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Pictures: UCF Knights over New Hampshire 57-3!
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Daily Horoscope for August 30, 2024
General Daily Insight for August 30, 2024
Passion might become uncomfortable at present. As the intuitive Cancer Moon harmonizes with innovative Uranus and creative Neptune, we’re likely to enjoy fantasizing freely. In this mellow state, worthwhile thoughts will have room to rise to the surface. Once the Moon switches into dramatic Leo at 1:09 pm EDT, however, our egos could enter the equation. Luna then opposes domineering Pluto, enhancing the danger of power struggles. We should avoid taking today’s disputes at face value — grievances aren’t necessarily what they seem.
AriesMarch 21 – April 19
Fleshing out a bold fantasy may require plenty of time alone. That doesn’t mean you won’t need more at some point! Once the candid Moon powers into your expressive 5th house and opposes perceptive Pluto in your networking zone, you might benefit from taking the risk of telling others what you’ve been thinking about. Although reality checks are essential, this process of testing isn’t always fun. Identify which critiques resonate with you, and don’t get manipulated into going along with those that don’t.
TaurusApril 20 – May 20
You may currently enjoy talking about a big idea of yours with your friends and letting them gas you up. No matter how awesome their encouragement feels, remember that you’ll eventually have to put in the work to manifest your dream — no one else can do that for you. This shift in the vibe isn’t insurmountable, but it is potentially a significant difference, so don’t be surprised by any such changes. Relying on your inner strength should ultimately make you proud of yourself!
GeminiMay 21 – June 20
Developing a clear vision of a goal is key to current success. Your next step, after the connection-craving Moon shifts into your communication sector, is to figure out an elevator speech — how would you quickly explain your plan to a stranger? Think this through deeply enough to identify any assumptions you hold that aren’t universally shared. It’s not wrong to have whatever background you have, but don’t let it become an obstacle that blocks you from cross-pollinating with others from different perspectives.
CancerJune 21 – July 22
You may be very focused on getting your recent needs met. Reaching out to your community for support could be a wise move. That being said, you should still keep your field of vision wide enough to see the full story surrounding any potential benefactors. When the vulnerable Moon in your finance zone provokes controlling Pluto in your 8th House of Big Money, someone might make you an offer that has unpleasant strings attached. Avoid letting your desperation tie you down.
LeoJuly 23 – August 22
Being alone could feel like the only way to maintain your freedom today. A big idea may seem totally clear to you when you’re thinking about it on your own. As soon as you share it with someone who’s supposed to be on your side, though, they might just poke holes in it. Look closely at their potential motives before you defer to their perspective. Legitimate criticism isn’t impossible, but neither is someone trying to keep you down to soothe their insecurities.
VirgoAugust 23 – September 22
Keeping an eye on your social battery may be necessary today. It’ll probably be easy to go along with lots of opportunities to do interesting things. Don’t forget about any everyday responsibilities — you only have so much energy, after all. The nourishing Moon is moving into your quiet 12th house, so you must acknowledge your normal human need for rest. Some invitations could be worth shifting your schedule for, but it’s not possible to evade the constraints of reality entirely!
LibraSeptember 23 – October 22
You can absolutely get in touch with your goals at this moment. Once the passionate Moon in your 11th House of Networking engages with intense Pluto in your self-expression zone, you might seize the opportunity to push your personal agenda on a community or organization you belong to. It’s probably not a problem to be the spokesperson for views that the people around you genuinely hold, but expounding too passionately on something that doesn’t quite fit can backfire dramatically. Know the difference.
ScorpioOctober 23 – November 21
Your search for a path forward could need to be reined in over the course of your day. As the fluctuating Moon shifts from your expansive 9th house to your focused 10th house, you might have to table a few of the interesting possibilities you’ve come across lately. You can probably return to them later, but devoting your attention to something that’s a relatively sure bet is more likely to pay off for now. There’s no shame in acknowledging that your resources are finite!
SagittariusNovember 22 – December 21
Putting a mystery into words could challenge you today. You might enjoy exploring a subject that’s off the beaten path. Still, once the curious Moon passes from your intense 8th house into your philosophical 9th house, the desire to definitively explain how part of the world works will probably be difficult to shed. If you genuinely don’t know something, trying to bluster your way out of uncomfortable conversations may dig you in deeper. Don’t hesitate to take a breath and simply listen for a time.
