GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET/11 a.m. MT
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Matt Schumacker (PxP), Dustin Fox (Analyst), Sherree Burruss (Sideline)
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
Provo, Utah | LaVell Edwards Stadium
Week 14
UCF Knights
5-6 (2-6 Big 12)
#11 BYU Cougars
10-1 (7-1 Big 12)
Tv: ESPN2
A WIN WOULD...
- Be better than a loss
- Make UCF bowl eligible for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons
- Be UCF's first win in the state of Utah
- Be the first road win over an AP Top 25 team since 2022 (at Tulane)
- Be the eighth win over an AP Top 25 team from 2017-present
FIRST AND 10
CAMEBACK VS. COWBOYS
- Down 14-0 at halftime, the Knights scored 17 unanswered points to top Oklahoma State 17-14. Tight end Dylan Wade was the star of the evening, recording 145 receiving yards and two touchdowns, both career highs.
- With just under a minute to go in the game, kicker Noe Ruelas converted on his first career game-winner, putting UCF up 17-14 with a 34-yard field goal
- The Knights held Oklahoma State to just 27 yards in the second half
- UCF found a way to win despite losing the turnover battle in the game; the Knights are 2-5 this season when commiting more turnovers
- The comeback is one of 15 in program history that saw UCF erase a 14 point deficit or bigger. The win snapped UCF's eight game losing streak when trailing at half
- UCF celebrated 25 seniors pregame for Senior Knight, including OL Paul Rubelt, OL Pat Barnett and EDGE Malachi Lawrence, who have spent their entire careers with the Black and Gold. Rubelt and Barnett arrived in 2020 and Lawrence began his career in 2021.
DYLAN THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
- Fresh off his special performance against Oklahoma State, Wade has a chance to do something equally as special in UCF's regular season finale
- Wade needs just 24 yards to become UCF's leader in receiving yards by a tight end during the program's FBS era (since 1996). Wade has tallied 492 yards thus far and sits only behind Jordan Akins, who reeled in 515 yards on 32 catches in 2017. Both Akins and Wade have hauled in four touchdowns, the highest by a tight end in UCF's FBS history.
LAWRENCE CLIMBING SACK LEADERBOARD
- UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence has earned 20 career sacks, propelling himself into the top 10 at UCF all-time and No. 11 nationally in active career leaders
- Lawrence is one of four players who have recorded five or more sacks in each of the last three seasons, joining CJ Nunnally IV (Akron, Purdue), David Bailey (Stanford, Texas Tech) and Isaiah Smith (SMU)
- Lawrence sits alone at No. 10 all-time in career sacks at UCF, passing Keenan Wimbley's 19 compiled from 1984-87 (full sack leader list on page seven)
- Lawrence sits at No. 9 among active FBS players in career sacks and is second among active players in the Big 12 Conference behind only TTU's David Bailey
- Lawrence recorded back-to-back 2.0 sack games at Baylor and vs. Houston, putting him at 7.0 on the season which is 0.5 shy of tying his career best
NO FLY ZONE
- The Knights have the second-best ranked passing defense in the Big 12 and 20th ranked in the nation, surrendering just 175.6 passing yards per game
- The clip of 175.6 pass yards allowed p/gm would be the top mark during UCF's FBS era (since 1996). The current best outside of this season is 178.0 from the 2001 campaign with the 1998 season shortly behind at 179.7.
- UCF is tied for the second-fewest passing plays allowed of 20+ yards in the Big 12, surrendering 22, one behind Utah. Additionally, UCF has allowed the second-fewest 20+ yard plays of any variety in the Big 12 with 32, tied for 10th nationally
- UCF held West Virginia to just 79 passing yards, tied for the 17th fewest surrendered in UCF's FBS history. Earlier this year, UCF limited N.C. A&T to 40 passing yards, the fourth fewest allowed during UCF's FBS era.
