UCF at ECU |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Following a thrilling 31-30 victory on the road last weekend at Memphis, the No. 9/10 UCF football team will cap a two-game road swing at ECU on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and FM96.9/AM740 The Game.
Marc Daniels, Gary Parris and Jerry O’Neill will have the call on FM96.9/AM740 The Game and on the iHeart Radio app, starting with the Florida Hospital Tailgate Show at 4 p.m.
Here are four things to know heading into Week 8:
EXPECT RAIN
For the second week in a row, the Knights will have to battle through tough weather conditions. Forecasters are calling for an 87-percent chance of rain at kickoff. Fans should be prepared for wet conditions throughout the night and bring jackets and ponchos. Umbrellas are not permitted at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. For more infomration regarding gameday information at ECU, click here.
CARDIAC KNIGHTS
The Cardiac Knights reappeared for the first time this season last week at Memphis, as UCF climbed back from a 16-point deficit to extend its winning streak to 19 games. Four years ago, the Cardiac Knights were in full gear, which included the famous Hail Perriman game. Down by four on the last play of the game, quarterback Justin Holman launched a pass 51-yards to the end zone where receiver Breshad Perriman found a way to come down with it to give the Knights a 32-30 win and a share of the American Athletic Conference title.
SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS
Much of the Knights’ success in their comeback win at Memphis was a result of the defense pitching a shutout in the second half and giving up just 160 yards of total offense in the process. UCF’s defense has come out of the locker room with renewed energy under defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. The Knights have only surrendered nine points in the third quarter this season for an average of 1.5 per third quarter.
HEADING INTO THE BYE
Following the ECU game, the Black and Gold will head into its originally scheduled bye week. The Knights already had an unexpected bye week during the North Carolina week due to Hurricane Florence. Not only have the Knights remained perfect through the opening six games of the season, UCF continues to rank in the top 10 nationally in giveaways, turnover margin, total offense, team tackles for loss, scoring offense and third down conversions, just to name a few. After the bye week, the Knights will have three games at home against Temple, Navy and Cincinnati, before closing the regular season on the road at S. Florida.
Hear what Coach Heupel had to say on Thursday after another week of practice.
Check out what the Knights had to say when they met with the media on Monday.