ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After pulling off a gritty 31-30 win last weekend at Memphis in rainy conditions, the UCF football team head back out on the road for the second straight week. The No. 9/10 Knights will travel to ECU on Saturday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 and FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Oct. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: FM 96.9/ AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: https://ucfknights.co/2QOOztR
ECU GAME – NOTES TO KNOW
- The Knights improved to 6-0 and extended their winning streak to 19 straight games, the longest active streak in the country. A win on Saturday would extend the UCF and The American records to 20.
- Other than this past weekend, the Black and Gold offense has been stellar on crucial third downs. UCF ranks fifth in the nation in third down conversion percentage even after going 2-of-12 at Memphis, having connected on 41-of-78 (52.6 percent).
- With a pair of takeaways on Saturday, the Knights now have 13 turnovers gained, which leads The American.
- The UCF defense has gotten it done with turnovers again in 2018. Last season, the Knights finished second in the nation with a +1.31 turnover margin and with 13 turnovers gained through six games this season, UCF currently ranks seventh in all of FBS with a margin of +1.33.
- The come-from-behind victory over Memphis was the third largest deficit overcome in program history for UCF. The Knights came back from down 16 points in the second quarter to beat the Tigers at the Liberty Bowl, trailing only a pair of 21-point comebacks in 2013 and 1988.
- After leading the nation in scoring last season (48.2ppg), UCF is currently seventh in the nation in scoring offense (45.7ppg) and third in the nation in total offense (555.5ypg).
- Despite the win and a number of losses near the top of the polls, the Knights stayed put in the national polls, currently at ninth in the Amway Coaches Poll and 10th in the AP Top 25 Poll. It is still the highest that the program has ever been ranked other than 2017’s final rankings (6th, 7th).
CLICK HERE FOR FULL GAME NOTES – UCF VS ECU
HONORS UPDATE
Quarterback McKenzie Milton was named The American Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this year. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native threw for 296 yards and one score on 17-of-29 passing and added a rushing touchdown.
Kicker Matthew Wright was honored as The American Special Teams Player of the Week after converting four PATs and a 44-yard field goal, which broke the UCF career scoring record held by Shawn Moffitt.
FROM THE PRESSER
At UCF’s Monday press conference head coach Josh Heupel was asked about if the team had any reaction to not moving up in the polls after winning on the road. Coach Heupel spoke about how the team was more interest in the play on the field.
“This morning, I don’t think the guys were concerned with rankings at all,” Heupel said. “They were more interested in the plays that were there. The plays that need to be made, and we were plus one on Saturday. There are a lot of other plays that we can go out and make. I sense that our kids wanted to make more plays and be on the right side of things. If we correct those things, we’ll have a chance to go 1-0 this Saturday. That is really the focus of our players.”
After being held to their lowest points total of the year, the Knights will face a Pirates defense that ranks second in the country with 10.2 tackles for loss per game and third nationally with nearly four sacks per game. Coach Heupel talked about the challenge the Pirates pose for UCF.
“On tape, they play harder than we’ve seen on defense,” he added. “They get 11 guys running to the football on every snap. They have two ends that can after the quarterback and create negative plays in the run game. There’s a huge test for us up front. We’ll have to take care of the ball from the quarterback position. They have cornerbacks who can run, so we need to win some one-on-ones.”
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.