SEEKING BOWL BERTH
- The Knights' bowl eligibility comes down to the final game of the season, needing a victory at BYU to earn a bowl berth in nine of the last 10 years
- UCF is one of 20 teams seeking a spot in a bowl game on the final game of the season with 10 slots available
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
- The Knights have been sharp on defense in the fourth quarter, surrendering the fifth-fewest points per game in the fourth this season with 39 total
- A breakdown of how strong UCF's defense has been in the fourth during Big 12 play:
- Nov. 22 vs. OSU - 22 yards, 1 first down, 9 plays, 0 points
- Nov. 15 at #6 TTU - 34 yards, 5 first downs, 13 plays, 0 points
- Nov. 7 vs. HOU - 96 yards, 8 first downs, 22 plays, 6 points
- Nov. 1 at BU - 64 yards, 4 first downs, 16 plays, 7 points
- Oct. 18 vs. WVU - 7 yards, 0 first downs, 14 plays, 6 points
- Oct. 11 at CIN - 17 yards, 1 first down, 9 plays, 3 points
- Oct. 4 vs. KU - 12 yards, 0 first downs, 9 plays, 0 points
- Sep. 27 at KSU - 30 yards, 2 first downs, 17 plays, 3 points
REMARKABLE RUELAS - LOU GROZA SEMIFINALIST
- Kicker Noe Ruelas was named one of 20 Lou Groza semifinalists on Nov. 18
- He was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his GW FG vs. OSU
- The last Knight to be a Lou Groza semifinalist was Matthew Wright in 2018
- Ruelas' three field goals from 50+ this season are a UCF FBS record. He tied his career long with a 54-yarder vs. Houston and added makes from 53 at Kansas State and 51 vs. West Virginia. The program record for 50+ yarders in a season is four, acheived by Scott Ryerson in 1981, UCF's final D-III season.
- Ruelas had a streak of 11 straight field goals made prior to just his second miss of the 2025 season at Baylor on Nov. 1. He joined a group of just five Knights to make 11 or more consecutive field goals in the program's history.
WINS SINCE 2017
- The Knights have compiled the most wins since the start of the 2017 season than anyone in the Big 12 Conference, posting 74 victories from 2017-present
- Fellow Big 12-mates BYU (73) Cincinnati and Utah (72) join the top 25 in wins since 2017. BYU and UCF face each other to conclude their regular seasons.
- UCF is tied for 16th nationally in wins since the start of 2017. UCF got the streak going by posting 13 wins in 2017, 12 victories in 2018 and 10 in 2019.
- Outside of the Big 12, UCF are ahead of other programs such as Texas A&M (72), Ole Miss (69), Miami (69), USC (67) and Missouri (66)
NEW VS. NEW
- The Knights finish 2025 a perfect 5-0 against teams with new or interim coaches this season, beating, beating Jacksonville St./Charles Kelly, N.C. A&T (FCS)/Shawn Gibbs, North Carolina/Bill Belichick and West Virginia/Rich Rodriguez and interim Doug Meacham/Oklahoma State. All games were at home and decided by a margin of 181-53.
- UCF is one of 30 FBS teams that started 2025 with a new head coach; 28 of which are completely new while the other two were elevated from interim
- Of the new crop in 2025, Frost and Rodriguez are the only pair of FBS head coaches to have coached at a school, leave, and return as head coach again
LONG SCORING DRIVES
- The Knights have pieced together 15 scoring drives of 75+ yards or more this seaosn, most recently, an 83-yard drive in the game vs. Oklahoma State
- The 75+ yard scoring drives account for 34.9% of UCF's 43 scoring drives in 2025
- UCF had two scoring drives of 90+ yards in the win over West Virginia, matching the two collected over the course of the season, now sitting at four
- Prior to the West Virginia win, the last time UCF had two or more 90+ yard touchdown drives in a single game was Oct. 19, 2019 against East Carolina. Additionally, the Knights earned three scoring drives of 75+ yards against WVU.
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.