The UCF football team (6-4, 4-3 AAC) returns home this weekend to host UConn (1-9) for the Knights' annual Military Appreciation game, presented by OUC. UCF and the Huskies are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 4 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+ and FM 96.9 The Game.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 20
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: click here
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE GAME NOTES - UCF VS UCONN
A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be better than a loss
• Total 181 FBS wins for UCF in program history
• Keep the Knights perfect at home this season
• Be UCF's fifth straight wins over the Huskies
• Keep the Civil Conflict trophy in Orlando, if it happened to still exist, and was ever a thing to begin with
SERIES BREAKDOWN
| Overall | UCF, 5-2 |
| in East Hartford | UCF, 2-1 |
| in Orlando | UCF, 3-1 |
| at Neutral Location | -- |
| Last Meeting | UCF 56, UConn 21 - Sept. 28, 2019 (Orlando) |
| Streak | UCF won 4 |
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
• UConn is in its first season under interim head coach Lou SpanoS, who took over for Randy Edsall, who retired on Sept. 6 of this season.
• SpanoS is 1-7 with the Huskies, earning the team's only win over the season on Oct. 16 against Yale, 21-15.
• The Huskies are averaging 15.3 points while giving up 36.8 per game. They are totaling just 263.3 yards of offense per game, while allowing 441.3 per contest.
• Steven Krajewski has been at the helm at quarterback, throwing for 964 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions. Jackson Mitchell has led the defense with 98 total tackles and six tackles for loss.
TEAM NOTE
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
• The University of Central Florida accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference, as announced by Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, UCF director of athletics Terry Mohajir, and UCF President Alex Cartwright on Friday, Sept. 10.
• The Knights athletics program has now moved from Division III, Division II, the FCS level, the FBS level that included time in the MAC, Conference USA, the AAC, and now to the Big 12 Conference.
• Mohajir: "This is a landmark day for anyone ever associated with UCF or UCF Athletics. As we anticipate a future move to the Big 12 Conference, we first owe a vote of thanks to all those at UCF who have gone before us. There's a long list of student-athletes, coaches, athletics directors, university presidents and support staff, fans and donors and, of course, our student body, plus so many others whose hard work and successes have helped pave the way for today's announcement. The bases were already loaded, and I feel very blessed and honored to get to step up to the plate on behalf of UCF."
OFFENSE NOTE
RECEIVERS ROLLING
• Returning first-team all-conference receiver Jaylon Robinson missed the six games after suffering an injury in the loss at Louisville (Sept. 17), but returned last weekend, grabbing two balls for 50 yards.
• Graduate transfer Brandon Johnson and junior Ryan O'Keefe have stepped up while Robinson was out. Johnson has caught nine touchdown passes in his first 10 games with the Knights. In five seasons with Tennessee, he caught only one touchdown pass.
• Son of former Major League Baseball catcher Charles Johnson and cousin of former All-Pro NFL receiver Chad Johnson, he ranks eighth in the nation with his nine touchdowns, scoring at least one in eight of 10 games this season.
• Johnson is two touchdowns shy of the national lead and two shy of breaking into UCF's top 10 for touchdown receptions in a single season.
• O'Keefe has been the workhorse at receiver, hauling in 63 catches for 626 yards in 10 games, scoring six touchdowns through the air, while adding 10 rushes for 149 yards and one score on the ground.
DEFENSE NOTE
POINTS AT A PREMIUM
• After giving up 33.2 points per game last season, the Knights have improved in 2021, allowing only 27.2 points and ranking 75th in the country, after ranking 92nd in scoring defense a year ago.
• The Knights gave up just 24 points in three consecutive games, holding Memphis (Oct. 22) and Temple (Oct. 30) to just seven points each, and allowing 10 to Tulane (Nov. 6). The average of 8.0 points per game given up in that span - as well as the 10 points or less - is the best scoring defense outing for UCF since 2014 (14 total points Nov. 14-28).
• UCF went five consecutive quarters without allowing a point against Memphis and Temple and then held Tulane off the board in three out of four quarters.
DID YOU KNOW?
Andrew Osteen is fifth all-time at UCF with 6,461 punting yards in his career.