CapricornDecember 22 – January 19
Helping a loved one who seems to need it might presently make sense to you. Still, as the nurturing Moon barrels toward your 8th House of Entanglement, you should, at minimum, contemplate your potential next steps. Setting a precedent that leaves this person dependent on you indefinitely isn’t just bad for you — it’s also bad for them, as you could develop a resentful attitude that’s likely to leak out in your interactions with them. Do what’s best for your long-term relationship.
AquariusJanuary 20 – February 18
Figuring out what a loved one really needs from you might challenge you at the moment. You may believe that you’re doing your part by taking care of them in practical ways. However, when the emotional Moon pops into your relationship sector, you could be surprised to hear their genuine view of things. They’re potentially more capable of fending for themselves than you think! If you feel like giving them respect costs you something, you’d better spend some time looking within.
PiscesFebruary 19 – March 20
Throwing yourself into a whirlwind of activity may seem like a useful distraction from unpleasant thoughts. With the anxious Moon in your productive 6th house opposing sulky Pluto in your 12th House of the Subconscious, you can potentially get a fair amount done while you tamp down the tough stuff. Even so, the compulsive vibe you can’t help broadcasting has a chance of provoking tension with those around you. If you can’t get away from your internal conflict, you might as well hear it out!
New UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson is not Cam Newton, but who is? | Commentary
It’s all we’ve heard ever since that day eight months ago when KJ Jefferson announced he was leaving Arkansas and transferring to UCF.
Immediately, the comparisons started and college football fans and analysts began to ask the question: Can Gus Malzahn work his magic again?
Can he turn KJ Jefferson into the next Cam Newton?
This is an unbelievably unfair question and comparison considering Newton put together one of the greatest seasons a college QB has ever had during his one season at Auburn when Malzahn was the offensive coordinator. Newton, arguably the greatest dual-threat quarterback in college football history, led Auburn to an undefeated national championship season and won the Heisman Trophy while throwing for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions and rushing for 1,409 yards and 20 scores.
From what we saw in UCF’s 57-3 season-opening blowout of outmanned FCS opponent New Hampshire, Jefferson is definitely not going to be the next Cam Newton. In fact, right now, he’s not even the next John Rhys Plumlee.
Of course, this was just one game — his first game in a new offense with new teammates and a new coach — but ideally you would want Jefferson to look sharper against an opponent who was a 40-point underdog.
Knights quarterback KJ Jefferson is sacked by New Hampshire cornerback Noah Stansbury on Thursday at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Jefferson only tallied seven completions. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)“There’s going to be growing pains. That’s to be expected,” Malzahn said of his new quarterback. “He’s going to get more comfortable with our offense and become more efficient. … After that first quarter, I thought he settled in and starting getting more control of our offense.”
Jefferson was shaky, very shaky, early in the game. On UCF’s first series, he was 0-for-3, badly overthrowing his first downfield pass and nearly having it picked off, overthrowing a potential TD pass in the end zone and then scrambling to elude pressure and throwing the ball into the dirt. UCF’s second drive stalled when the ball slipped out of Jefferson’s hand before he threw it, but luckily he recovered his own fumble.
Jefferson’s first completion didn’t come until 2:24 remained in the first quarter, and his second completion didn’t come until 3:08 in the second quarter. He also threw an inexplicable interception at the outset of the second half when he rolled right to deliver a short pass in the flat and tossed it directly into the hands of a New Hampshire defender.
Not that it was all bad. He threw a beautiful 46-yard bomb to Kobe Hudson to set up a UCF touchdown at the end of the first half. In the third quarter, he rolled right and threw the ball back across the field for a 49-yard catch-and-run TD to running back Myles Montgomery.
As UCF wore down their inferior opponent and began to pile up the points, Jefferson settled down and began to gain confidence. He played three quarters and finished 7-for-14 for 164 yards and 2 TDs. He also ran 11 times for 39 yards and a touchdown.
“In the first game, you have to knock some rust off,” Jefferson said. “I just had to keep telling myself to stay patient, don’t try to rush it and let the game come to you. There were time out there when I was just trying to overdo it.”
Despite the lopsided final score, Jefferson knows he will need to be much better moving forward and start looking like he did in his first two seasons at Arkansas, when he established himself as one of the country’s most athletic quarterbacks. He left Arkansas with more completions, passing yards and touchdown passes than any QB in Razorbacks history.
Who will ever forget what he did at Florida last year when he threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 92 yards and a score to lead the struggling Hogs to a 39-36 overtime win — their first victory ever in Gainesville. There was one play in overtime when Jefferson steamrolled several UF defenders and ran for 20 yards to set up the winning score.
