Justin Holman, who served as Blake Bortles’ backup a season ago and was relegated to that same role behind Pete DiNovo for UCF‘s season-opening loss to Penn State in Ireland last week, has earned the No. 1 spot. Finally.
Photo used courtesy of centralfloridafuture.com.
“It’s Holman’s job right now, so basically he goes out there,” coach George O’Leary told the Orlando Sentinelon Thursday. “We’ve got three kids we’re working with, but Holman’s been elevated to No. 1.”
DiNovo earned the starting job with an impressive camp but struggled in the season opener. With the Knights trailing 13-3, DiNovo was benched in favor of Holman following the first series of the third quarter.
Holman, who was considered a favorite for the starting job in camp but failed to impress in leading the team during August practices, stepped in and ignited UCF’s stagnant offense, rallying the Knights and nearly pulling off a memorable comeback against the Nittany Lions.
Behind Holman’s leadership and playmaking abilities, UCF took a 24-23 lead into the final 1:13 of the game before losing 26-24 on a game-winning Penn State field goal as time ran out.
Holman finished the game having completed 9-of-14 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown. His heroics included two more scores on the ground. DiNovo, a redshirt freshman, went 3-of-8 for 18 yards.
“He throws quick, he’s not afraid to zip the ball in there if someone’s even within three or four yards coverage,” O’Leary said of Holman after the game. “I thought he handled the game well. He went in there and managed the game and did what I was hoping he’d be doing the whole preseason. He made plays when he had the opportunity. That was the difference between the first half and the second.”
An Alabama native, Holman is no stranger to success. As a senior in high school in Georgia, he passed for 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns with seven scores on the ground.
Coming out of high school, Holman said he admired the play and work ethic of two NFL quarterbacks.
“Peyton Manning and Cam Newton,” Holman said. “If you look at it, it’s the same story but different paths. Great quarterbacks. Cam Newton still has more years to prove himself, but their work ethic and drive is what I can relate to. To come out of the Wing-T offense, a lot of people don’t expect me to be able to throw. They expect me to be an athlete. This year they’ll see that I have the ability to throw. I can’t wait to showcase that with my teammates.”
Arizona State, Marshall, NC State, and Wake Forest were among the schools interested in Holman. Also on the list was Missouri, the team he will make his first collegiate start against on Sept. 13.
