ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – Now 3-0 after last weekend’s home win over FAU, the No. 13/14 UCF football team is set to return to Spectrum Stadium this weekend. Presented by CFE, the Knights will welcome Pittsburgh to Orlando Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPNU and FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: https://ucfknights.co/fbstats092918
SMU GAME – TIME/TV UPDATE
It was announced on Monday that UCF’s previously scheduled game against SMU on Oct. 6 will be played at 7 p.m. and broadcast on ESPNU.
PITTSBURGH GAME - NOTES TO KNOW
- After starting 2018 with three wins, the Knights enter their fourth game of the season still holding the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games. A victory over Pittsburgh would extend the streak to 17, which is both a UCF and American Athletic Conference record.
- The Knights have started 3-0 under new head coach Josh Heupel, winning against UConn, South Carolina State and Florida Atlantic. After leading the nation in scoring last season (48.2ppg), UCF is currently ninth in the nation in scoring offense (50.0ppg) and fourth in the nation in total offense (587.7ypg).
- The UCF defense has gotten it done through turnovers again in 2018. Last season, the Knights finished second in the nation with a +1.31 turnover margin and with nine turnovers through three games this season, UCF currently ranks fifth in all of FBS with a margin of +2.00.
- The Black and Gold offense has been stellar on crucial third downs. UCF leads the entire nation in third down conversion percentage through three games, having connected on 22-of-34 (65.7 percent).
- The Knights moved up in both national polls again this week. Rising three spots, UCF now ranks 13th in the AP Top 25 Poll. Up four spots in the Amway Coaches Poll, the Knights came in at 14th this week. It marks the highest that the program has ranked during the season outside the historic 2017 campaign.
- With three straight wins to start the 2018 season, it marks just the third time in the program’s FBS history that UCF has begun a season 3-0. The other two times were 2013 and 2017, each of which concluded with a New Year’s Six Bowl.
- Pittsburgh won the only other meeting between these two teams, taking a 52-7 victory over UCF back on Oct. 13, 2006.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL GAME NOTES – UCF VS PITTSBURGH
CLIMBING IN THE POLLS
The Knights climbed to 13th in the nation in the AP Top 25 Poll this week and 14th in the Amway Coaches Poll. UCF is the highest ranked team in the state of Florida and the top team in the American Athletic Conference.
HONORS UPDATE
The American Athletic Conference named McKenzie Milton the league’s Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. Milton went 21-of-32 for 306 yards and three touchdowns in the win over FAU. He also ran for 81 yards and scored another three touchdowns on the ground. The junior was also named a Manning Award Star of the Week for his performance.
FROM THE PRESSER
At head coach Josh Heupel’s weekly press conference, he got things started by looking back one last time at the win over FAU and noting a number of the positives he and his staff took away from the game.
“I think we cam out really fast, handled adversity when they flipped the score on us and came back and responded the way good teams and mature teams do,” he said. “We showed that we’re mature competitors that way, and I liked the way we played in the third quarter, so a lot of positives.”
When asked about the next one on the schedule, Heupel reference the serious size he’s seen on the Panthers’ defense, and how that will affect the Knights’ offense.
“They’re thick, strong and physical up front,” Heupel said. “Extremely big. The biggest defensive front we’ve seen so far. On the backend, they’re going to contest things. They’ll load it up and make it difficult to run the football. You gotta win one-on-ones on the outside.”
PURCHASE 2018 TICKETS
Tickets are going fast for the remaining games on the 2018 schedule. Fans can purchase theirs today and learn about all of their options by calling (407) 823-1000 or visiting us online at ucfknights.com/fbtix.
