Game Notes: UCF vs. S. Florida

The UCF football team (7-4, 4-3 AAC) will close out the regular season this weekend, hosting South Florida (2-9, 1-6 AAC) in the War On I-4, presented by Florida Cancer Specialists. The Knights and the Bulls are scheduled to kick off Friday at 3:30 p.m. with coverage on ESPN and FM 96.9 The Game. 

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Nov. 26
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: click here

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE GAME NOTES - UCF VS SOUTH FLORIDA

A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be better than a loss
• Total 182 FBS wins for UCF in program history
• Keep the Knights perfect at home this season
• Be UCF's fifth straight wins over the Bulls
• Give the Knights at least eight wins in four of the last five seasons

SERIES BREAKDOWN

ABOUT THE BULLS
• South Florida is in its second season under head coach Jeff Scott, who came to Tampa after 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Clemson, including the final five as co-offensive coordinator.

• Scott led the Bulls to a 2-8 overall record last season and has South Florida at 2-9 overall this season with a 1-6 mark in American Athletic Conference play.

• South Florida has defeated Florida A&M and Temple, but has lost its last four games, including last weekend's contest at Tulane.

• Timmy McClain leads the offense with 1,666 yards passing and five touchdowns, while Jaren Mangham has rushed for 15 touchdowns and 578 yards on the ground.

TEAM NOTE
FUTURE FOOTBALL CAMPUS VISION
• On August 19, new UCF director of athletics Terry Mohajir announced his planned vision for UCF Athletics' football campus at the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village.
• UCF's previously announced McNamara Cove that will include a recovery river for student-athletes and "Covegating" experiences for fans on game days is part of the plan. 
• Also announced was the Launch Club, a new structure on the south side of the stadium located above the Garvy Center for Nutrition, featuring coaches' offices combined with premium seating areas.
• The north end zone will feature additional seating and standing-room only decks for expansion of the Knightmare Student Section.

OFFENSE NOTE
THE BIG BOYS ARE BACK
• UCF returned its an entire offensive line from last season, which includes six different o-linemen that started games in 2020.
• Both Matthew Lee at center and Edward Collins at tackle started all 10 games a season ago, while Cole Schneider started nine times at guard, Samuel Jackson started eight times at both guard and tackle, Lokahi Pauole started eight times at guard, and Marcus Tatum started five times at tackle.
• This season it has been Jackson, Pauole, Lee, Schneider, and Tatum at all but one game, when Adrian Medley filled in at guard and Schneider moved to center due to an injury.
• The current UCF offensive linemen have now combined for 143 career starts at UCF and 154 total collegiate starts, including Tatum's 11 starts at Tennessee.
• Schneider leads the pack with 45 career starts in his time at UCF, but got his first start at center at Louisville on Sept. 17, filling in for the injured Lee.

DEFENSE NOTE
TURNOVER TOWN
• The Knights have had a knack for getting takeaways the last couple of seasons, ranking sixth in the nation last season and currently ranking 18th with 20 takeaways in 2021.
• UCF has been especially impressive at forcing and recovering fumbles, leading the nation a year ago with 13 fumble recoveries and ranking 15th this year with nine through 11 games.
• Defensive tackle Cam Goode ranks ninth in the nation in forced fumbles with four, while safety Quadric Bullard ranks second in the nation with three fumble recoveries. Defensive end Josh Celiscar also ranks 18th in the country with two fumble recoveries.
• UCF is 5-0 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent this season and 4-0 when recording three or more takeaways.

DID YOU KNOW?
Long snapper Alex Ward was named a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award.