The Central Florida Knights defeated the Memphis Tigers 56-41 on Saturday to win their second straight American Athletic Conference Championship.
The Tigers failed to hold onto a 38-21 lead from halftime, marking the second time this season they lost to UCF after leading at the half. The Tigers are now 1-2 in conference championship games and have an all-time record of 1-13 against the Knights.
Quarterbacks: C+
Quarterback Brady White wasn’t asked to do much against UCF but was serviceable. He completed 17 of his 29 pass attempts for 178 yards and an interception. He even used his legs to extend drives and rushed for 28 yards on eight attempts.
Running backs: A+
It was clear from the opening drive that the run game would be the focal point of the game, and the game that running back Darrell Henderson had was one of his best of the season. He rushed for 210 yards on 16 carries and three rushing touchdowns. He also added a passing touchdown in the second quarter.
Patrick Taylor Jr. had an impressive game, too, rushing for 118 yards on 15 carries and a rushing touchdown. He also made four key receptions for 23 total yards. Versatile offensive player Tony Pollard also added 45 rushing yards of his own.
Wide receivers and tight ends: C
As previously mentioned, the passing game wasn’t the leading force for the Tigers’ offense, even in the second half when the run game seemed to be silenced. Tight end Joey Magnifico was the team’s leading receiver with 54 receiving yards on two receptions.
Tight end Sean Dykes made a big play to end the first half and was the recipient of a four-yard touchdown pass, thrown by Henderson, to extend Memphis’ first half lead to 17 points.
Offensive line: C-
The offensive line did a practical job of granting White time to throw in the pocket and consistently created big holes to allow the team’s running backs to have lanes that they used to burst off big runs in the first half.
In the second half, their protection lessened, and White began to get pressured, which ultimately led to a much-needed sack on third down and another late in the fourth quarter on the Tigers’ final possession.
Defensive line: B-
In the first half, the defensive line was strong against the run, but when the second half began, it was a completely different story. The Knights finished the game with 350 rushing yards on 62 attempts. UCF quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. led the team with four rushing touchdowns.
Defensive tackle O’Bryan Goodson had one of the better performances among defensive linemen with two tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Linebacker Jackson Dillon also had an impactful presence felt with four tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
Linebackers: B-
Linebackers were scattered on the field and responsible for 4.5 of the team’s eight tackles for losses. Linebacker Curtis Akins led the team in tackles with 14, including 1.5 tackles for loss on his own.
Linebacker JJ Russell was all over the field and had nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the first quarter.
Defensive backs: C+
Deep passes proved to be the unit’s Achilles’ heel. During the game, they allowed four passes of 40 yards or more, which helped UCF drive down field and eventually take the lead. Mack completed 19 of his 27 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns, seemingly having their way with the Tigers’ secondary.
Cornerback TJ Carter led the group in tackles with 11, and safety Sanchez Blake forced a fumble in the end zone, but it was recovered by UCF.
Special teams: B-
Place kicker Riley Patterson made two of his three field goal attempts, missing a 36-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that prevented the Tigers from stopping the Knights’ momentum.
Coaching: C
Head coach Mike Norvell and his staff got their squad to battle back in their four final regular season games, but against UCF, they looked like the 4-4 Tiger team that failed to inspire any excitement.
The team’s inability to finish games and change their offensive game plan when their run game is stifled has continuously cost them games this year, and that’s what happened in this championship.
Running back Darrell Henderson sprints with the ball towards the end zone. Henderson rushed for 210 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 16 carries in the AAC Championship game against UCF.
