Game number two of the 2024 season has the UCF Knights hosting the Sam Houston Bearkats at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Saturday, September 7th at 6:30 pm at FBC Mortgage Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN+. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Feed the Running Beast
As expected, UCF ran the ball a lot against New Hampshire, and we expect to see more of the same against Sam Houston. Last week, the Knights set a school FBS record and were only seven yards shy of the all-time school record with 454 yards on the ground. RJ Harvey set the pace, running the ball 11 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard scamper that just fell short of the endzone. The rest of UCF’s four-headed hydra found ways to get into the endzone. Peny Boone had seven carries for 81 yards with a 59-yard touchdown run. Myles Montgomery ran it eight times for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also had one catch for 49 yards and a touchdown. Lastly, Johnny Richardson ran it seven times for 40 yards. He didn’t score on the ground but did have a single catch for 22 yards and a touchdown. In total, eight players ran the ball for the Knights, including quarterback KJ Jefferson.
KJ Jefferson came to UCF with high expectations and unfortunately, he struggled out of the game. Jefferson was three out of his first eight passes in the first half. He settled down a bit in the second half but finished 7/14 for 164 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in just under three-quarters of play. Knight fans expected more from Jefferson and he’s going to have to do better if the Knights are going to make waves in the Big 12. Jefferson needs to be able to find other receivers outside of the running backs as only Kobe Hudson and tight end Randy Pittman Jr recorded catches.
The Defense and Special Teams Delivered
UCF’s defense is definitely not the same as last year. Under prior defensive coordinator Addison Williams, the Knights played less aggressively. Ted Roof’s defense is a more traditional nickel defense and players were much more aggressive towards the ball. Linebacker Deshawn Pace led the team with five tackles and an interception that he returned 37 yards down to the New Hampshire 3. While the team recorded no sacks, Ricky Barber, Lee Hunter, and Malachi Lawrence caused mayhem along the line of scrimmage. We should continue to see more of the same as the Knights are not expected to do anything other than outmuscle and outspeed the Bearkats.
The special teams unit was fantastic. Kicker Colton Boomer was perfect on the day after a rough sophomore season and returner Xavier Townsend had 84 kickoff and 86 punt return yards respectively. Even punter Mitch McCarthy had a good day with both of his punts landing inside the New Hampshire 20-yard line. The Knights could not ask for more.
Head coach Gus Malzahn kept things pretty simple and the Knights were able to win last week safely. The two-deep depth chart remains the same.
Who are the Sam Houston State Bearkats
Sam Houston, like UCF, once was a member of Conference USA. The Bearkats journeyed from the NAIA to NCAA Division II back in 1982, the same year UCF made the move from NCAA Division III to II. While UCF would wait until 1990 to move to the FCS level, Sam Houston State moved up in 1984. The Bearkats won the FCS national championship in 2020 and declined each season since. They made it to the FCS quarterfinals in 2021 and then moved up to the FBS level in 2023 with a 3-9 record. As of this season, they are fully bowl-eligible after serving their reclassification requirements.
Last week, the Bearkats surprised college football with a resounding 34-14 win over the Rice Owls. The Owls were an 8.5-point favorite at home, but a 17-0 first-quarter lead proved too much to overcome. Quarterback Hunter Watson did it all. He went 16/27 for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Surprisingly, he was sacked seven times, but he still did well. He also carried the ball 14 times for a game-leading 57 yards. Watson, a redshirt junior, is in his first season with the Bearkats, transferring from Iowa Western Community College after winning the 2023 NJCAA national championship. The dual-threat quarterback threw for over 1900 yards and ran for another 700 yards last year. One of their top wide receivers, Ife Adeyi, is back after missing most of last season due to injury. He had five catches for 63 yards and a touchdown last week.
The Bearkats also had a defensive touchdown via a pick-six by junior David Fisher as part of that first-quarter barrage. For the game, the Bearkats only gave up 274 yards of offense with 47 of that on the ground.
UCF Knights vs Sam Houston Predictions
Despite the win last week, Sam Houston has not had to deal with the hydra, which is the UCF running attack. Like last week, the Knights should be able to take advantage of the home crowd along with the possibility of rain, which favors the ground game. The Knights are currently favored by 22 points, which they should be able to cover. UCF wins 45-17.
Decals designed by pediatric patients at@APHospital 🎨 pic.twitter.com/yy4Co0mt7U
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) September 3, 2024
UCF will be donning helmets with decals that were colored by patients at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. These helmet decals were colored in the Spring for the Spring Game and were very popular. With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the equipment team decided to go back and use two of the decals for the game.