With his combination of size, speed, athleticism and arm strength, Jefferson did look like Newton that day in Gainesville. He was running over linebackers, outrunning safeties and launching passes downfield with a flick of his wrist. But there weren’t nearly enough of those kinds of performances last season. Jefferson was too erratic and inconsistent and Arkansas finished at the bottom of the SEC with a 1-7 record, 4-8 overall. And, so, Jefferson entered the transfer portal and chose UCF, partly because of what Malzahn did with Newton — a player Jefferson grew up idolizing.
Comparing fifth-year QB KJ Jefferson to Auburn’s Cam Newton, picking up his 2010 Heisman after putting together what might’ve been the most dominant single season in history at his position, is not just a stretch but unfair. (AP file)Naturally, the comparisons between the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Jefferson and 6-foot-5, 248-pound Newton began immediately. And while the analogies may be flattering, they come with an immense amount of pressure. Being likened to one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all-time is an almost unreachable parallel.
Then again, Jefferson doesn’t have to be Cam Newton for UCF to be successful. He just needs to be a good enough passer to keep defenses honest. There’s little question that with a deep stable of running backs led by RJ Harvey, the Knights are going to be a run-first team, evidenced by their 454 rushing yards and 8.4 yards per carry against New Hampshire.
While Jefferson will be a huge part of that running game, it’s no secret that Malzahn’s offense thrives on a dual-threat quarterback who can keep defenses guessing. For UCF to deploy an effective read-option attack that forces defenses to pick their poison, Jefferson has to be an accurate passer and a solid decision maker.
After one game in a UCF uniform, there is much improvement to be made.
So let’s stop with the Cam Newton comparisons and just allow KJ Jefferson to become the best version of KJ Jefferson.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
West Boca loses star Javian Mallory in first quarter, still rolls by Palm Beach Central
WELLINGTON — West Boca delivered another strong performance to remain unbeaten through the first two weeks of the season. Sophomore running back Jayden Lockhart rushed for two touchdowns in the first half as the Bulls rolled past host Palm Beach Central 28-7 on Thursday night.
West Boca (2-0) led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and had a 21-0 advantage at halftime.
“We preached all week to the offense about coming out and running the football and let’s get 14 early,” West Boca coach Dylan Potts said. “We thought we could really dominate the game if we did that. We came out here and got the win against a really good Palm Beach Central team.”
The West Boca defense created three turnovers in the victory and has allowed just 20 points through the first two games.
“Our defense is playing lights out,” Potts said. “We are very deep on the defensive line. Our secondary has been playing lights out
as well and our linebackers have really stepped up. Overall, it’s a very talented defense.”
West Boca junior standout running back Javian Mallory had two carries for 21 yards during the opening drive. He was held out as a precaution with a quad injury for the remainder of the contest.
West Boca had a seven play, 68-yard scoring drive to begin the contest. Lockhart bounced out to the right and went untouched into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown run with 7:53 left in the first quarter.
West Boca started its next series at the Palm Beach Central 30-yard line after the Bulls forced a punt. Sophomore quarterback Trey Moran rolled out to his left for an 8-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 14-0 with 5:19 left in the first.
Palm Beach Central (1-1) marched downfield on their next possession before senior Damon Allen recorded an interception at the Bulls 17-yard line. On the ensuing possession, junior quarterback Mason Mallory had a 77-yard touchdown pass to junior Mark Hanniford called back due to an ineligible man downfield penalty.
West Boca junior Xavier Reid forced a fumble in the second quarter as the Bulls started on offense at the Broncos 40-yard line.
West Boca lined up for a 40-yard field goal attempt on their next series. Hanniford took a high snap as the holder and was tackled in the backfield on the play.
West Boca pulled away late in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Lockhart rushed up the middle for a 1-yard score to extend the lead to 21-0 with 39 seconds left in the first half.
Mason Mallory threw a 10-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Jayden Elder to increase the lead to 28-0 with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
“We came into this game thinking it was going to be a dogfight,” Mason Mallory said. “The offensive line and our receivers played well. Our running back room played amazing. Our defense always holds it down. We looked great and I am really proud of this team.”
Palm Beach Central senior running back Frankie Vomero raced up the middle of the field deep into Bulls territory late in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Chance Routson tossed a 9-yard scoring pass to Nedrick Boldin on the final play of the third.
The game was stopped for a 30-minute weather delay with 8:06 left in the fourth quarter.
Senior Aaron Ford recorded an interception for the Bulls late in the fourth.
