Game Notes | Depth Chart
After taking down No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday, UCF hits the road heading to Memphis this weekend in search of its first American Athletic Conference road win. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 5
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Talents: Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Stormy Buonantony
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Live Stats: click here
A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be UCF's 15th win over Memphis, second consecutive win and first win in Memphis since 2018
• Give the Knights their first AAC road win of the season and first since the Temple game last season
• Give Malzahn his fourth win over Memphis, as he is currently 3-0 against the Tigers as a head coach
• Be better than a loss
SERIES BREAKDOWN
| Overall | UCF leads, 14-2 |
| in Memphis | UCF leads, 6-2 |
| in Orlando | UCF leads, 8-0 |
| Last Meeting | W, 24-7 (10/22/21) |
| Last Meeting in Memphis | L, 50-49 (10/17/20) |
| Streak | UCF won 1 |
KNIGHT NOTES
• With the win over the Bearcats, the Knights are ranked No. 25 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday night and UCF is also No. 25 in the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Polls.
• Following a pair of standout performances in the Cincinnati game, UCF defensive end Josh Celiscar has been named AAC Defensive Player of the Week and running back RJ Harvey was tabbed to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll. Celiscar tallied five tackles, including a momentum swinging sack for a safety, while Harvey recorded career highs in carries (18), rushing yards (84) and touchdowns (2).
• UCF's red zone defense continues to rank as the best in the country, as opponents have scored on just 62% of their trips to the red zone, converting on 18-of-29 attempts. The Knights have only allowed eight touchdowns in the red zone in 29 trips for opponents, a 27% rate. UCF has forced at least one red zone stop in six of its eight 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 21 points in a game one time this season. Dating back to last season, UCF has held its opponents to 21 points or less in 10 of the last 11 games.
• UCF is averaging 510.2 yards of total offense per game this season, which ranks fifth 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 nine 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 244.4 rushing yards per game to rank eighth nationally and second in the AAC behind Navy, a triple-option offense. Fifth year running back Isaiah Bowser is ninth nationally with 11 rushing touchdowns, which also leads the conference. Dating back to the bowl game last year, Bowser has at least one rushing touchdown in eight of his last nine games, scoring 13 total during that span.
ABOUT MEMPHIS
Memphis is in its third season under head coach Ryan Silverfield, who has compiled an 18-14 record since taking over the program prior to the bowl game in 2019. Last season, he led the Tigers to a 6-6 record and the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl, but it was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Rainbow Warriors' program.
Memphis is 4-4 on the season and 2-3 in AAC play. The Tigers have lost three straight after opening league play with wins over Navy and Temple. Memphis is coming off a bye week and lost to Tulane in its last action, 38-28, on Oct. 22. The Tigers secondary is among the best in the country this season, as they have intercepted nine passes to lead the league and rank 22nd nationally.
Saturday's game will be the 17th all-time meeting between the programs, as UCF leads the series 14-2 following last year's 24-7 win in Orlando. The Knights came up short in their last trip to Memphis, dropping a 50-49 decision despite compiling 798 yards of total offense.
Both of Memphis' wins in the series have come at home with the Tigers' other win on Sept. 22, 1990. UCF's last win at Liberty Stadium was a 31-30 victory on Oct. 13, 2018. The Knights rallied from a 30-17 halftime deficit to defeat the Tigers after scoring 14 unanswered points in the second half.
HELLO CFP, TOP 25 RANKINGS
After taking down No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday, the UCF football team checks in at No. 25 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday night. The Knights are also ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Polls released on Sunday.
It marks the first time the Knights have been ranked in the CFP Rankings since 2018 and the first in the AP Poll since week three of the 2020 season.
SNAPPING THE STREAK
Prior to Saturday's loss against UCF, Cincinnati had won its last 19 games against conference opponents to tie the record set by the Knights from 2017 to 2019. The Bearcats' last loss to an American Athletic Conference team was to Memphis 34-24 on Nov. 29, 2019.
UCF picked up its first ranked win since the 2018 matchup against Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1) and first under second-year head coach Gus Malzahn. The Knights remained unbeaten in home AAC games in the last two seasons under Malzahn's direction, improving to 7-0.
BOWL ELIGIBLE
With their sixth win of the season on Saturday, the Knights are now bowl eligible for the 13th time in school history and the seventh consecutive year. UCF is the only team from the state of Florida that is currently bowl eligible.
RECEIVING RECOGNITION
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.
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 for several big runs. He recorded career highs in carries (18), yards (84) and touchdowns (2).
MIKEY ON THE SPOT
In his first action of the season, sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene came up big for UCF leading a pair of Knights scoring drives including the game-winner in the fourth quarter in the win over Cincinnati. After taking a hit in the second quarter, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was removed from the game and did not return but Keene turned in a stellar outing to lift the Knights to the victory.
Keene finished the game 15-for-21 with 176 yards, completing 71% of his passes.
Thrust into action in a similar manner in 2021 with an injury to Dillon Gabriel, Keene was ready for the challenge against one of the league's best defenses. He tallied 110 of his 176 yards in the fourth quarter, leading UCF down the field to a couple of touchdowns with less than five minutes remaining.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
UCF held Cincinnati to 35 rushing yards, the fewest for the Bearcats since a matchup against UConn on Oct. 8, 2016 (2 rushing yards). That mark is also the fewest the Knights have yielded in a conference game since Oct. 1, 2016, versus East Carolina (33 rushing yards).
UCF limited 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. Cincinnati's 159 yards in the first half were the fewest at halftime this season and the fewest since Alabama on 12/31/21 (76 yards).
NO MORE THAN 21
The Knights are one of only five FBS teams in the country that has only allowed an opponent to score more than 21 points in a game one time this season. Dating back to last season, UCF has held its opponents to 21 points or less in 10 of the last 11 games.
Air Force, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State are the other teams to accomplish the feat.
BEST IN THE COUNTRY
UCF's red zone defense continues to rank as the best in the country, as opponents have scored on just 62% of their trips to the red zone, converting on 18-of-29 attempts. The Knights have only allowed eight touchdowns in the red zone in 29 trips for opponents, a 27% rate. UCF has forced at least one red zone stop in six of its eight games this season.
COLTON BOOMER
Freshman kicker Colton Boomer remained perfect on the season, connecting on his lone attempt against Cincinnati to sit at 10-for-10. In just his second career game, Boomer turned in a career performance in the win over Georgia Tech.
The Lake Mary, Florida, native was a perfect 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts and was 1-for-1 on PATs. His four field goals in a single game matched the UCF program record and were the most in a game since 2016. Boomer is the first Knights freshman to accomplish the feat since Matt Prater in 2002.
Boomer is one of 12 FBS kickers that is perfect on the year and one of two from the AAC, joining Memphis kicker Chris Howard (14-for-14).
RUSHING ATTACK
UCF rushed for 258 yards in the win against 20th-ranked Cincinnati and the Knights are now eighth in the country in rushing offense, averaging 244.4 yards per game. UCF has rushed for 200 or more yards in six of its eight games this season and has accomplished the feat in seven of its last nine games dating back to the win over Florida in last year's bowl game.
The Knights' 1,955 total yards rushing this season are the second most in the conference and rank eighth 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
#20 Cincinnati - 52 attempts, 258 yards
JOHNSON AMONG NATION'S ELITE
Senior linebacker Jason Johnson tallied a season high 15 tackles at East Carolina to eclipse 300 for his career. He currently ranks 15th among active FBS players with 307 career tackles.
Johnson leads the team with 72 tackles this season, which ranks second in the AAC behind Cincinnati's Ivan Pace Jr. with 82.