Michigan Football vs. UCF: Three Knights To Watch

Nov 19, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights fans check their phones as the clock winds down in the third quarter against the East Carolina Pirates at Bright House Networks Stadium. East Carolina defeated UCF 44-7. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The UCF Knights certainly don’t look like they’ll be a threat to Michigan football on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any threats.

A UCF Knights team that went 0-12 last season doesn’t figure to be too much of a challenge for Michigan football on Saturday, but this is a team on the rise with a new coaching staff.

UCF has adopted a spread offense that utilizes the inside zone power scheme, similar to what Indiana and Ohio State run. In fact, it’s probably appropriate to call UCF’s offense a younger cousin to Indiana’s and Ohio State’s. And if you remember back to last season, the Wolverines’ defense had a lot of trouble with both.

The good news there for Michigan is that the Knights are relatively young on that side of the ball and don’t have an especially potent quarterback like J.T. Barrett at Ohio State. There’s very little reason to worry about the Wolverines getting it handed to them the way the Buckeyes did last year.

On the other side of the ball, UCF is more experienced and, judging from its first game against South Carolina State, simply better.

The Knights forced three turnovers last week and completed their first shutout since 2014. That’s where UCF is really going to have to make its money on Saturday: creating turnovers against a Michigan team that features one of the country’s toughest defenses is going to be a must.

The way I see it, Michigan is fairly lucky to have UCF on its schedule this season, rather than in two or three years, when the Knights will have had more time to move into this new era, one that looks like it has potential.

Here are the top three UCF players to watch on Saturday, in no particular order.

Oct 3, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; UCF Knights defensive back Shaquem Griffin (18) recovers a fumble by Tulane Green Wave punter Peter Picerelli (31) during the first quarter of a game at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquem Griffin, LB

Redshirt junior linebacker Shaquem Griffin is notable for a few reasons. First, he plays with only one hand, after having the fingers on his left hand amputated when he was four, due to a rare medical condition before birth. Second, he’s the identical twin brother of UCF cornerback Shaquill Griffin. And third, he’s emerging as one of the leaders of the Knights’ defense.

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Griffin is a versatile defender, having played safety in 12 games last season. Between that and playing on special teams, Griffin only managed nine tackles in 2015. His move to linebacker this season has opened up the possibilities for him as a defender, and it’s showing early.

He tied for the lead in tackles last week against SC State with six, including a sack. He also broke up a pass, forced a fumble and registered a quarterback hurry. Griffin was all over the place, and it’s something Michigan football fans should count on seeing this Saturday.

Griffin is a gifted athlete who’s probably going to give Michigan trouble periodically, no matter if it’s through the air or on the ground, but his biggest task might be getting pressure from the outside on Wilton Speight.

In all, he’s not playing too bad for a guy who thought his coaches were kidding when they told him to join the linebackers’ room in March.

Nov 26, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Central Florida Knights quarterback Justin Holman (13) throws a pass during the second quarter of a football game against the South Florida Bulls at Bright House Networks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Holman, QB

Senior quarterback Justin Holman is a really interesting player to watch, especially in this offense that wants to be dynamic and high-scoring. Holman earned the starting job at UCF in 2014, a season in which he completed 57 percent of his passes, threw for 2,952 yards and 23 touchdowns, and also accounted for 189 yards and three touchdowns with his legs.

The wheels fell off last season, when he threw 14 interceptions (the same as in 2014) and only seven touchdowns. His completion percentage dropped to just over 50 percent, and he saw a decline in rushing production.

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That brings him to this season—thankfully. A new coaching staff, led by Scott Frost, who was Oregon’s offensive coordinator from 2013-15, is trying to liven up this offense and turn it into something dangerous.

Against SC State last week, Holman took a while to get going—UCF settled for four field goals in the first half—but once he did, it was easy to see where the Knights might have some success this season.

In the third quarter Holman completed 6 of 8 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, perhaps giving fans a reason to dream. His numbers at the end of the night weren’t terrific—14 of 28 passing, 193 yards, two touchdowns—but he got UCF’s offense moving, and, most importantly, he avoided the big mistakes that hurt him a season ago.

Nov 26, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; South Florida Bulls cornerback Deatrick Nichols (3) trips up Central Florida Knights wide receiver Tre

Tre’Quan Smith, WR

Redshirt sophomore receiver Tre’Quan Smith was Holman’s best option last week against SC State, and that’s probably going to be true for the rest of the season.

The Knights aren’t a great team through the air, but they aren’t running the ball exclusively. The passing attack looks similar to what Hawaii ran against Michigan late in the second half on a drive that nearly resulted in a touchdown. Lots of quick-hitters, simple reads, anything to keep it simple and moving fast.

At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Smith is a dynamic threat at receiver. He’s got good top-end speed and can make catches like the ones seen here:

Conference coaches voted him as the All-American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year last season after making 52 receptions for 724 yards and four touchdowns. The Knights don’t utilize Smith with any end-arounds, but perhaps that’s something they’ll try against Michigan to get things moving against a stubborn defensive front.

It sounds like Jourdan Lewis is going to be available for the Michigan defense this week, so maybe we’ll get to see a decent cornerback-receiver battle right off the bat this year.