Michigan Wolverines

Michigan vs Central Florida: 3 Storylines to Watch

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 3, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Goal line marker at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

For game two of the Michigan football season, the question going in is similar to that of week one. Fans are not left to wonder if Big Blue will win but by how much. After a 60 point margin last week, the bar has been set high.

Central Florida has seen highs and lows in the last decade which contrast at such a magnitude it is breathtaking. The bad includes four seasons with five wins or fewer. The good being four seasons with at least 10 wins including a 12-1 mark in 2013 that culminated in a Fiesta Bowl victory over Baylor.

Last year was the worst year in program history and longtime coach George O’Leary resigned mid-season. UCF is surrounded by top tier recruits and has been successful in finding enough talent not absorbed by the SEC to be competitive. With a new coach and an up tempo offensive scheme the Knights are set to shake off an 0-12 record and climb the standings in the American Conference.

The Knights won their first game of the season 38-0 over South Carolina State, a sign that the turnaround is already underway. However, it is hard to imagine that the team is ready for a road test in the Big House.

Here are some of the storylines being bandied about Ann Arbor ahead of kickoff.

1997 – The Outright Championship That Wasn’t

Yes, the first year, and first time, head coach of UCF is that Scott Frost. Frost is most famous to Michigan fans for his politicking after the 1997 Orange Bowl. That season, Michigan finished 12-0 led by a stout defense. The team won the Rose Bowl over Washington State on New Year’s Day to seemingly cement the number one ranking they enjoyed in both the AP and Coach’s Poll going into bowl season.

Nebraska had to beat the SEC champion Tennessee Volunteers in the Orange Bowl the next night. They did so convincingly 42-17 and Frost used the post-game interview to plead for a national championship.

Expect an icy reception for Frost among the Michigan faithful.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Head Coach Scott Frost

Frost is more than that episode though and Michigan fans should view Frost as a threat for more than just 1997. After graduating from Nebraska, Frost played six years in the NFL as a defensive back. He was linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa. The Panther defense in ’08 under Frost was third in the FCS in takeaways and ninth in scoring defense.

Frost jumped to FBS when he went to coach at Oregon under Chip Kelly. For four years he was WR coach before becoming QB coach and offensive coordinator in 2013 where he groomed top 5 draft pick Marcus Mariota.

Frost has experience playing both ways and coaching on both sides of the ball. He is uniquely equipped to find weaknesses in the opposition for his up tempo scheme to do maximum damage. Frost has already promised to do things differently and has said UCF will give Florida’s wealth of speedy recruits an opportunity to do something special.

It is almost certain that Frost does not have the potentially lethal talent he wants in year one. That is not to say the team has no talent.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Testing Michigan’s Defense

The Knights ran 91 plays in week one against South Carolina State utilizing a version of the Oregon read option offense. UCF gave four different running backs at least six carries, not including Justin Holman their QB. Michigan will face an attack which works fast meaning conditioning will be at a premium early in the season. With injuries up front, twos and threes on the depth chart along the D-Line must be sound in their assignments. This should present a good test although in week one Michigan proved more than capable against Hawaii’s offensive attack.

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Hawaii and UCF have many similarities on offense. The Rainbow Warriors ran a spread with the QB taking snaps from the gun. The strength of Hawaii was supposed to be the running game with a returning QB who had completed roughly 50% of his passes a year ago. Woolsey hit a similar percentage in week one against Cal before Michigan preyed on him for a pick six and he was pulled in the second quarter.

Justin Holman is a returning QB for UCF who took a step back as a sophomore in 2015 completing just half his passes. He had more interceptions than touchdowns and last week against South Carolina State he went 14-28.

Given Frost’s desire to have UCF snap the ball quickly they will need a running game to control time of possession. Should Michigan cause as much havoc on first and second down this week as they did against Hawaii you have to like their chances against Holman on third-and-long.

UCF should be better than Hawaii defensively but a rash of turnovers or three-and-outs and the game could get out of hand quickly. Given UCF’s ability to yo-yo in terms of succes, last year’s problems downplay the level of talent on the Knights. It would be surprising if UCF did not put up more fight than a jetlagged Hawaii squad.

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