Plumlee's Injury & Keene's Mobility, Among UCF QB Questions
The trying loss to the Navy Midshipmen aside, the UCF Knights now have questions to answer at the always important quarterback position.
It starts with injury concerns, but does not end there.
During the postgame press conference, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn commented about the health of starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, as well as what happened with the offense afterwards.
“Then there right before halftime, John Rhys’ shoulder has been bothering him. Last week he fell on it during that pass, and he tried to throw the Hail Mary up and he didn’t get it there. I just felt like it was time to make a change with Mikey (Keene).
“He gave us a really good lift, right out of the halftime right there. We had trouble protecting after that. I think we had five sacks; more sacks than we’ve given up all year. With that, we just never got in a rhythm.”
The first question is obvious. How quickly can Plumlee not only heal physically, but what about mentally as well?
A quarterback must be healthy, but also truly believe he's ready to return to the gridiron. If not, the physical talent will not materialize. Plumlee’s arm might be completely fine by Monday. Who knows? Just as important, will he believe in that arm being healthy?
That’s the concerning question to ask. Next, there’s the issue of pass protection.
Keene is better inside the pocket than a thrower on the run.
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Even the elite athleticism of Plumlee will not escape constant pressure, play after play. If Plumlee is unable to play against USF, imagine how difficult it will be for a far less mobile Keene to stay upright.
Passing the football is about consistency. Not just the quarterback connecting with intended targets, but also about footwork in the pocket being uninterrupted by the pass rush. Whether Plumlee or Keene, there’s no current reason to believe that UCF can pass protect well enough for the quarterback to remain comfortable in the pocket.
Bottom line for pocket passing, UCF’s passing attack was a roller coaster against Navy. Much of that is due to the offensive line, tight ends and running backs not protecting as well as they should have.
The odd part stems from that point coming out of the blue. Teams with more talent did not show the pass rush that Navy did. Go figure.
Finally, if it’s Keene’s show against the Bulls (and perhaps beyond?), how will the UCF offense look? The rushing attack excels with the combination of Plumlee’s feet mixed in with all the talent at running back like Isaiah Bowser, Johnny Richardson and RJ Harvey.
Another question to consider with Keene at quarterback: Can UCF run the football against USF without a mobile quarterback?
One would like to believe so, but after 84 yards and 3.5 yards per tote versus Navy, it’s hard to be truly confident. Navy kept the UCF blocking scheme off guard and that cannot be ignored.
One final question.
There are times when Keene looks really good throwing from the pocket. Should Malzahn and the Knights make the switch to Keene for the rest of 2022?
Overall, UCF’s offense laid an egg against Navy and the quarterback position was a big reason why. With USF and any other opponent that the Knights face moving forward, the quarterback situation is likely to be consistent topic of debate until the offense gels with one specific signal caller behind center.
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