UCF’s defense has been haunted by the daunting task of facing experienced, dual-threat quarterbacks in its last three games.
It began with Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, followed by Kansas’ Jalon Daniels.
Now, this week, the Knights find themselves up against Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, adding another layer to their challenges.
Sorsby, 21, is in the middle of his fourth season, the second as the Bearcats’ starter. He’s putting together a career year, completing nearly 66% of his passes for 1,257 yards with 12 touchdowns and an interception, while being third on the team in rushing with 291 yards.
“It will be a major challenge,” said UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. “When you get a quarterback with mobility, it can feel like they got Teflon on because they can get themselves out of jail. It can also, from a confidence standpoint, help the guys that are in front of them, whether it’s backs or tight ends, as well as the offensive line.
“With experience comes knowing when to direct the ball downfield, knowing when you have the time to wait for something to come open, and then knowing when to step up and when to abort and scramble. So that’s a very difficult task defensively.”
UCF has experienced mixed results over the past two games, both of which ended in losses, particularly in managing their quarterbacks.
KSU’s Johnson amassed 243 total yards and two touchdowns, leading the Wildcats to a convincing 34-20 victory. UCF pressured Johnson 11 times, but managed just one sack. Similarly, Kansas’ Daniels racked up 260 total yards of offense as the Jayhawks secured a 27-20 win. He faced pressure 15 times, but was able to avoid being sacked just once.
Cincinnati’s Sorsby has been pressured 44 times this season and sacked just once.
UCF’s new space game uniforms pay tribute to hypersonic travel
It presents a massive challenge for UCF’s defensive front of Nyjalik Kelly, Malachi Lawrence, John Walker and RJ Jackson. The group has 35 combined pressures, 27 hurries and 3.5 sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
“They’ve got four good pass rushers and they just let them go to work,” said Sorsby. “We’ve got to be on top of our execution, we have to have the run game going and have the pass game going to slow those guys down. They’re a really talented team, really athletic, so we’ve got to go out there ready to go.”
The Knights will be without defensive tackle Horace Lockett, who underwent season-ending surgery on a pectoral tear. Lockett’s absence will force the defense to rotate more up front while also giving some players more opportunities, according to Grinch.
“Some of it is guys that have played, they’re going to have to play more significant snaps,” said Grinch. “We won’t have the ability to rotate maybe as much as you otherwise would.”
Rodney Lora and Jeffson Lafontant could also see a significant increase in playing time, too.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
