BRISTOL, CT — UCF will try to remain undefeated in Conference USA play as they travel to Houston to take on the Cougars tonight, a game to be aired nationally on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.
The Knights (6-2, 4-0 in Conference USA) enter the game coming off a 49-35 victory over ECU last Saturday, putting them in control of their own destiny in C-USA. Tonight’s matchup could be a battle to determine just who would host the Conference USA championship game, as the Cougars come into the game 5-3 and 4-1 in conference play.
Scouting the Cougars:
A preseason favorite to win the C-USA title, Houston has had a rocky road to it’s 5-3 record heading into the final stretch of the season. After starting 2-0 and scoring an average of 61 points in those two games, the Cougars looked ready to pounce all over the competition in C-USA. They were ranked No. 23 in the country heading into their game against UCLA and were ready to make a statement. They lost not just the game that day, but their Heisman-trophy candidate quarterback as well in Case Keenum, who suffered a season-ending injury. Houston went 1-2 over the next three games, including dropping their only conference game of the season to Rice. Since then, they seem to have gotten back on track. The Cougars have scored an average of 50.5 points over the last two games and have found their touch on offense. After defeated Memphis 56-17 last Saturday, Houston is ranked as the No. 15 total offense in the nation and are second in the conference in total offense at nearly 470 yards per game.
UH Key players:
QB David Piland – 1,108 yards passing, 11 TD, 3 INT
WR Patrick Edwards – 42 rec, 639 yards, 8 TD
LB – Sammy Brown – 43 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 FF
Scouting the Knights:
After starting the season 2-2, the Knights have reeled off four consecutive wins, scoring an average of nearly 42 points per game and holding their opponents to just over 17 points per game. The funny thing here is the Knights aren’t known for their offensive attack, but for their talent on defense. UCF is ranked in the top 15 in nearly every defensive category in the country, including No. 9 in total defense, No. 11 in scoring defense and No. 13 in rushing defense. Prior to their game against ECU last week, the Knights hadn’t allowed an opponent to reach 30 points this season. A huge reason for UCF’s recent success has come on the offensive side of the ball in the form of freshman quarterback Jeff Godfrey. He’s currently second in the conference in passing efficiency and has been a dual threat running the ball as well, amassing nearly 400 yards on the ground so far this season. Godfrey has completed over 66 percent of his passes the last two weeks. As for the running game, UCF has seemed to find a stopgap for the loss of Brynn Harvey. He’s averaged over 112 yards per game his last five games, including rushing for a career-high 180 yards on the ground against ECU last week.
UCF Key players:
QB Jeffrey Godfrey – 1,402 all-purpose yards, 4 TD, 4 INT
RB Ronnie Weaver – 638 rush yards, 10 TD, 0 fumbles
LB Darius Nall – 28 tackles, 9 sacks, 12 QB hurries
