The Knights’ quarterback situation remains uncertain following UCF redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown’s woes in a 37-24 defeat Saturday against BYU at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
Down by 24 near the beginning of the fourth quarter, UCF faced a second-and-six situation. Brown threw deep to fifth-year tight end Evan Morris, but ended up overthrowing the ball, resulting in his second interception of the night.
This mistake prompted UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to bench him for the rest of the game.
“He [Brown] makes a lot of plays, and just because he didn’t have the best game tonight or however everybody feels about it, he’s someone the locker room still trusts,” UCF fifth-year offensive linemen Amari Kight said.
Since getting the chance to play for the Knights, Brown had a solid performance against Cincinnati, throwing for 207 passing yards and displaying his ability to run out of the pocket, rushing for 84 yards.
Malzahn said the BYU defense “took away the quarterback run,” forcing Brown to stay in the pocket and work for his yards, only allowing him to rush for nine yards. This is a big step down compared to his last game against Iowa State, where he had 154 yards rushing.
Brown also struggled passing the ball, completing 47% of his attempts and throwing for just 96 passing yards. Although he excelled on short-out routes and quick slants, he was unable to move the ball up deep, only having one completion for more than 16 yards. He has the arm strength to throw deep, but struggles with his accuracy, which led to his two interceptions.
UCF redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan Rizk subbed in after Brown’s second interception. He shined in his short stint during the fourth quarter, throwing for 102 passing yards and a passing touchdown.
“He [Rizk] did a good job, gave us some life right there and led us to two touchdowns,” Malzahn said.
The Knights now face a decision at the quarterback position. With the addition of Rizk, who is the fourth quarterback the Knights have played this season, Malzahn said he will have to evaluate who gives UCF the best shot moving forward.
“Right now what we’re going to do is we’re going to watch the film, and we’re going to figure out whoever gives us the best chance in every possession,” Malzahn said. “We’re in the same position as last year, and we gotta figure out a way to finish the same way we did last year.”
UCF fans will be waiting to see who starts as quarterback at the space game against Arizona at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
