The Knights will host their conference home opener against the Tulane Green Wave this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. on ESPU at the Bright House Networks Stadium.
After two tough losses to Duke and Rutgers, the Green Wave (2-4, 1-1 AAC) is headed into this Saturday’s game with momentum, as their program jut picked up its first AAC win of the season against UConn last week. But getting the win isn’t where all the momentum is coming from for Tulane.
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The Green Wave packs in a strong running attack led by redshirt freshman Sherman Badie. Badie will be coming into this game with over 530 rushing yards, which is 40th best in the country (second in the conference), 74 attempts, and 3 touchdowns. The running back has an explosiveness not seen at Tulane since players like Mewelde Moore and Matt Forte, as evidenced by his three runs of more than 70 yards. He proves to be a needed weapon for Tulane’s offense. The Knights can expect to face tough competition this Saturday as Tulane is averaging more than 200 yards on the ground per game.
With strong opponents packing in Tulane’s offense, the Knights pose a pretty big threat against Tulane, as their improvement along the offensive line is allowing UCF (3-2, 1-0 AAC) to create a strong run game.
The Knights are finally finding their way around the field this season as they pick up momentum and bring home the wins. With strong offensive and defensive teams working their magic for UCF, top players bring on the heat. William Stanback, with 225 yards and 3 touchdowns so far this season, bulldozes his way through opponents to pick up first-and-tens. J.J. Worton will come into Saturday’s game with 341 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
UCF Quarterback Justin Holman, who made his fourth career start, found sophomore running back Will Stanback in last weekend’s 31-24 victory, for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Holman has completed 30 of 51 passes for 326 yards, and although still young and very new to his position, Holman learns fast and is quick on his feet. And people are noticing. Holman was named the American Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for his efforts.
This will be UCF’s first Saturday game since their regular-season home opener against Bethune-Cookman. The Knights have won three consecutive games and are hoping to make it four-in-a-row when the Green Wave rolls into Orlando. If UCF plans on taking down Tulane in their home territory, explosiveness in the offense and strong momentum needs to be right out of the gate for the Knights. It should all start this Saturday afternoon in the comfort of their own stadium.
