UCF Reunites with Longtime-Conference Foe CincinnatiUCF Reunites with Longtime-Conference Foe Cincinnati

UCF Reunites with Longtime-Conference Foe Cincinnati

by Ken Landis
UCF Game Notes Opens in a new window Cincinnati Game Notes Opens in a new window Listen on FM 96.9 The Game Opens in a new window Spanish Radio Opens in a new window

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Oct. 11
Time: Noon ET
TV: FS1
TV Talent: Dan Hellie (PxP), Petros Papadakis (Analyst)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP), Gary Parris (Analyst), Scott Adams (Sideline)
Spanish Radio: UCFKnights.com, YouTube.com/UCFKnights
Live Stats: click here

Week 7
Cincinnati, Ohio | Nippert Stadium

Week 7

UCF Knights
UCF Knights

3-2 (0-2 Big 12)

AT
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats

4-1 (2-0 Big 12)

A WIN WOULD...

  •  Be better than a loss
  • Give UCF a 6-5 edge in the all-time series vs. Cincinnati
  • The program's first October victory since 10/29/22 vs. Cincinnati
  • Snap a five-game road losing streak, including four in the Big 12
  • Keep Scott Frost perfect against the Bearcats at 3-0

FIRST AND 10

CAN'T HOLD OFF KANSAS, UNFAMILIAR OUTCOME
  • UCF jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Kansas in the Knights' 2025 Big 12 home opener, including a 20-14 halftime advantage. A second-half Jayhawks surge handed the Knights the 27-20 loss. It was just the program's third loss when holding a halftime lead under Frost in his combined three seasons, now sitting 19-3. Additionally, the Knights entered the contest 18-1 when a Frost-led squad surrendered 29 points or less, now 18-2.
  • The Knights' highly rated pass defense was able to hold one of the nation's best passers without a touchdown through the air for the first time this season. Jalon Daniels entered the contest as the nation's fifth most efficient passer.
  • The Knights continued their first quarter dominance on defense, not allowing a score in the first quarter to the Jayhawks who came in with 63 points scored in the first quarter this season, which was tied for third-most in FBS
FAMILIAR FOES SET TO CLASH
  • The Knights will face the Bearcats for the 11th straight season, with the all-time tally split 5-5. The two sides first met in 2015 as members of the American Athletic Conference and moved to the Big 12 Conference together ahead of the 2023 season. The series is split 1-1 while in the Big 12. UCF has won two of the last three contests, with all three decided by one score.
  • 2026 will be the first time since the inaugural meeting of the sides that UCF and Cincinnati won't play each other. They'll reunite in 2027 in Orlando.
MYLES CATCHING FIRE FOR CINCINNATI TILT
  • Running back Myles Montgomery is heating up just as he's set to face his former team in Cincinnati after tallying back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances. He tallied a career-high 119 yards in UCF's conference opener at Kansas State, followed by a 110-yard, two touchdown rushing display.
  • It will be Montgomery's second contest against his former team, earning three carries for 10 yards in last year's meeting with now-NFL running back RJ Harvey handling the bulk of the load
  • Montgomery rushed for a 29-yard touchdown in UCF's game against Kansas after earning his longest rush as a Knight at 45 yards at Kansas State
FIRST QUARTER LOCKDOWN
  • UCF's defense has held its opponents scoreless in each first quarter this season. The Knights, along with Pitt, are the only two FBS teams that haven't allowed a point in the first quarter this season.
  • UCF didn't allow a touchdown in the first half of the first three games of the season; Kansas State broke that trend with two in the second quarter of UCF's Big 12 opener
  • The Knights have shut out their opponents in 10 of 20 quarters this season
  • Prior to Week 4's results, UCF was one of three FBS teams to not allow a point during the first half, the other two also had their streaks broken (TTU, BYU)
BIG GAIN RUNNING GAME
  • Running back Jaden Nixon has three runs of 50+ yards this season
  • Two of his long runs came in UCF's 68-7 victory over N.C. A&T, ripping off 87- and 66-yard touchdown runs, his third came at Kansas State, a 54-yard TD
  • Nixon nearly added another, rushing for a 46-yard gain against Kansas
  • Additionally, Myles Montgomery earned two long runs at Kansas State, scampering for 45 yards, his longest rush as a Knight, and later running for 44 yards for his highest career rushing total of 119 yards on 10 carries
  • UCF is the only Big 12 team to boast three different players to have 100-yard rushing performances. Nixon, Montgomery and Jacurri Brown have all earned 100 rushing yards in a game this season.
NO FLY ZONE
  • The Knights have the 15th-best ranked passing defense in the country and third in the Big 12 Conference when it comes to yards allowed, surrendering just 150.8 passing yards per game thus far
  • UCF is tied for second in the Big 12 in fewest passing plays allowed of 20+ yards or more, surrendering just 10; Utah leads the league allowing just eight while UCF is tied with BYU. The Knights rank fifth in the Big 12 in fewest offensive plays allowed of 20+ yards at 15, trailing BYU and Texas Tech (13), and Arizona and Utah (14).
  • The UCF defense held Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels to no passing touchdowns through the air for the first time this season, he entered the contest vs. the Knights as the nation's fifth-most efficient passer
FLAWLESS START ON FOURTH DOWN
  • UCF started the season a perfect 8-for-8 on fourth downs through the first three games and now sit at 10-for-14 on the season, an impressive 71%
  • The Knights were one of 11 FBS teams that were perfect on fourth down leading up to week five, and had converted the most fourth downs of the perfect teams.
  • Currently, UCF's eight conversions on fourth down is tied for 10th most in FBS
POINTS SINCE 2017
  • The Knights sit seventh in the FBS in most points scored since 2017, putting 3,981 points on the scoreboard.
  • UCF's points are the most by a current Big 12 program over that time, the next closest is Oklahoma State who sit 19th with 3,493. Other opponents on UCF's schedule this season in the top 25 in points since 2017 include Texas Tech (3,478) and North Carolina (3,428), sitting 20th and 23rd, respectively.
  • The Black and Gold sit behind Alabama (4,676), Ohio State (4,477), Oklahoma (4,330), Georgia (4,186), Memphis (4,139), and Clemson (4,109).
  • UCF is tied for sixth in points from touchdowns with Oregon, registering 523 touchdowns during the span.
NEW VS. NEW
  • The Knights are one of 30 FBS programs that have a new head coach; 28 of which are completely new while the other two were elevated from interim.
  • UCF began the season with four scheduled games vs. teams with new head coaches, but now will have five after Oklahoma State's leadership change.
  • The Knights have gone unbeaten thus far against teams with new coaches in 2025, beating Jacksonville St. with Charles Kelly, N.C. A&T (FCS) with Shawn Gibbs and North Carolina with Bill Belichick. All games were at home.
  • UCF will face West Virginia and Rich Rodriguez (Oct. 18) and Oklahoma State and interm head coach Doug Meacham (Nov. 22), both at home as well.
  • Of the new crop this year, Frost and Rodriguez are the only pair of FBS head coaches to have coached at a school, leave, and return as head coach again.
SPOOKY SEASON
  • UCF is in search of its first win in the month of October since 2022 when the team won three of its four October matchups. The last October victory was Oct. 29, 2022 as UCF beat No. 20/19 Cincinnati 25-21 in Orlando.
  • The October losses of 2023 and 2024 contributed to five-game losing streaks in each of the past two seasons
  • Scott Frost has found success in October and looks to exercise the recent demons in the month; the Knights are 6-3 while Frost is at the helm in Oct.

