The UCF football team (6-3, 4-2 AAC) returns to the road this weekend to play SMU (7-2, 3-2 AAC) in American Athletic Conference action. The Knights and the Mustangs are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT with coverage on ESPNU and FM 96.9 The Game.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 13
Time: 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: click here
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE GAME NOTES - UCF AT SMU
A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be better than a loss
• Total 181 FBS wins for UCF in program history
• Give the Knights their second road win this season
• Be UCF's sixth straight wins over the Mustangs
• Give the Knights a 9-1 advantage over SMU in the all-time series between the two teams
SERIES BREAKDOWN
| Overall | UCF, 8-1 |
| in Dallas | UCF, 3-1 |
| in Orlando | UCF, 5-0 |
| at Neutral Location | -- |
| Last Meeting | UCF 48, SMU 20 - Oct. 6, 2018 (Orlando) |
| Streak | UCF won 5 |
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
• SMU is 29-16 under head coach Sonny Dykes, who is in his first season at the helm of the Mustangs.
• This season, SMU won its first seven games and were ranked as high as 16th in the coaches poll, before falling in back-to-back conference games at Houston and Memphis.
• The Mustangs had scored 30 ore more points in every game, but put up just 25 in the loss to the Tigers last weekend.
• Tanner Mordecai has led the offense with 2,887 yards passing and 34 touchdown passes, while Danny Gray and Rashee Rice have combined for 102 catches for 1,306 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions. Delano Robinson leads the defense with 54 tackles.
TEAM NOTE
BOWLS, BCS AND NEW YEAR'S SIX
• The Knights appeared in their fifth straight bowl game in 2020 (Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl vs. BYU), extending the program record for most consecutive bowl game appearances. UCF played in the Cure Bowl in 2016, the Peach Bowl in 2017, the Fiesta Bowl in 2018 and the Gasparilla Bowl in 2019.
• The 2020 Boca Raton Bowl marked UCF's eighth bowl appearance in the last nine seasons and the Knights' 12th in the past 16 years.
• Since the 2013 season, UCF has appeared in three BCS/New Year's Six bowl games and won two (2014 Fiesta Bowl, 2018 Peach Bowl).
• The Knights are one of only 16 FBS programs in the nation to appear in three such games during that span and one of only 13 teams to win two games during that time.
• UCF is the only current non-"Power 5" team to appear on either list.
OFFENSE NOTE
KEEN(E) OBSERVATIONS
• True freshman Mikey Keene was thrust into the action after all-conference quarterback Dillon Gabriel went down with a broken clavicle in the loss to Louisville (Sept. 17).
• Keene, who led Chandler High to a 10-0 record and Arizona Open Division state title in 2020, won the backup job in preseason camp and earned his first start against Navy (Oct. 2). He is the seventh Knight in the FBS era to start at quarterback as a true freshman and just the third to throw for two touchdown passes in first-career start as a true freshman.
• He earned his first win as a starter against ECU (Oct. 9), going 23-of-35 for 194 yards.
• Keene has thrown for over 200 yards in each of the last two games, recording identical yardage totals of 229 yards in wins over Temple (Oct. 30) and Tulane (Nov. 6).
• In the win over Temple, Keene became the first UCF freshman to throw for five touchdowns in a game and just the seventh Knight regardless of year to do so.
DEFENSE NOTE
TERRIFIC TOTAL DEFENSE
• The UCF defense has been impressive as of late under new defensive coordinator Travis Williams, ranking 42nd overall in total defense on the season.
• That ranking is second only to the 2019 season in the last five years for UCF.
-- 2019 (32nd), 2021 (42nd), 2017 (93rd), 2018 (95th), 2020 (123rd)
• The Knights currently rank third in the American Athletic Conference in total defense, allowing 352.6 yards per game, trailing only Houston (298.6) and Cincinnati (312.4).
• UCF has given up less than 300 yards of total offense in five games this season, five of its six wins. The last time the Knights have done so in five games during a season was 2014, allowing less than 300 yards six times.
-- Sept. 2 vs. Boise State (283), Sept. 11 vs. Bethune-Cookman (279), Oct. 22 vs. Memphis (292), Oct. 30 at Temple (297), Nov. 6 vs. Tulane (279)
• Allowing less than 300 yards in each of its first two games, UCF did so in consecutive outings for the first time since the 2014 season, and then did it three straight games these past three weeks, again the first time doing so since 2014.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Knights are 6-0 on natural grass this season and 0-3 on artificial turf.