done a good job of opening lanes for the running backs, as well as quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.
This is one of the most veteran units at UCF and all of college football, but it’s not one that’s consistently worked together as much as one might anticipate.
There is a transition here that’s taking place with two new offensive tackles from the Transfer Portal–left tackle Tylan Grable and right tackle Ryan Swoboda–to go along with last year’s right tackle, Sam Jackson, moving to left guard.
At times that’s been fine, and yet at other times there’s been some form of miscommunication. That’s been noticeable during pass protection as the Knights rank just No. 66 in the nation with 15 sacks allowed. Some of that falls on Plumlee not throwing the ball away sometimes, but in games against Louisville, four sacks allowed, and against East Carolina, four sacks allowed, the protection broke down too often.
Offensive line play has always been about the little details. UCF is no different. One misstep can lead to a defensive player gaining an advantage and darting into the backfield. If UCF can show more consistency, this is going to be a great unit down the home stretch of the 2022 regular season and beyond.
Grade: B
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