Heupel Hits: at Memphis Preview

ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – On paper, Saturday afternoon’s contest vs. Memphis looks like the toughest matchup to date for the Knights. As he met with the media for the final time prior to Saturday’s contest, UCF head coach Josh Heupel had plenty of praise for the Tigers.

Heupel and his team expect a very competitive football game in the Liberty Bowl Saturday.

“Listen, they’re a really good football team,” Heupel said. “They’re very athletic, physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They’ve done a great job of creating turnovers. Quarterback is playing very efficient. For those reasons, it will be a big test for us on the road.”

In addition to the items mentioned above, Memphis features the leading rusher in the nation in Darrell Henderson. The Tigers’ ball-carrier has already rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and has scored 12 TDs in just six games.

“Defensively, we have to do a great job of stopping the run,” Heupel said. “They’re explosive in the backfield. He’s dynamic. If he’s got an open lane, he’s going to take it a long ways.”

Come Friday, when the Knights board the airplane to head for Memphis it will mark 44 days since the UCF football team has headed out to play a game away from Spectrum Stadium. While the Knights love playing in the Bounce House in front of the Black and Gold faithful, Heupel said his squad is looking forward to playing on the road.

“I think our kids are excited about this one,” Heupel said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been on the road. As a competitor, I kind of relish and like those opportunities to go play in big games on the road. It should be a great environment. You do have to be very focused and dialed in to all the little things … they add up in the course of 60 minutes, no matter where you’re playing. But certainly on the road … those little things add up.”

The Knights will look to start adding things up on the scoreboard, beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) in Memphis Saturday afternoon.

The game will be broadcast on ABC in the southeastern portion of the United States, with the rest of the country seeing it on ESPN2. Fans can tune into the UCF radio call, beginning with the 1:30 p.m. ET pregame show, in Orlando on FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game and worldwide on either 969thegame.com or the iHeart Radio app.

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