GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
TV Talents: Kevin Kugler, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talents: Marc Daniels, Gary Parris, Scott Adams
Spanish Radio: UCFKnights.com, YouTube.com/UCFKnights
Live Stats: click here
A WIN WOULD...
- Give the Knights a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 2018
- Give UCF head coach Gus Malzahn a 4-0 start to the season for the third time in his career (first since 2019) and first time as Knights head coach
- Give UCF a win in its Big 12 home conference opener for the first time in program history
- Give UCF a 2-0 start to Big 12 play and a 3-0 record at home this season
- Be better than a loss
FIRST AND 10
• For the fourth consecutive game, UCF will play a first-time opponent, as the Colorado Buffaloes head to Orlando this weekend. Saturday’s game is slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff from FBC Mortgage Stadium. The game will air live on FOX with Jason Benetti as play-by-play, Brock Huard analyst and Allison Williams sideline reporter.
• FOX also announced Sunday that its popular pregame show will be broadcasting live from UCF’s campus at 10 a.m. Saturday (Memory Mall). It marks the first time in program history that the star-studded show will be broadcasting from Orlando. The two-hour pregame show will be hosted by Rob Stone and analysts Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer and Brady Quinn along with reporters Bruce Feldman and Tom Rinaldi and wagering expert, Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica.
• In its last time out, UCF rallied from a 21-point deficit to earn a 35-34 victory at TCU on Saturday, Sept. 14, to open Big 12 Conference play with a win for the first time. The 21-point comeback win is tied for the largest in program history along with the 2013 Louisville and 2021 Boise State games.
• The Knights’ balanced approach against the Horned Frogs featured 289 rushing yards and 230 passing to surpass 500 yards of total offense for the third time in as many games. The Knights’ high-powered offense ranks third in the country with 570.7 yards per game, the only team in the Big 12 averaging better than 500.
• UCF has now rushed for 1,127 yards with 13 touchdowns on the ground through the first three games of the season. The Knights lead the nation with 375.7 rushing yards per game, which is nearly 100 more than the next-closest Power Four Conference team (Tennessee 290.0). UCF has ranked among the nation’s top 10 in rushing offense each of the past two seasons.
• UCF is the only team in the nation that has rushed for at least 140 yards in each of the last 16 games, dating back to last season. During that span, the Knights have rushed for 200 or more yards 12 times and 250 plus six times.
• After earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, Sept. 16, UCF running back RJ Harvey was selected as the Doak Walker Award National Running Back of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Last season, Harvey was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation’s top running back, and was on the 2024 preseason watch list. Harvey’s standout performance helped lead UCF to a win in its conference opener at TCU, as he rushed for 180 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-34 win against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas. Orlando’s Hometown Hero also scored his second career receiving touchdown to end the day with 209 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
• In contrast, UCF’s defense has been stout against the run, allowing just 64.0 rushing yards per game. That mark leads the Big 12 and is the fifth-fewest nationally. The Black and Gold have not allowed more than 67 rushing yards in its first three games and have not allowed a rushing touchdown, one of only seven FBS teams to accomplish the feat.
• Since the start of the 2017 season, UCF has accumulated 68 wins, the ninth-most wins by an FBS program. The Knights went 13-0 in 2017, 12-1 in 2018, 10-3 in 2019, 6-4 in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, 9-4 in 2021, 9-5 in 2022 and 6-7 last season. The Knights join Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan and Appalachian State as the only programs to win at least 67 games since 2017.
• UCF earned its 200th victory as an FBS program (since 1996) in the win against Sam Houston, as the Knights are the youngest Power Four Conference program with the University founded in 1963.
MALZAHN AFTER BYE WEEKS
Throughout his 13-year head coaching tenure, Gus Malzahn’s teams have been very difficult to beat coming off a bye week, as Malzahn has compiled a 10-2 mark in the first game following the bye week. He was a perfect 9-0 during his time at Arkansas State and Auburn and is 1-2 with UCF.
