Guest Blogger: Knights Notepad

Iliana Limón covers Central Florida for the Orlando Sentinel. She also blogs about the team on Knights Notepad. Unlike her peers on the BC beat, she actually cares about her blog and regularly updates it and interacts with her readers. With the UCF game approaching, she graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the Knights below.

Last year, UCF depended on the run. This year they opened with a strong ground performance against SC State (DIAA) but struggled for only 76 rushing yards against South Florida. What is the better indicator of how the offense will perform against BC?

Knights Notepad: I don't think either game really shows the potential of UCF's rushing attack, and its true strength is somewhere in the middle between the the two extreme performances. UCF Coach George O'Leary believes strongly in a ball-control offense and will try to run the ball at least 60 percent of the time. The Knights' rushing attack thrived in their season opener against South Carolina State, but the young running back corps could afford to make a few mistakes and still make big gains. The team obviously didn't fare as well against South Florida. The Bulls had a strong front line, but O'Leary said his offensive line wasn't the problem. He said the biggest issue was his young running backs trying to make too many lateral cuts and looking for big gains instead of settling for respectable three-yard runs. The team worked on its rushing attack during the bye week, and O'Leary said he saw improvement.

The Knights D picked off Matt Grothe twice yet also gave up chunks of yardage. Are they attacking or do they sit back and wait for the QB to make a mistake?

KN: I think Matt Grothe is a special quarterback who has a remarkable ability to slip out of the pocket under heavy pressure and make big plays, so the Knights' stats ended up looking like a mixed bag against him. While UCF's offense is relatively conservative, the Knights' defense gambles and flies to the ball. UCF has a veteran secondary and can afford to leave its cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage, giving the Knights a lot of blitzing options. With a young and still evolving offense, I think the defense is well aware of its job to not only stop the opposing offense but also try to force turnovers and score some points.

O'Leary seems to bring good football and plenty of off field distractions with him wherever he goes. How are the players dealing with the latest issue (the offseason death of a teammate)? Is it truly behind them? Is it motivation or distraction?

KN: I'm sure it still hurts sometimes, but it appears players really have put the death of teammate Ereck Plancher behind them. They had to overcome a lot of obstacles during the offseason, including the death of Plancher, another teammate getting shot several times outside his home in Louisiana and yet another teammate getting diagnosed with cancer. I think the obstacles have unified the team. A lot of the players, especially on defense, seem to genuinely like each other and spend a lot of time together off the field.

What is your prediction for the game?

KN: Boston College hasn't lost a nonconference home game since 2003 and has an impressive defense, so I have to give the edge to the Eagles. I'll go with 17-7 Boston College.

READ MORE ABOUT UCF FOOTBALL AT KNIGHTS NOTEPAD.