ORLANDO – Following their standout performances in UCF's 25-21 win over No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday, junior defensive end Josh Celiscar has been named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week and running back RJ Harvey earned a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll, the conference announced on Monday.
Celiscar led a stellar defensive effort against the Bearcats, tallying five solo stops, including a sack and a tackle for loss. He was all over the field on Saturday and brought down Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant in the endzone for his first career safety to swing the momentum in the game.
With his strong play on the defensive line, the Knights defense held Cincinnati to just 35 rushing yards. UCF held Cincinnati to 30 total yards of offense in the first quarter, the fewest yards the Bearcats have had in the first quarter of a game this season and just the second time Cincinnati has been held scoreless in the opening quarter this season.
Harvey turned in the best performance of his collegiate career in one of the biggest games that the redshirt junior has appeared to lead UCF to the victory. Facing the top defense in the conference, Harvey gashed the Bearcats defense for several big runs. He recorded career highs in carries (18), yards (84) and touchdowns (2).
The Orlando native scored the first touchdown of the day for the Knights with a 26-yard run and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 17-yard run to seal the victory for UCF. Harvey now has 55 carries on the season for 381 yards with three touchdowns.
The win snapped Cincinnati's 19-game win streak against conference opponents, a streak that dated back to the 2019 season.
After earning the ranked win, UCF entered the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Polls at No. 25. It is the first time the Knights are ranked since week three of the 2020 season.
UCF will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 5, when the squad travels to Memphis. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.