UCF vs. Temple |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After a much-needed bye week, the No. 9/9 UCF football team returns to Spectrum Stadium to open a three-game homestand, starting with Temple on Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and FM 96.9/AM 740 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 4:30 p.m.
Here are five things to know heading into Week 10:
REACHING FOR THE STARS
UCF will honor its heritage of Florida Technological University with the mission of supporting the growing United States space program in 1963. The Knights will don a special space uniform that features constellations, the Citronaut, reflective Canaveral Blue numbers and a space-themed font. The UCF Physics Department will be on hand to carry out experiments with a Liquid Nitrogen Show, stomp rockets and telescopes. In addition to the out-of-this-world attire and activities, a squadron of A-10 Warthogs will fly over Spectrum Stadium prior to kickoff. Read more about the Space Game here.
RODNEY ATKINS LIVE
Fans are in for one of the best artists to appear at the UCF Tailgate Concert Series presented by Pacifico, when Rodney Atkins hits the stage at 5:45 p.m. With six No. 1 hits under his belt, "Take A Back Road,” “These Are My People,” and “Watching You,” Atkins uses a sonic progression that will excite and captivate both new fans and ones who have been on the ride all along.
CAMPUS PREP
With a Thursday game, offices on the UCF’s main campus will close at 3 p.m. for a smooth transition to gameday activities an hour later. Parking garages C, D, F, and H, along with other parking areas, will switch to game-day permit procedures at 4 p.m. For more information concerning traffic flow and other operations on campus, click here.
TEMPLE TUSSLE
Even though Thursday will be just the sixth meeting between the Knights and the Owls, this series has already seen some fireworks. In the opening salvo in 2013, when the Cardiac Knights were in full swing, UCF pulled off a last-minute comeback on “The Catch”, a 30-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles, and a 23-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt. The Owls repaid the favor in 2016 with a 26-25 win, sealed off with a touchdown with one second remaining.
NEXT MAN UP
Throughout the 2018 season, the Black and Gold has relied upon the “Next Man Up” mentality. That was on display the last time the Knights hit the field against ECU. With starting quarterback McKenzie Milton sidelined, backup signal caller Darriel Mack Jr. was handed the reigns for his first collegiate start, and he put on a show. The redshirt freshman finished with 120 yards on the ground with one score, the second most rushing yards by a quarterback in program history.
Get Your Tickets Now
A limited number of tickets for Thursday night's game vs. Temple, as well as home games vs. Navy (Nov. 10 - Homecoming) and Cincinnati (Nov. 17) are still available by calling 407.823.1000 or by clicking the tickets link at the top of this page.
Hear from Coach Heupel when he met with the media after practice on Tuesday.
Due to the early game this week, the Knights held their weekly press conference on Saturday. Check out the highlights from it.