Boston College at Central Florida: 5 big questions

2.) Was the run defense failure an aberration or a real cause for concern?

When you go from the best run defense in the country to a 200+ yard allowance in the first week of the following season, there tends to be some panicking. I will begin by saying that BC is not as bad in the run defense department as they showed last Saturday, but on the other hand, it may not be realistic to expect them to be as good this year as they were last year.

UCF’s offense is more experienced now and returns a handful of starters, particularly on their offensive line. If the Eagles D-line doesn’t step up the toughness and start closing those gaps, they are going to get toasted again, and again, and again. Not only in this game, however, but in future games when they face much bigger and fiercer offensive lines during the course of ACC play.

Last week’s game against the Wildcats was the run defense’s worst performance since 2009, which is concerning enough, but things won’t get any easier as the season progresses. Allowing 200+ yards on the ground was an aberration inasmuch as I don’t believe this will be a repeat occurrence, but if these guys don’t step up fast, the Eagles can forget about being one of the elite rush defenses as well.