Game Notes: UCF Hosts No. 20 Cincinnati on Homecoming Saturday

Game Notes | Depth Chart

After dropping its first American Athletic Conference game of the season, UCF looks to rebound against No. 20/19 Cincinnati this weekend on Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. from FBC Mortgage Stadium and the game will air live on ESPN.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Spanish Radio: UCFKnights.com/Twitch
Live Stats: click here

A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be UCF's fourth win over Cincinnati and tie the all-time series at 4-4
• Keep the Knights unbeaten in AAC home games under Gus Malzahn with a 7-0 record the last two seasons
• Give Malzahn his first win over Cincinnati in his second meeting against the program
• Be better than a loss

SERIES BREAKDOWN

KNIGHT NOTES
• UCF's red zone defense ranks as the best in the country, as opponents have scored on just 52% of their trips to the red zone, converting on 15-of-26 attempts. The Knights have only allowed seven touchdowns in the red zone in 26 trips for opponents. UCF has forced at least one red zone stop in six of its seven games this season.

• The Knights are one of only five FBS teams in the country that has only allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points in a game one time this season. Dating back to last season, UCF has held its opponents to 20 points or less in nine of the last 10 games. 

• UCF is averaging 511 yards of total offense per game this season, which ranks sixth nationally and leads the AAC. UCF's 737 yards of total offense against Temple are the second most of any team in the country this season, behind Ohio State's 763 yards against Toledo. Following the first seven weeks of the season, UCF is the nation's only team to surpass 600 yards of total offense in three games this season. In addition to the season-high mark in the win over the Owls, the Knights recorded 653 yards in the road win at Florida Atlantic and tallied 605 yards in the season opener against South Carolina State. 

• The Knights' rushing attack is among the best in the nation as well, averaging 242.4 rushing yards per game to rank sixth nationally and second in the AAC behind Navy, a triple-option offense. Fifth year running back Isaiah Bowser is eighth nationally with 10 rushing touchdowns, which also leads the conference. Dating back to the bowl game last year, Bowser has at least one rushing touchdown in seven of his last eight games, scoring 12 total during that span.

• Second-year UCF head coach Gus Malzahn went undefeated in home games during his first season in Orlando with a 7-0 record last season and has compiled a 4-1 record this season with its only home loss against a non-conference opponent. Malzahn currently owns a 6-0 home record against AAC opponents at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

• UCF will be looking to defeat an opponent ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time this season. Ironically, the Knights' last win against a ranked opponent was the 2018 victory against No. 19 Cincinnati, 38-13.

ABOUT CINCINNATI
Cincinnati is in its sixth season under head coach Luke Fickell, who has compiled a 54-16 record since taking over the program prior to the 2017 season. Last season, the Bearcats recorded a 13-1 overall record, winning the AAC Championship before falling to top-ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

Cincinnati is 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in AAC play with the squad's only loss against then-No. 19 Arkansas in the season opener, 31-24. Cincinnati became bowl eligible with the win over the Mustangs, while Luke Fickell became the winningest coach in school history with his 54th win as the Bearcats' head coach. UC tied the AAC record with its 19th straight league victory, too.

Saturday's game will be the eighth all-time meeting between the programs, as Cincinnati leads the series 4-3 following last year's 56-21 win in Ohio. UCF has won two of the previous three meetings held in Orlando, but the Bearcats took the most recent matchup at FBC Mortgage Stadium 36-33 on Nov. 21, 2020.

UCF's last win against Cincinnati came on Nov. 17, 2018 when the Knights defeated the 19th-ranked Bearcats 38-13 at FBC Mortgage Stadium. After Cincinnati scored first, No. 11 UCF scored 35 unanswered points to pull away and earn the win. The victory marked the 23rd consecutive win for the Knights at the time following the undefeated 2017 season.

STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
Saturday's game will be a battle of strength versus strength, as UCF leads the American Athletic Conference in total offense with 511.0 yards per game and Cincinnati paces the league in total defense yielding just 305.4 yards per game.

DOMINANT DEFENSE
The Knights are one of only five FBS teams in the country that has only allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points in a game one time this season. Dating back to last season, UCF has held its opponents to 20 points or less in nine of the last 10 games. 

