ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF and Cincinnati will match up for just the second time Saturday in Orlando. The kickoff on Military Appreciation Day is set for noon on ESPNU.
IOA Plaza will open at 8:30 a.m., with many military and police vehicles on display for fans to see. Fans are encouraged to arrive in their seats early as the pregame show will conclude with a flyover by the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater's HC-130 prior to the team taking the field led by Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Rory Coleman .
The Knights enter the game 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the American Athletic Conference. UCF is coming off a 37-6 victory over Tulane where the Knights defense scored three touchdowns. Cincinnati is 4-5 overall and 1-4 in American Athletic Conference play. The Bearcats fell 20-3 to BYU last week in non-conference action.
Third-down conversions may be an important factor in the contest. Cincinnati's defense ranks No. 123 in the nation in third-down conversion defense, allowing opponents to convert at 49.3 percent. The Knights, meanwhile, are 123rd in third-down conversion offense, converting at 29.4 percent.
Things may be interesting when the ball is in the air in this matchup. The Bearcats have intercepted 15 passes this season to rank No. 3 in the nation. UCF has picked off 12 passes to rank No. 12 in the nation.
It may also be difficult for either team's offense in the red zone. UCF ranks No. 9 in the nation in red-zone defense (69.8%), while Cincinnati is No. 23 (74.3%).
THE SERIES
Saturday marks just the second meeting between Cincinnati and UCF on the gridiron. The two teams did not face one another in the first two years of the American Athletic Conference and had never met prior to becoming conference colleagues.
Last season, the Knights traveled to Cincinnati and suffered a 52-7 defeat at the hands of the Bearcats. It was the first game after George O'Leary's retirement and former Cincinnati player Danny Barrett was the Knights' interim coach.
The Bearcats racked up 726 yards of offense in that contest. C.J. Jones scored the Knights' lone touchdown, going in from one yard out in the fourth quarter.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati throws the ball around the field on offense and looks to capitalize on turnovers by its defense. The Bearcats have a plus-six turnover differential in their four victories.
Offensively, Cincinnati owns the No. 43 passing offense in the country. Senior Gunner Kiel has started the last three games at quarterback, accounting for 666 yards and six TDs. Senior Tion Green leads the rushing attack with 559 yards and two TDs, while Junior Devin Gray has caught 668 yards and three TDs.
Cincinnati ranks seventh in The American in total defense, allowing 425.2 yards per game, and have forced the ninth-most turnovers nationally with 20. Eric Wilson paces the Bearcats' defense with 94 tackles and three sacks this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The UCF defense outscored Tulane Saturday night at Bright House Networks Stadium. Knights' defenders found the end zone three times for the first time in school history in a 37-6 victory over the Green Wave.
In fact, UCF safety Drico Johnson outscored Tulane himself. Johnson got the defensive scores started when he returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown to put the Knights up 13-6 midway through the third quarter. He plucked an option pitch out of the air and raced untouched to the goal line.
Just three plays later, cornerback Shaquill Griffin picked off Tulane quarterback Glen Cuilette and returned it 33 yards. In a span of 49 seconds, the two defensive scores broke open what was a one-point game at halftime and put the Knights up 20-6.
After Matthew Wright made a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the defense scored once again. Two 15-yard penalties against the Knights kept a Tulane drive alive. But on fourth-and-7 from the UCF 21, Johnson stepped in front of a Cuilette aerial and raced down the Tulane sideline for an 86-yard interception return to put the Knights on top 30-6.
Senior quarterback Justin Holman came on in relief late in the game and led the Knights on a touchdown drive, capped by his 1-yard TD run, accounting for the final score.
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