UCF Football: Knights prep for in-state showdown with FAU

UCF football and FAU face off in a Group of Five elimination match on Friday night that includes Sunshine State bragging rights for the Knights or Owls.

UCF missed its chance to play Power Five opponent North Carolina in Week 3 when the showdown in Chapel Hill was canceled due to Hurricane Florence. After the unplanned bye, the Knights take to the field once again against defending C-USA champion Florida Atlantic in Orlando.

The Knights still have one of the best offenses in the country, though McKenzie Milton has struggled a bit to play as efficiently as he did in last year’s breakout season. Milton is averaging 295 yards and three touchdowns a game, and adding 33 yards on the ground. But his efficiency rating is nearly 27 points lower than the high marks he posted as a sophomore last year.

Similarly, Florida Atlantic running back Devin Singletary is far off his touchdown pace from 2017. Singletary led the country with 32 rushing touchdowns last season as the Owls ran away with the C-USA title. FAU lost their season opener against Oklahoma, but since then they have reeled off two straight wins against Air Force and FCS Bethune-Cookman.

UCF is winning thanks to its defense as much as its offense this year. Through the first two games against UConn and FCS South Carolina State, the Knights average only 8.5 points given up per game. Coupled with an offense that is off last year’s pace but still ranks 15th in the FBS, the Knights will look to avoid a trap at home.

These two programs have only met once before on the gridiron, back in 2003 when the Owls were still a I-AA program. Here’s how you can watch the Friday night showdown between UCF and Florida Atlantic:

Date: Friday, Sept. 21
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Orlando, FL
Venue: Spectrum Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

UCF needs Milton to carve up a Florida Atlantic secondary that ranks 84th nationally in yards given away through the air. Milton has the potential to get his Heisman campaign back on track against the Owls, and it would provide the Knights a statement win against Lane Kiffin’s crew.

Florida Atlantic needs Singletary to put up at least three touchdowns and kick-start his own Heisman longshot bid against a UCF defense ranked 102nd in the FBS against the run. Without a huge game from Singletary, the Owls are going to be outgunned by the Knights and fall to .500.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: UCF -13.5
Over/Under: 77

Prediction

It is going to be a rather high-scoring game, and that is always going to favor the Knights. The UCF defense is going to give up more points than it did in their first two games combined, but the important part is that UCF will end the night with the nation’s longest winning streak extended to 16 games. Though UCF will fail to cover the spread, the two teams will combine to go over the total points line.

Final Score: UCF 48, Florida Atlantic 38