Arkansas State
2012 - W at North Texas, 37-19
Auburn
2013 - W at No. 24 Ole Miss, 30-22
2014 – W vs. No. 14 LSU, 41-7
2015 – W at Kentucky, 30-27
2016 – W vs. No. 17 Arkansas, 56-3
2017 – W at Texas A&M, 42-27
2018 – W vs. No. 25 Texas A&M, 28-24
2019 – W at Arkansas, 51-10
2020 – W at Tennessee, 30-17 (Schedule adjusted due to Covid-19 Pandemic)
UCF
2021 – L at Navy, 34-30
2022 – W vs. Temple, 70-13 (Schedule adjusted due to Hurricane Ian)
2023 – L at No. 6 Oklahoma, 31-29
HARVEY NAMED NATIONAL RUNNING BACK, BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, UCF running back RJ Harvey was selected as the Doak Walker Award National Running Back of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Last season, Harvey was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation’s top running back, and was on the 2024 preseason watch list. Harvey’s standout performance helped lead UCF to a win in its conference opener on Saturday at TCU, as he rushed for 180 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-34 win against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas. Orlando’s Hometown Hero also scored his second career receiving touchdown to end the day with 209 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
He had seven rushes of 10 or more yards in the win, headlined by a 27-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter, which was the longest rush for either team in the game.
Harvey has now rushed for more than 100 yards in his last five games dating back to 2023, scoring 11 TDs during that span.
HISTORIC COMEBACK
Trailing 21-7 at halftime and 28-7 following the first drive of the second half, UCF was unfazed in its win at comeback win at TCU, as the Knight chipped away at the deficit. The Knights outscored TCU 13-10 in the third quarter and 15-3 in the fourth quarter to open Big 12 play with a win.
The comeback win ties the Boise State game from 2021 and the Louisville game from 2013, head coach Gus Malzahn’s first game leading the Knights, for the largest come-from-behind win in program history. In just four seasons, Malzahn has guided his teams to two of the largest comeback wins in program history.
GARNERING ATTENTION
Following UCF’s 3-0 start to the season, the Knights received 35 votes in this week’s American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll to sit five spots shy of No. 25. Additionally, the Black and Gold earned three votes in the latest Associated Press (AP) Poll.
HUGE GAME FOR HUDSON
Wide receiver Kobe Hudson turned in one of his best games of his career in the win at TCU, as the fifth year tallied six catches for 145 yards with a pair of touchdown grabs, including the game-winner with 36 seconds remaining.
The 145 yards are just two shy of his career high 147, achieved in the Villanova win last season. For his performance, Hudson was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) Big 12 Team of the Week and was also tabbed the Reese’s Senior Bowl Stock Up Player of the Week.
CLUTCH WHEN IT COUNTS
After helping lead UCF to a 35-34 comeback win at TCU, quarterback KJ Jefferson was selected to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 List and a Manning Award Star of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Jefferson spearheaded a second-half rally for the Knights, as the Black and Gold overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.
Hailing from Sardis, Mississippi, Jefferson finished the game 13-of-22 for 230 yards passing with three touchdowns and contributed 46 yards rushing to end the game with 276 total yards. He was at his best in the second half, as he was 9-of-11 for 166 yards with two touchdowns.
Jefferson had a 191.9 quarterback rating for the game, connecting on nine of his last 11 passes, including his first five passes of the second half. On UCF’s game-winning drive, he was 4-of-5 for 54 yards and found wide receiver Kobe Hudson across the middle on a post route to knot the score at 34-34 before Colton Boomer’s extra point split the uprights to give UCF the one-point victory.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
The Knights have scored more points (55) in the third quarters of games this season than any other quarter and have held opponents to just 10 points, tied for the fewest in any quarter. The 45-point difference is also the largest delta in any quarter this year.
UCF has executed its gameplan coming out of the halftime intermission, making the necessary adjustments to continue its success.
RUNNING WILD
After ranking among the nation’s top 10 in rushing offense the past two seasons, the UCF football program is poised to have another strong year on the ground in 2024. UCF has now rushed for 1,127 yards with 13 touchdowns on the ground through the first three games of the season.
