ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF wraps up the regular season by traveling to USF on Saturday in the first gridiron matchup of the War on I-4 Rivalry Series. The contest at Raymond James Stadium is set to begin at noon on CBS Sports Network.
UCF enters the matchup with a 6-5 record and a 4-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play, after dropping a 35-20 decision to Tulsa in the final home game of the season last week.
USF is 9-2 overall and 6-1 in The American after a 35-27 victory over SMU Saturday night in Dallas.
This Knights-Bulls meeting could come down to the matchup between USF's highly-rated offense and UCF's highly-rated defense. The Bulls are No. 7 in the nation in scoring offense (43.2 ppg), while the Knights are No. 26 in scoring defense (21.9 ppg).
THE SERIES
UCF and USF will meet for the eighth time on the gridiron Saturday afternoon in Tampa. The Bulls hold a 5-2 lead in the all-time series. But UCF holds wins in two of the last three meetings and they were historic victories.
In 2013, a 23-20 UCF win helped send the Knights to the Fiesta Bowl. In 2014, UCF shut out the Bulls 16-0 in Tampa, handing USF its first-ever shutout loss at home.
USF won last year's meeting 44-3 in Orlando.
THE WAR ON I-4 RIVALRY
While this is the eighth meeting, it is the first meeting as pat of an officially-recognized rivalry series. The two schools are competing in a year-long series in each sport that both schools sponsor.
The winner of the football game will receive a traveling trophy. There will also be a traveling trophy for the overall series winner. Go to www.War-On-I4.com for more details.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
USF has a high-powered offense that scores 43 points per game and ranks No. 7 in the country. The Bulls are 14-of-15 on fourth down, which leads the nation.
Offensively, USF owns the No. 7 overall offense, averaging 516 yards per game. Quinton Flowers has accumulated 2,399 passing and 1,273 rushing yards along with 35 total touchdowns. Marlon Mack has added 13 rushing TDs and 982 yards on the ground.
USF ranks 12th in The American in total defense, allowing 489.4 yards per game. The Bulls have forced 18 turnovers, ranking 51st nationally. Auggie Sanchez leads the USF defense with 99 tackles, including six sacks. Deatri Nichols has tallied a team-high four interceptions.
LAST TIME OUT
Tulsa scored 21 points in the third quarter Saturday night at Bright House Networks Stadium, ruining Senior Knight for UCF. The Golden Hurricane rode that 21-point outburst to a 35-20 victory over the Knights.
Tulsa rushed for 348 yards and tallied 474 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Knights' offense struggled. UCF tallied 321 total yards, but just 88 on the ground.
UCF's fourth interception return for a touchdown this year put the Knights on top early. Senior D.J. Killings grabbed his third pick of the season and took it 28 yards to the house on Tulsa's first offensive possession. A two-point conversion pass from Nick Patti to Cal Bloom made it 8-0. Tulsa responded with a pair of rushing scores to lead 14-8.
Sophomore Matthew Wright's right foot tied the game at intermission. He booted field goals of 48 and 47 yards in the final 1:23 of the half to make it 14-14.
But Tulsa's 21-point third quarter left the Golden Hurricane up 35-14 going into the fourth. UCF finally put an offensive touchdown on the board with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Freshman Adrian Killins scored from three yards out to cap a 13-play, 70-yard march. The Knights got inside the Tulsa 5-yard line with less than three minutes left, but were turned away.
