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UCF Offensive Playmakers TCU Must Contain In Big 12 Road Opener
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- UCF Offensive Playmakers TCU Must Contain In Big 12 Road Opener
(Mike Watters-Imagn Images)
TCU's defense has been stingy through three games, but Saturday's Big 12 opener at UCF presents a much different challenge.
The Horned Frogs have allowed only 29 points this season, their fewest through three games since 2014. Now they'll face a UCF offense built around speed, quarterback mobility and a running back coming off the best game of his career.
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The first name TCU has to find on every snap is Duke Watson.
Watson exploded for a career-high 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries in UCF's 44-30 victory over Georgia State.
His 12.6 yards per carry were the second-best single-game average in program history , and he's already shown he can turn a small crease into a huge play.
With starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III sidelined by a hamstring injury, Keyone Jenkins has taken over the offense.
Jenkins made his first UCF start against Georgia State and wasn't asked to dominate through the air, completing 7 of 17 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown.
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His legs mattered more. Jenkins rushed for two touchdowns and gives TCU another player it must account for in the option and quarterback run game.
"He came in and did a good job," UCF coach Scott Frost said after Jenkins stepped into the starting role.
UCF's backfield depth doesn't end with Watson.
Landen Chambers, who rushed for 1,273 yards at Central Arkansas last season, provides a bigger 215-pound change of pace.
He already has multiple rushing touchdowns this season and ripped off a 35-yard run against Georgia State.
On the outside, Josh Derry is the proven receiving threat.
Derry transferred from Monmouth after producing 1,123 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season while earning FCS All-America honors.
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His quickness gives Jenkins a dangerous option when defenses crowd the box to slow UCF's running game.
That's the problem for TCU.
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The Horned Frogs can't simply chase Watson. Jenkins can keep the football, Chambers can punish lighter fronts and Derry can exploit aggressive safeties.
For TCU, winning in Orlando starts with one priority: make UCF earn every yard instead of surrendering the explosive runs that can turn the Bounce House into a problem quickly.
