Preview | Knights Looking to Make Statement Against Undefeated Memphis

University of Central Florida offensive tackle Aaron Evans said his team needs to make a statement against the American Athletic Conference favorites.

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University of Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton looks downfield to throw the ball during a 61-17 win over the FIU Panthers at Spectrum Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. (Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)

ORLANDO, Fla. – After a false start to beginning conference play three weeks ago, when the University of Central Florida was supposed to play the University of Memphis in Week 2, the Knights will officially begin their American Athletic Conference schedule against the Tigers on Saturday.

“It’s gonna be very exciting,” redshirt senior outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin said after practice on Sept. 25. “And being able to take the cancellation due to [Hurricane Irma], and being able to have it back again, it gave us a chance to learn more about them. You know, they’re a really good offense, and we’re a really good defense.”

While the Knights would have preferred to have not missed a game, an extra two weeks of film on Memphis helped with their preparation. Since the Week 2 cancellation, the Tigers have beaten the then-No. 25 UCLA Bruins 48-45 in Week 3 and took a 44-31 victory over Southern Illinois University in Week 4.

“Well, we got two more games to watch, so there will be some changes in the game plan, but I think the majority of what we had prepared for ‘em we’ll go ahead and go with,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said after practice on Sept. 25. “Our kids are already familiar with a lot of that stuff. Kinda helps us prepare this week and hopefully be even better on assignments. So we’ll start using that game plan this week, see what we wanna keep, what we wanna take out and see which new kinks we wanna add.”

Playing Memphis in Week 5 marks the second week in a row that UCF will face one of its toughest opponents of 2017. The Knights are coming off an impressive, 38-10 win over the University of Maryland a week ago and will now host a Memphis team that was predicted by conference media to win the AAC West in 2017.

“I thought [Monday’s practice] was great. Like I said, I don’t think [our team] spent that much emotion after a win like that Saturday because I think, in their minds, they were gonna win that game,” Frost said. “So we had fun, we enjoyed the win, but guys came back ready to go to work [Monday], and we had a good start to the week this morning, so [Tuesday] and Wednesday will tell a lot about where we’ll be come Saturday. But if [Monday’s] any indication, the guys are ready to get back to work and try to keep getting better.”

Although UCF did get a win over the Big Ten’s Maryland last week, the team did suffer a season-ending injury to a key offensive piece. On the fourth play of the game, sophomore starting running back Jawon Hamilton dislocated his ankle and later underwent season-ending surgery. He will use his medical redshirt and will still have three years of eligibility, according to a Facebook post. In Hamilton’s stead, running backs Taj McGowan and Adrian Killins combined for three touchdowns and 79 yards on 19 carries against the Terps.

“At first, I was very upset, obviously, because that’s like my brother,” McGowan said after practice on Sept. 25. “So, at first, I had to control my emotions, but then, after that, my coaches kinda like my calmed me down, and, in my head, I was just like, ‘You know what? They’re right. I gotta do this for him. I gotta do this for the team.’ So that’s how I approached the game when I got in. I just wanted to run downhill and aggressive and do whatever I had to do to get into the end zone or do whatever I had to do to help the team win.”

Knowing Memphis’ potential for the season excites the Knights. After finishing 8-5 and third in the AAC West a season ago, the Tigers have been poised to make a statement in 2017. Facing a team with division-winning expectations only encourages UCF players, like offensive tackle Aaron Evans, to want to make a statement in a game like this.

“[The Memphis game’s] huge, obviously,” Evans said after practice on Sept. 25. “I mean, it’s huge… We need to make a statement in this game, and I think that’s the biggest thing. People need to watch out for UCF, and I think that’s the statement we need to go [with] into this game. Like, we need to lay a smackdown. We need to lay a smackdown. That’s my mentality [going] into this week, and I’m really excited to play this game.”

Said Griffin on playing Memphis: “It’s what we live for. We live for the competition. And, you know, to be able have that against Memphis, it’s gonna be a wonderful game. It’s gonna be fun. And I’m pretty sure they gonna come with everything they got, and we gonna come with everything we have also.”

UCF hosts Memphis on Saturday at Spectrum Stadium on ESPN2. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.


For more on the Knights, as they prepare to open conference play on Saturday, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.

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