Injuries and turnovers haunt UCF during loss
NEW ORLEANS — Bo Schneider gripped his left arm in pain momentarily Saturday after he was walloped by sack No. 5 during the third quarter of UCF’s 45-31 loss at Tulane.
Bruised and battered, the freshman quarterback pulled himself back up to endure another grueling quarter before coaches retired him early in the fourth quarter after six sacks on a gloomy, cool afternoon.
The beating Schneider took in the pocket highlighted just one of many areas the Knights will look to address heading into the rest of the American Athletic Conference schedule.
But first, UCF has to answer this question: Who will get back up to fight during a competitive American Athletic Conference slate? Better yet, who can get back up and compete during the rest of the season?
“Just through the season, you’re going to get injured, and you just have to play through it,” said receiver Jordan Franks, who recently recovered from a broken hand. “That’s part of playing football.”
Injuries, again, dominated the storyline for UCF (0-5, 0-1 AAC). The team’s lead kickoff returner, receiver Tristan Payton, left the game with a left hand injury in the second quarter and did not return. Safety Drico Johnson also did not return to the game after taking a tough hit in the second half. At least eight players suffered injuries that either forced them to leave the game or stop play.
The mounting list of injuries forced coaches to dig even deeper into the roster, burning redshirt opportunities for true freshmen receivers D’erren Wilson and Cam Stewart.
The reps, at least, produced a small bright spot for UCF. Wilson caught three touchdowns passes in the fourth quarter from backup Tyler Harris, albeit against a Tulane defense that seemed to have checked out after building a 38-10 lead by the end of the third quarter.
“I thought they both went out and did a really nice job, they really did,” UCF coach George O’Leary said. “That’s the freshmen we’ve been trying to replace some of these other guys with, [Wilson] and Stewart, and I thought they came up with some catches today.
“I thought Tyler went in and did some nice things, and he showed more poise than he did last time he played, which I think is great for him.”
Wilson was one of two UCF players to finish with more than 100 receiving yards. Chris Johnson had113 yards on six receptions, but it was his longest — a 62-yard catch — that sparked the Knights’ ultimate doom.
Johnson turned a short pass up the middle from Schneider into a long gain when he bolted down the field deep into Tulane territory. Two Green Wave defenders trailed him, with cornerback Parry Nickerson punching the ball out of Johnson’s hand, and cornerback Richard Allen grabbing the ball and running it back 36 yards. The turnover, one of five by UCF, quickly helped turn a 10-7 Tulane lead into a 24-7 advantage.
“It was a big turning point, because we were moving the ball, first play of the series and would have been a big play for us, but [we’ve] got to finish the play,” UCF tight end Cal Bloom said.
UCF trailed 24-10 at halftime and was shut out in the third quarter, during which Schneider absorbed three additional sacks.
Coaches finally rested Schneider in the fourth quarter, and he left the game having completed 20 of 37 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Harris completed 10 of 15 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Harris was sacked once.
sgreen@tribpub.com