The Knights lead the nation with 375.7 rushing yards per game, which is nearly 100 more than the next-closest Power Four Conference team (Tennessee 290.0). UCF has ranked among the nation’s top 10 in rushing offense each of the past two seasons.
The Black and Gold rushed for 454 yards in the season opener against New Hampshire, the second most in program history. Additionally, UCF’s 8.4 rushing yards per carry were the second most in a single game in program history.
The Knights were fourth nationally in rushing offense with 228.2 rushing yards per game last season. UCF rushed for 200 or more yards in nine of its 13 games in 2023 and has picked up where it left off to start the 2024 season.
ONE OF ONE
UCF is the only team in the nation that has rushed for at least 140 yards in each of the last 16 games, dating back to last season. During that span, the Knights have rushed for 200 or more yards 12 times and 250 plus six times.
HARVEY CLIMBING THE PROGRAM RECORD BOOKS
UCF running back RJ Harvey tied the program record and set a career high with four rushing touchdowns in the Knights’ 45-14 victory against Sam Houston on Sept. 7 and has continued to etch his name in the Knights’ record books. The Orlando native finished with 126 rushing yards on 19 carries, finding the end zone four times – the first UCF player to do so since Isaiah Bowser in 2021.
After scored two rushing touchdowns at TCU, Harvey is now tied for fourth on UCF’s career list with Greg McCrae. UCF Hall of Famer Latavius Murray is third on the list with 37.
In addition, Harvey has 2,663 career rushing yards to rank fourth all-time behind Willie English with 3,131.
UCF, CU BOULDER JOIN FORCES FOR NASA MOON MISSION
UCF and CU Boulder researchers are partners on a NASA mission to send a robotic lander and rover to a previously unexplored part of the moon. The area, known for its unusual volcanic domes, may hold clues to the history of lunar volcanic activity and offer potential resources for future space exploration.
UCF’s Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Adrienne Dove (a CU Boulder alum) are leading the Lunar-VISE (Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer) mission, scheduled to launch in late 2028.
CU Boulder’s Paul Hayne, Margaret Landis and Lena Heffern from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics will help operate the instruments and process the science data.
For more information: LunarVISE | Research (ucf.edu)
THAT'S NEW
The Black and Gold’s first four opponents of 2024 (New Hampshire, Sam Houston, TCU and Colorado) are all first-time opponents. Additionally, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn is also facing those four opponents for the first time in his 13-year head coaching tenure. In total, the Knights’ 2024 slate features seven first-time opponents (Iowa State, Arizona and Utah).
NEW LOOK SCHEDULE
Despite being in its second year in the Big 12 Conference, UCF only plays two opponents that it played in 2023 – Cincinnati and West Virginia. That mark is tied with BYU (Kansas and Oklahoma State) for the fewest among returning Big 12 teams.
ALL OF THE NEWCOMERS
UCF is the only team in the Big 12 that will play each of the four newcomers to the league. The Knights host Colorado this weekend, Arizona (Nov. 2) and Utah (Nov. 29), while traveling to Arizona State on Nov. 9.
VETERAN EXPERIENCE
UCF has veteran experience on both sides of the ball, as the Knights have numerous players ranked among the nation’s top 25 in various active career categories. Below is a comprehensive list.
RJ Harvey
Rushing Touchdowns (29): 8th
Total TDs Scored (31): 8th
Rushing Yards (2,663): 11th
Rushes per game: 24th
Kobe Hudson
Receiving Yards Per Catch (17.0): 3rd
Receiving Touchdowns (21): 8th
Receiving Yards (2,356): 12th
Receiving Yards Per Game (49.0): 21st
KJ Jefferson
Rushing Touchdowns by a QB (22): 1st
Passing Yards Per Attempt (8.32): 4th
Passing Touchdowns (72): 5th
Total TDs Responsible (94): 5th
Completion Percentage (65.0): 10th
Passing Efficiency (154.93): 10th
Passing Yards (8,474): 14th
Passing Completions (645): 15th
Rushing Touchdowns (22): 22nd
Deshawn Pace
Total Tackles (265): 15th
Interceptions (7): 23rd