West Boca sophomore Jacorrion McCrary, sophomore Anderson Gracilien and Lockhart all rotated in the backfield.
Mason Mallory and Moran both played at quarterback on different possessions throughout the game.
“They both are really good players and I have all the faith they both can win us any ball game we are in,” Potts said. “We hang our hat on playing a lot of players and developing kids.”
West Boca (2-0) had rallied for a 14-13 victory against Benjamin in their season opener.
RJ Harvey takes off in UCF’s season-opening rout of New Hampshire
UCF coach Gus Malzahn said Thursday’s season-opener against New Hampshire would say more about the Knights than their opponent.
While the box score says UCF came away with a 57-3 win over the Wildcats, its ninth straight win in season openers, the intangibles say more about this team.
UCF (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) improved to 35-10 all-time in season openers, with the Knights winning nine consecutive since 2016.
“The thing that stood out to me is only three penalties,” said Malzahn. “We had a face mask, a late hit late in the game with one of our backups and a delay a game. We’ve been really focused on not beating ourselves.”
Tailback RJ Harvey picked up where he left off last season, rushing for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was his third straight 100-yard rushing performance for the fifth-year senior, dating to last season. The Knights finished with 454 rushing yards and an 8.4 per carry average.
“They’re real running backs and all a little bit different,” said Malzahn. “RJ is elite and I think everybody knows that.”
New Hampshire (0-1, 0-0 CAA) finished with 162 yards of offense, including 67 rushing.
Colton Boomer connected on a pair of early field goals (25, 44) to give UCF a 6-0 advantage.
Linebacker Deshawn Pace, a transfer from Cincinnati, picked off Seth Morgan’s pass intended for receiver Joey Corcoran at the start of the second quarter. Pace, who welcomed a daughter a few weeks ago, returned the ball 37 yards to NHU’s 3-yard line.
“Having my daughter in the stands is a blessing, and it just made me motivated and made me go harder,” said Pace. “The pick just came to me. [The quarterback] stared me down the whole time and I made the right decision.”
Quarterback KJ Jefferson barreled into the end zone for the season’s first touchdown, pushing the lead to 13-0.
After forcing a three-and-out on New Hampshire’s next possession, safety Ladarius Tennison burst through the line and blocked Sean Lehane’s punt attempt from the Wildcats’ 18. The ball rolled into the end zone for a safety.
It was the first blocked punt by the Knights since Sept. 24, 2022, against Georgia Tech and the first safety since Oct. 29, 2022, against Cincinnati.
Jefferson missed his first four passes before connecting with Harvey on an 8-yard screen pass with 2:24 left in the first quarter. His second completion, a 15-yard pass to Kobe Hudson, didn’t occur until 3:08 in the second quarter.
“After that first quarter, he settled in and started playing [better],” Malzahn said.
“There were times when I was trying to overdo it and do too much instead of letting the game come to me and then just play my [style] of ball,” added Jefferson.
The fifth-year quarterback threw his first touchdown as a Knight midway in the third quarter when he found running back Myles Montgomery, who raced 49 yards for a score. He added a 22-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Richardson.
Jefferson finished 7 of 14 for 164 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed 11 times for 39 yards and a score.
UCF finished with 639 yards of total offense. It was the first time the Knights accounted for more than 600 yards in a game since totaling 723 yards against Kent State in last season’s opener.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
Trump says he will vote that Florida needs ‘more than 6 weeks’ for abortion
Former President Donald Trump didn’t exactly say how he would vote on a Florida amendment that would protect abortion access — but on Thursday he said he would “be voting that we need more than six weeks.”
Florida currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a change that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2023. Trump has previously called Florida’s six-week ban a “terrible mistake.”
When an NBC News reporter asked Trump how he would vote on Florida’s abortion amendment, Trump reiterated that he thought the six-week cutoff was too short. When the reporter followed by asking Trump if that meant he would be voting for Amendment 4, that’s when Trump said he would be voting that “we need more than six weeks.”
Amendment 4 says in part that no law should “prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.” If passed, it would in effect undo Florida’s current six-week ban.
While Trump has skirted around directly addressing the amendment, DeSantis has come out in vocal opposition against Amendment 4, calling it “extremely radical.”
Trump and DeSantis butted heads over abortion when they were both on the presidential campaign trail, with DeSantis accusing Trump of not being truly “pro-life.” DeSantis also said he would sign a federal abortion ban, while Trump has declined to endorse such a move.
Earlier this month, Trump said he would soon officially announce how he plans to vote on the November amendment. It needs 60% of voter support to pass.
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