UCF's red zone defense ranks as the best in the country, as opponents have scored on just 52% of their trips to the red zone, converting on 15-of-26 attempts. The Knights have only allowed seven touchdowns in the red zone in 26 trips for opponents. UCF has forced at least one red zone stop in six of its seven games this season.

300 FOR JOHNSON
Senior linebacker Jason Johnson tallied a season high 15 tackles at East Carolina to own exactly 300 for his career. He currently ranks 22nd among active FBS players and would become one of just 16 active players to reach 300 career tackles.

Johnson leads the team with 65 tackles this season, which ranks second in the AAC behind Cincinnati's Ivan Pace Jr. with 71.

MALZAHN TABBED TO PAUL "BEAR" BRYANT AWARD WATCH LIST
UCF head coach Gus Malzahn is one of 25 active football coaches named to the American Heart Association's 2022 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list. The award is given each January to a college football coach for contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life, both on and off the field.

Now in its 37th year, the Coach of the Year award winner will be announced live from Houston's Post Oak Hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, during an awards ceremony presented by Marathon Oil. 

Malzahn was the recipient of the award in 2013 while at Auburn.

WARD NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY
UCF All-America long snapper Alex Ward has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy®, which is college football's premier scholar-athlete award. The impressive list of candidates boasts an impressive 3.62 average GPA, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor's degrees.

Celebrating its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

Ward graduated in December 2021 with a degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing a second degree in integrated business from the College of Business Administration. He was named to the Order of Pegasus last spring, earning the most prestigious honor for any UCF student. Ward also was a dean's list selection for the spring 2022 semester.

A fifth-year player from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Ward was named to the Patrick Mannelly Award Preseason Watch List, which is presented annually to the top long snapper in college football. Ward was of three finalists for the award last season. 

Ward earned third-team All-America honors in 2021 from Phil Steele and also was selected first-team all-American Athletic Conference by Steele. Ward is a preseason third-team All-America pick by Steele for 2022.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
UCF's all-time record of 77-23 (.767) ranks in the top 15 in the nation for best win percentage in a current home stadium.

Since 2017, the Knights are 34-3 in home games at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

The Knights finished last season undefeated at home, marking the seventh time in UCF's FBS era, the ninth overall, and the fourth time in the last five years.

Only 22 teams in the nation completed the 2021 regular season undefeated at home.

UCF at Home
2017 (7-0)
W—Florida International (8-31-17)
W—Memphis
W—East Carolina
W—Austin Peay
W—Connecticut
W—#22 South Florida
W—#16 Memphis (AAC Championship)

2018 (8-0)
W—South Carolina State
W—Florida Atlantic
W—Pittsburgh
W—SMU
W—Temple
W—Navy
W—#19 Cincinnati
W—Memphis (AAC Championship)

2019 (6-0)
W—Florida A&M
W—Stanford
W—Connecticut
W—East Carolina
W—Houston
W—South Florida

2020 (2-2)
L—Tulsa (34-26, 10-3-20, ended 21-game home win streak)
W—Tulane
W—Temple
L--#7 Cincinnati (36-33, 11-21-20)

2021 (7-0)
W—Boise State
W—Bethune-Cookman
W—East Carolina
W—Memphis
W—Tulane
W—Connecticut
W—South Florida

2022 (4-1)
W—South Carolina State
L—Louisville, 20-14, 9-9-22, ended eight-game home win streak)
W—Georgia Tech
W—SMU
W—Temple

RUSHING ATTACK
UCF rushed for 322 yards in the win against Temple and the Knights are sixth in the country in rushing offense, averaging 242.4 yards per game. UCF has rushed for 200 or more yards in five of its seven games this season and has accomplished the feat in six of its last eight games dating back to the win over Florida in last year's bowl game.

The Knights' 1,697 total yards rushing this season are the second most in the conference and rank seventh nationally.

UCF Rushing Totals By Game
South Carolina State - 49 attempts, 297 yards
Louisville - 38 attempts, 208 yards
at Florida Atlantic - 56 attempts, 314 yards
Georgia Tech - 56 attempts, 284 yards
SMU - 40 attempts, 160 yards
Temple - 41 attempts, 322 yards
East Carolina - 32 attempts, 130 yards