Fittingly enough for how sloppy and undisciplined the Knights were, their final offensive possession was dealt a fatal blow by a penalty that turned “fourth and inches” into “fourth and six.” The ensuing quarterback scramble came up inches short of the first-down marker after an official measurement.
UCF finished with 12 penalties for 149 yards; the worst and most costly of which always seemed to be drive-killing or drive-extending personal fouls. The moral of the story: playing with emotion can help you (after all, the Knights did almost upset a Top-20 team), but too much emotion can kill you (a team can only overcome so many stupid personal fouls).
Don't get me wrong: I love to watch an unsuspecting punt returner get laid out as much as the next guy, but those kick catch interference penalties do add up quickly.
Here are my random thoughts on this week’s Diamond in the Rough game:
-The player of the game had to be multi-dimensional UCF cornerback Joe Burnett. Burnett had a kickoff return touchdown, blocked a field goal, starred in at least one sensational break-up of a deep pass, set up the tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a 34-yard punt return, and posted some insane averages in the return game: 35 yards per punt return, 45 yards per kick return.
I love writing “Diamond in the Rough” because I find these “best players you’ve never heard of.” Makes it more fun to watch that team’s stat line next week...and I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes and ears open for Joe Burnett.
-South Florida DE George Selvie is the real deal. After posting 14.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss a year ago, Selvie was named a first-team All-American and the Big East Conference defensive player of the year.
The man is basically unblockable, and when UCF tried to run inside, I termed it “somewhere between impossible and stupid” in my game notes. Talk about a player you’d want your favorite NFL team to draft...
-I like USF’s offensive formation with four receivers in a diamond on the same side of the field. Wonder if I can find that on Playstation (NCAA 09)?
-The difference between a great quarterback and an average one (Grothe and Greco): when a QB rolls out of trouble, I like to see him stop, set his feet, and deliver a strike like USF’s Grothe does, as opposed to continuing to scramble and throw while moving (often off his back foot) a la Greco.
-Grothe was actually more vulnerable to the UCF defensive rush in the two-minute offense. The Knights’ linemen were no longer worried about draws and scrambles, so they got a lot more pressure when the USF signal-caller became one-dimensional.
-Rocky Ross is the go-to receiver for the Knights. The only go-to receiver. Ross caught eight of Greco’s 17 completions, and singlehandedly kept drives alive late in the fourth.
-Want to see your team profiled in "Diamond in the Rough"? Shoot me an e-mail (footballcolumn@yahoo.com) and tell me which game and why.
2. MAYBE BROADCASTING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
A couple of announcer quotes that made me laugh this weekend:
“His feet make him a better player.” by Rod Gilmore
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