The Golden Knights kept this game close at first, actually leading at halftime 19 - 17. The second half was all Tulsa, however, as the Golden Hurricanes found their offensive rhythm and just put UCF away.
Tulsa
5 David Johnson QB 6' 2.5" 220lbs 4.75 came into the game completing 69% of his passes for almost 2400yds and a better than 3 to 1 TD/Int ratio. Finished the game 17 of 27 for 264yds with a TD pass and a pick. Also ran for 2 scores. Even punted once for 52yds! 5th-year senior. Good size and stature. Decent mobility. Can escape the rush and throw on the run, though his accuracy suffers when he does so. Good but not great arm. My overall impression is that a large part of his numbers are from the system, not him. Came up against a talented, experienced secondary and produced only ordinary stats. I can see him making an NFL camp, but only as a late round selection or an UDFA. I was more impressed by JP Wilson from Alabama last week, and he was up against a higher level of competition. Grade - neutral
25 Tarrion Adams HB 6' 1" 205lbs 4.60 - unimpressive, but running from this kind of system doesn't help. Only 9 carries for 10yds and 2 catches for 10yds. Showed little of anything - power, speed, burst, pass-catching ability, or blocking. Grade - negative
4 Brennan Marion WR 6' 0" 185lbs 4.50 - finished with 3 catches for 72yds and a long of 47. 47yd play came against zone coverage where the CB passed him on to the safety, whom he got turned around and then burned. Lined up against Neal most of the night. Not involved in any of the return games. Could see him as a fourth or fifth receiver in the pros, and should be drafted accordingly. Grade - neutral
29 Jarod Tracy K 6' 0" 165lbs 5.30 - not the primary KO guy. Doesn't punt. Only had to kick XPs tonight, so it's hard to truly estimate his talent. The one kickoff he had only went 38yds, though that may have been by design, as Tulsa was obviously trying to keep the ball away from Burnett. Grade - incomplete
Central Florida
78 Patrick Brown OT 6' 5" 290lbs 5.20 - I came away pretty impressed with Brown from this game. He gave up one sack, which I would attribute the blame more to the QB for holding on to the ball too long. Even though UCF quarterbacks were sacked nine times in this game, that one sack was really the only time Brown's man came anywhere near the QB. He also showed well in the running game, at the very least battling his man to a standstill, but also often driving his man off the ball and sometimes into the ground. He had a TE lined up next to him fairly often, but only rarely did that player give Brown any help in blocking. Central Florida used a lot of pulling in this game, and Brown handled that with aplomb. Great height. A bit undersized and lacks a bit of bulk and anchor. Not tested against top competition in this game. Best suited for a Broncos or Texans type of blocking scheme. As much as he impressed me, I'd still call him a second day pick and an NFL backup. Grade - positive
59 Cory Hogue OLB 6' 1" 230lbs 4.80 - DNP (not sure why). Grade - N/A
19 Joe Burnett CB 5' 10" 183lbs 4.50 - not as impressive as he was when I saw him against South Florida earlier in the year, but clearly the best NFL prospect on the UCF roster and in this game. Fluid. Athletic. Faster than his time would indicate. Leaps well. Aware. Confident. Got beat a time or two in this game (including once to give up a 4th down conversion) but quickly forgot about it and moved on to the next play. A true weapon any time he gets his hands on the ball. Tulsa was clearly trying to come up with ways to not kick to him, including short kickoffs and using the QB as a punter from traditional offensive formations so he couldn't drop back as a PR. Showed the ability to slip blocks to make a tackle. Showed a willingness to hit, though he did have three or so obviously sloppy tackle attempts. Finished the game with 4 solos, 1 assist, 2 TFLs, a pick (returned for 27yds) and a PBU, plus 4 KRs for 113yds and a long of 47yds. Had one chance at a PR but elected (somewhat surprisingly) to let the kick go into the endzone for a TB. A first day pick - say, mid- to late-second round? Grade - positive
31 Johnell Neal CB 5' 10" 178lbs 4.55 - the other UCF DBs didn't stand out as much as Burnett, though Neal did show some tight coverage on multiple occassions. Went up against Marion for most of the night. Did get flagged for interference once, but that call was debatable, imo. Showed well on ST coverage units. Draftable 4th or 5th corner. Grade - neutral
29 Sha-Reff Rashad SS 6' 0" 197lbs 4.60 - had 6 solos and 3 assists. Got beat for a TD pass, but made a TD-saving tackle on special teams. Despite the stat line, didn't really stand out. Grade - neutral
45 Jason Venson FS 5' 10" 208lbs 4.60 - had 5 solos, 4 assists, and a PBU. Got turned around by Marion for a long gain. On the next play he took a bad angle on the ball carrier and gave up a TD. Obviously not his best day. Grade - slightly negative
Notes - keep an eye on redshirt soph Brian Watters #6 WR UCF 6' 2" 183lbs 4.56 and true freshman Demaris Johnson #3 WR Tulsa 5' 8" 175lbs 4.39. Watters had 7 catches for 121yds and 2 TDs, while Johnson ran 5 times for 28yds and a TD, caught four balls for 21yds and a TD, and returned 4 kickoffs for 134yds with a long of 70yds. Can anyone say Eric Metcalf?