UCF Defense Focused on Stacking Good Days After Pitt Loss
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The UCF Knights' defense held the Pittsburgh Panthers to 12 points last Saturday, but EDGE Ken Talley understands there is room for improvement heading into Week 3.
UCF often limited Pittsburgh to short yardage on the first two downs, forcing a 3rd-and-long, but struggled to finish the drive. Failing to get the final stop led to its opponent's lone field goal.
The Knights gave up a 17-yard pass from quarterback Mason Heintschel on a 3rd-and-7, then allowed a 9-yard run from running back Damon Ferguson Jr. on a 4th-and-1.
Talley is looking forward to building on the defense's performance and said the group will learn from the bad plays that led to long Pittsburgh drives.
"Keep strength to the ball, keep stacking days, learning from, like, the bad plays," Talley said during Monday's media availability. "Things where we could have gotten down for maybe two yards instead of four yards."
Those mistakes led UCF to beat itself against tougher competition, where every play is scrutinized more than it is against a weaker opponent.
The Knights will have an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday against the Georgia State Pathers. They are heavily favored to finish non-conference play 2-1, with their opponents' 1-11 record last year.
Talley, a redshirt senior, is part of one of the FBS' most experienced defenses, featuring 13 starting seniors, and said he appreciates the group's maturity, and their hunger will grow as the season progresses.
"That's the thing I love about our group, you know, a very experienced group of guys," Talley said. "We're never complacent, man. We keep getting more and more hungry as we go."
UCF has held opponents to nine points per game (19 total points), ranking second in the Big 12 behind the Kansas State Wildcats.
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch continues to cement the program's defense as one of the best in the conference, and it's a solid foundation in a tough Power Four conference. Grinch turned the secondary into a top-three pass defense last season in his first year as the defensive coordinator.
Georgia State is 2-0 this season, surpassing last year's win record, and is averaging 45 points per game. Quarterback Cameran Brown is leading the program in his final season, throwing for 448 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
UCF limited Pittsburgh's electric offense and could do the same against Georgia State. The defense is spending the week watching last Saturday's film and highlighting areas of improvement to end non-conference play with a winning record.
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