Let’s start by applauding this victory. For the second half, I sat in the same spot, left my phone in another room, and refrained from urinating despite the immense pain I was in. I wouldn’t have done it differently.
But seriously, what a crazy way to win.
Convincing me that Bryan Brown and his defense throw a shutout in the second, just like last week Syracuse couldn’t convince me they could have blown us away. I couldn’t have done it. Halve against UCF and win the game.
Both are equally silly, and one is way more fun than the other. I am happy to celebrate it tonight.
The game was indeed a “tale of two halves”, so let’s categorize it as such.
first half
Wow.
The offense opened things up by marching down the field and putting seven points on the board. They didn’t find the end zone until two minutes left in the third quarter. We’ve seen attacks dissolve into predictability, bad penalties, and the usual mistakes of not being assigned.
Second-and-long urgent needs to be addressed. Some people (me) now call these plays #2ndAndSatterfield. To make a not-so-good situation even worse, how many times the second line and the long line have been hit squarely is something the media needs to ask Satterfield again. Yes, and consistently ineffective.
The defense wasn’t very good in the beginning either. The Golden Knights seemed to run around us all night, and there were even questions on Twitter about why on earth UCF would pass the ball. He gained 8.1 yards and made six plays of 15 yards or more on his first three drives.
And Louisville looked to join in another night of Swiss cheese defense and many points.
Latter half
Tweet says it all.
Where the hell did these guys come from?
Look what this defense did after UCF took a 14-7 lead with 11:31 left in the second quarter.
How. how?
I’ve seen Louisville put pressure on QBs consistently. I worked.
Maybe a little too good, I might add.
But what struck me most was how the defensive line was strengthened and the running game slowed down. It just made it harder.
The offense still left a lot to be desired, but Malik found rhythm in the passing game in the second half and the coaches allowed him to be himself and stretch things out on his feet. The first down conversion I did deep inside was huge, but was called back with a questionable holding penalty against Tyon Evans.
Speaking of calls, what a sloppy night for both teams. A total of 23 penalties over 200 yards was ugly. And it didn’t get any prettier by some of the wild calls the umpire had: their touchdown he got the pass back he had an ambiguous holding call for UCF and Evans at all There were the wrong calls, there was the exorbitant overthrow of targeting calls. Tonight is not a great night for the refereeing crew or for either team.
And with all of the wild calls, I was 99% certain that a Brownlee interception in the back of the end zone would be overturned by a UCF touchdown.
But let’s go back for a moment to Scott Sattefield’s controversial fourth down call. With less than six minutes remaining, following a questionable run-into-the-kicker call (which should have been rough), Satterfield has offense at 4 and 4, perhaps to try to pull the defense offside or force a UCF timeout. issued. and it worked! Gus Malzahn spent one timeout to leave the Golden Knights with just two in case Louisville tried to get the ball back and eat the clock. So Satterfield accepted his small win and sent back a punt team to make the dominant defense work, right?
No!
Instead, in a decision that would likely divide Louisville fans, Satterfield struck fourth and fourth from the UofL 47-yard line. Malik rolled right in front of Marshon Ford and when you Malik shoved the ball in and tried to run, he threw it to Ford who had to twist to grab the ball.
I’ve already seen some fans say they like the aggressiveness of trying to win games. One time trying to force Bryan Brown to finish the game deep in UCF territory. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts on this.
But in the end, two more UCF drives made the defense bigger and sealed the game with a down turnover.
I’m so happy you guys and Bryan Brown were able to have a night like this. Especially after DL he got the news that Jermaine Rolle is ending his season.Big night for them. Long time no see.
We know some fans are even more frustrated with Syracuse’s loss after seeing how the team came together tonight. Other fans are already looking forward to the home opener against the Seminoles. Friday night wins will keep you riding all weekend.
The team deserves it. you deserve it. go card.
(Look above the “F” for a good laugh.)
