UCF football has its first AAC game as the No. 13 Knights take on the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday. UCF beat Georgia Tech 49-21 last week in its season opener and look to build off that against a hungry ECU football team. East Carolina went 4-8 last year and 1-7 in the conference as the Pirates try to climb back up in the conference standings this season. Saturday’s game will be the first game for the Pirates as they were scheduled to open the campaign against Marshall, which got canceled due to COVID-19 issues.
UCF’s offense looks to build more momentum heading into this matchup. UCF had over 600 yards of total offense and forced five turnovers last week against Georgia Tech. The Knights will have to get off to a good start and not allow ECU to gain confidence if the Knights get off to a slow start. This will allow ECU to potentially stay in the game until the fourth quarter and give itself a shot to win the game. Although UCF had an encouraging win last week, it must stay committed to keeping that high standard of good football.
East Carolina, coming off a rough year, seems to be optimistic, considering it will be its second year running this offense. In Mike Houston’s second year at ECU, it will be interesting to see how the defense will manage throughout the game against UCF’s up tempo offense. As ECU brings back 15 starters, it will be a good matchup for them to play against a team like UCF. ECU allowed an average of 469.3 yards per game last season, so the Pirates will have to have potentially the best performance possible to pull this game off.
UCF Game Notes
OUT: OL Allen Adams, RB Elijah Benoit, OL Lamarius Benson, RB Trillion Coles, TE Jordan Davis, DL Kalia Davis, QB Darriel Mack Jr., DB Devunte Dawson, DB Tay Gowen, OL Adrian Medley, DL Kendrick Wilson, QB McKenzie Milton, DL Mason Cholewa.
Questionable: WR Tre Nixon, OL Parker Boudreaux.
Defensive linemen Mason Cholewa announced he has officially entered the transfer pool and has committed to James Madison University
ECU Game Notes
OUT: OL Avery Jones
Prediction
Expect the Knights to win big in this one. UCF will get off to a fast start and before you know it, this game will be a blowout. I am taking the UCF Knights to win this meeting 45-17. QB for the Knights Dillon Gabriel will have a big one in this one, as he should throw for a minimum of four scores. QB for ECU will have a tough duty to play against a high motor defense. UCF also is excellent at forcing takeaways and stands 22-1 since 2016 in games where they forced at least two turnovers so that’s something to look out for. This game will be nationally televised on ABC and kickoff is set for noon ET.
CHARGE ON GO KNIGHTS!