Quarterbacks
Texas: Colt McCoy did everything he could to make sure his team did not fall again on the road during Halloween weekend. McCoy threw his 100th career touchdown pass and was 16-for-21 for 171 yards. He also spent most of the fourth quarter on the sidelines for the second-straight week and did not throw an interception in the game for the first time this season.
UCF: Central Florida rallied to win against Marshall last Sunday with help from quarterback Brett Hodges, who threw the game-winning touchdown to Rocky Ross with 23 seconds remaining to give UCF a 21-20 victory. Hodges has completed 51.7 percent of his passes this season with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Running Backs
Texas: The Longhorns still don’t have consistency with their running game. Fozzy Whitaker had only six carries for 15 yards against the Cowboys, while Cody Johnson ran nine times for 31 yards with two touchdowns. Johnson is currently listed as the starting running back for Saturday’s game against Central Florida. But Mack Brown said Whitaker and Johnson will compete this week in practice for the final decision.
UCF: Central Florida has 1,153 rushing yards this season on 277 attempts. With nine rushing touchdowns, seven of them have come from sophomore Brynn Harvey, who also has 679 yards on 173 carries this season. The remaining 104 carries come from 12 other UCF players.
Receivers
Texas: For the second week in a row, the Longhorn offense and new receiver lineup looked comfortable. Senior Jordan Shipley was a continual threat with six receptions for 64 yards against OSU, while Malcolm Williams contributed with 55 yards and Texas’ only receiving touchdown in the back of the end zone.
UCF: When the game was on the line for UCF last Saturday, it turned to its passing game and came up big with a final minute touchdown. The Golden Knights are averaging 7.4 yards per pass with 13 passing touchdowns and 215.9 yards per game. Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Guyton leads the team with 23 receptions for 396 yards followed by junior Kamar Aiken with 18 catches for 331 yards.
Offensive Line
Texas: The Longhorns were 5-for-5 in the red zone Saturday against the Cowboys with the offensive line leading the way. With key blocks from Greg Smith and Kyle Hix, Texas’ offensive line is still making holes and giving Colt McCoy plenty of time in the pocket to throw.
UCF: The Golden Knights converted four of five fourth-down conversions against Marshall when they needed it the most. Transfer lineman Abre Leggings continues to work on his footwork and has been a big part of the Knights’ victories this season and a big part of their 3.5 yards-per-carry rushing average.
Defensive Line
Texas: Going in to the game against Oklahoma State, Will Muschamp wanted to focus on eliminating the running game and putting pressure on the quarterback. Sergio Kindle had 6 tackles, and although Robinson threw four interceptions, Muschamp wished they could have put more pressure on the quarterback to contain him more.
UCF: The Knights have 27 sacks on the season, led by junior end Bruce Miller. They will continue to try to put pressure on McCoy and make him hurry his passes.
Linebackers
Texas: The Longhorns wanted to take the run out of the game against Oklahoma State, and they did. They were also part of the seven pressures and 10 hits on quarterback Zac Robinson last Saturday for an overall defensive effort.
UCF: Senior Cory Hogue and junior Lawrence Young lead the Knights with a combined 71 tackles. The Knights hope to stop Texas’ running game and make a stand in Conference USA. UCF is 11th in the country in rushing defense, allowing just 92.2 yards a game on the ground.
Defensive Backs
Texas: Going into Saturday’s game against OSU, Zac Robinson had only thrown three interceptions. He left with seven thanks to a dominant Texas secondary. Both Earl Thomas and Curtis Brown returned interceptions for touchdowns while Blake Gideon and Chykie Brown picked Robinson off to help seal the game for the Horns. Texas converted the Cowboys’ five turnovers into 28 points.
UCF: The Knights’ secondary has six interceptions on the season, returning them for a total of 89 yards. Josh Robinson is leading the Knights with three interceptions for 57 yards.
Special Teams
Texas: Texas’ special teams have been dominant this season, scoring six touchdowns in a variety of styles. The Horns have blocked three punts this season, including the last touchdown of the half against Missouri. Texas’ field goal kicker, Hunter Lawrence, has also been dominant, making 16 of 18 field goals and 36 of 37 extra points.
UCF: The Knights will have to stop Texas’ special teams to have a chance in Saturday’s game. They are No. 10 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 25.4 yards. The Knights are also ranked second nationally in punt-return defenses, allowing only minus two punt-return yards this season. Unfortunately, UCF is only 9-for-16 on field goal attempts and last in point-after percentage.
