Game time: Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla., Acrisure Bounce House
TV: FOX
Vitals: The UCF Knights enter their much-anticipated matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels undefeated, coming off an early bye week. The Black and Gold aim to extend their winning streak against UNC’s prestigious new head coach, Bill Belichick. For UNC, after a crushing 48-14 defeat to the TCU Horned Frogs, they bounced back with two straight victories against Charlotte and Richmond. This game marks the last non-conference matchup for the Knights as they start their Big 12 journey next week against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Betting odds, courtesy of USAToday
Spread: UCF -7, UNC +7
Moneyline: UCF -270, UNC +220
O/U: 46.5
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KEY UCF PLAYERS
QB Tayven Jackson: 471 YDS, 2 TD; 10 RUSH, 6 YDS, 2 TD
RB Jaden Nixon: 6 RUSH, 150 YDS, 2 TD
WR Duane Thomas Jr: 7 REC, 117 YDS
LB Cole Kozlowski: 11 TOT TKLS
LB Jayden Mcdonald: 4 TOT TKLS, 1 INT
KEY UCF STATS
SCORING OFFENSE: 42.5 POINTS/GAME (5th in Big 12)
- 259 PASSING YARDS/GAME (4th in Big 12)
- 232 RUSHING YARDS/GAME (4th in Big 12)
SCORING DEFENSE: 8.5 POINTS/GAME (3rd in Big 12)
- 98.5 PASSING YARDS/GAME (1st in Big 12)
- 162.5 RUSHING YARDS/GAME (12th in Big 12)
QUOTEABLE: “Well, having played for him [Belichick], he’s going to try and take away what you do best in every game,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said in his press conference on Monday. “It’s going to look a little different in every game, and because of that, I think we need to be ready against multiple things and be ready to adjust during the game.”
THE MINDSET BEHIND UCF’S APPROACH AGAINST UNC, BILL BELICHICK
Saturday’s matchup has garnered tons of attention because of Belichick’s transition to coaching college football, but the Knights aren’t distracted by the large cameras and the legendary name.
Coach Frost emphasized he and his team don’t view the upcoming UNC game as a statement game, but as another challenge in the course of the season.
“It’s just another game for us,” Frost said. “There are good teams in our league. This is a team that’s going to continue getting better, so we've got to go earn it every week.”