UCF's 2020 football home opener versus Tulsa qualifies as the latest the Knights have ever played at home for the first time in a season since 2001 (Oct. 6 versus UAB following four straight road games to begin the campaign). That's after UCF opened the 2020 season with two games away from home for the first time since 2014:
In a nicely-sequenced overall schedule—three games, an open date, three more games, another open date, then three more games to finish the regular season—this qualifies as the last of three consecutive assignments for UCF. The Knights will be off next weekend in advance of their Oct. 17 assignment at Memphis.
Here are some areas to watch when the Knights (2-0, 1-0 AAC) meet the Hurricane (0-1):
- Both these teams thought they would have a full September of football behind them. Instead, COVID-related changes cost UCF three home football games (North Carolina, FIU and FAMU) and it eliminated three non-conference games for Tulsa (Toledo, Northwestern State and Arkansas State). This would have been the last of five straight weekends of football for the Knights—and it would have been Tulsa's fifth outing as well instead of its second. After all those alterations, Tulsa ends up with three straight games against ranked opponents to start the year—#17 Oklahoma State, #11 UCF and #15 Cincinnati (all AP rankings this week).
- Let's not forget that home winning streak. The Bounce House may not be quite the same as usual—with 25% capacity expected Saturday night in the UCF home opener. But those who do attend (with 3,000 students approved in the mix) will be trying to impact the Knights' homefield win streak that currently stands at 21 and ranks second nationally (Clemson is at 23 and plays at home Saturday against Virginia). UCF in 2020 already has experience playing in a limited capacity road environment (at Georgia Tech) as well as an away-from-home game with no fans (ECU)—but this will be the Knights' first experience in front of their home crowd. "We get to go play a football game at home on Saturday," said UCF coach Josh Heupel. "Don't ever take that for granted. Enjoy the opportunity."
- The Hurricane has a knack. UCF has enjoyed immense success over the last three seasons, going a combined 37-4 in 2017-18-19-20. The last team to defeat the Knights? It was Tulsa last Nov. 8 in a night game in Tulsa in which UCF led 21-10 and 28-17 (at halftime) before seeing the Hurricane outscore the Knights 17-3 after intermission for the 34-31 victory. And the last team to defeat UCF in the Bounce House? That, too, was Tulsa in a 35-20 Hurricane victory on Nov. 19, 2016. In fact, UCF has not beaten Tulsa since a 2014 game in Orlando.
- Expect some lost yardage. A year ago, UCF led the nation in tackles for loss at 9.0 per game. Already this year, the Knights stand 28th in that category at 7.0 per contest to go with nine forced turnovers. The team that currently leads the nation in tackles for loss? It's Tulsa with 14 of those plays (six of them were sacks, ranking Tulsa third in NCAA stats this week) in its season-opening loss at Oklahoma State. The Hurricane held Oklahoma State to a single touchdown and only 289 total yards (Tulsa ranks 12th in total defense after allowing Oklahoma State 138 passing yards).
- Let's not wave the flags. Assume both head coaches this week harped on penalties and told their teams that the squad that plays the cleanest game has the best chance to win. In fact, it's probably been a league-wide conversation considering this week's NCAA team stats (among 72 teams) in the category of fewest penalties per game list Georgia Tech (UCF's opening opponent) 66th, East Carolina 67th, Memphis tied for 68th, UCF 70th and Tulsa tied for 71st. The Hurricane versus Oklahoma State had 15 penalties for 110 yards. "We can play penalty-free. It takes discipline," said Heupel.
Meanwhile, fans headed to the Bounce House should expect many changes in game day policies and procedures (all of them outlined in detail here: It's a Whole New Ballgame at the Bounce House, here: Know Before You Go, and here: UCFGameday.com).
These are the most important details to know:
--Spectators are required to wear face coverings at all times—other than when actively eating or drinking in their own seats.
--Fans are required to practice physical distancing.
--Fans are assigned to enter a specific stadium gate adjacent to the zone in which their seats are located.
--Until further notice, tailgating is prohibited in order to reduce the risk of large gatherings.
--There will be no open-container waiver on UCF game days, meaning fans cannot consume alcohol on campus grounds or in parking lots or garages.
Among other changes fans will see are:
--Digital ticketing to provide touchless gate entry
--General admission seating within zones
--Installation of 50 125 Ecolab hand sanitizer kiosks around the stadium
--Enhanced cleaning in advance and during the game of all high-touch surfaces
--Pre-packaged food items and condiments at concession stands
--Plexiglass shields at concession points of sale
Tickets for the UCF-Tulsa game Saturday (7:35 p.m. ET) remain on sale to the general public, as do two-game and four-game packets. Click Here for tickets. UCF's other home games are Oct. 24 vs. Tulane, Nov. 14 vs. Temple and Nov. 21 vs. Cincinnati.