 ADDITIONAL NOTES

REMEMBERING COACH SHAWN CLARK

  • Offensive line coach Shawn Clark, 50, passed away the evening of Sep. 21 at a local hospital unexpectedly, with his wife, Jonelle, by his side. He was admitted on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after experiencing a medical emergency and remained in stable condition before passing away.
  • A veteran coach with more than two decades of experience, Coach Clark joined UCF in December 2024 following a successful tenure as head coach at Appalachian State, where he compiled a 40-24 record across five seasons. His App State tenure was highlighted by a 10-win season in 2021 and three bowl wins. Coach Clark’s teams earned multiple Sun Belt East Division titles and developed some of the nation’s top offensive line units, with his 2018 and 2019 groups ranked among the best in the country.
  • The Knights will honor Coach Clark with a decal on the back of their helmets for the remainder of the season

FEELING TRENDY

  • The return of Scott Frost as UCF's head coach reignites some trends from his first tenure, showcasing where the program was at 2017's end
  • UCF outscored their opponents 627-329 in 2017, scoring 30 points or more in all 13 victories. The Knights' offense ranked No. 1 in the nation, averaging 48.2 points per game. UCF's high-powered offense continued even after Frost had departed, as the Black and Gold tacked on 18 more consecutive games scoring 30 points or more.
  • UCF compiled 500+ yards of offense in eight of their 13 wins in 2017
  • So far in 2025, UCF has scored 30+ points twice and has 500+ yards of offense in one of its five games
  • When looking at 2016-17 and the 2025 season, Frost's UCF teams have posted 30 or more points in 20 of his 31 games at the helm and has scored 24 or more points in 25 of the 31. Additionally, Frost's UCF squads have tallied 500+ yards of offense 10 times across his three seasons in Black and Gold.

WINS SINCE 2017

  • The Knights have compiled the most wins since 2017 than anyone in the Big 12 Conference, posting 72 victories from 2017-present. Fellow league mates Cincinnati (69), BYU (68), Utah (67) and Iowa State (66) join the top 25 in wins since 2017.
  • The Black and Gold are tied for 15th nationally in wins since the start of the 2017 season, level with Iowa who also has 72 and one behind Texas with 73. UCF got the streak going by posting 13 wins in 2017, 12 victories in 2018 and 10 in 2019.
  • The Knights slot in among the nation's elite, as Georgia leads the way with 101, followed by Alabama (100), Ohio State (97), Clemson (93), Notre Dame (90), Oklahoma (83), Oregon (82), Michigan (81), Penn State (79), LSU, Boise State and Memphis (78), Appalachian State (75), Texas (73), while sitting tied with Iowa. UCF is ahead of Army, Louisiana and Washington (70), Cincinnati, Fresno State and SMU (69), BYU (68), Utah (67) and Iowa State (66) to round out the top 25. The Knights are also ahead of Marshall, NC State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Troy and Toledo (66) as well as Miami, TCU and Wisconsin (65) and Missouri, Ohio and Ole Miss (64).

About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.