UCF football gets intriguing matchup in FAU to kick off big month

After dismantling FAMU in Week 1, UCF football travels down south to FAU as they prepare to take on the Owls in an intriguing battle.

UCF football kicks off again in a Week 2 matchup on the road against the FAU Owls. The Knights return to the field after dismantling Florida A&M 62-0, in a game where they out gained the Rattlers 694 yards to only 96. In fact, FAMU had more penalty yards in the game (105) than total yards.

It was a complete beatdown by the Knights, something the team needed when they had a lot of questions at the quarterback and defensive line.

For their next game, FAU has shown they can score points in spurts, as they scored 15 in the fourth against Ohio State in Week 1, but they gave up four touchdowns fairly quickly, and the game was essentially over before it really started. UCF will be the heavy favorites once again.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Boca Raton, Fla.
Venue: FAU Stadium
TV: CBSSN
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live

Keys to Victory

To win the game, UCF needs more of the same. They need to continue to find consistency out of both starting quarterbacks. Freshman Dillon Gabriel had a lot of potential in his first appearance, and the step up in competition will show what he’s made of. For Brandon Wimbush, he needs to stay focused on meshing with the offense. His statistics were great, but I felt he missed on a few throws in Week 1.

On defense, the Knights need to continue to fly around on the ball. FAU quarterback Chris Robison has the talent to cause problems for the UCF defense, but Richie Grant and company are one of the top secondaries in the Group of Five. Despite losing star corner back Brandon Moore to injury, the team still has enough talent to frustrate the Owls.

For FAU, the team needs to find some consistency, and get off to a better start in this one. They had small flashes against Ohio State, but most of their points came well after the game was decided.

Prediction

Central Florida is by far the more talented team. With the two-quarterback system and three running backs that can all be game changers, they handle the Owls with relative ease. The Knights’ biggest hurdle will be containing Robison, who has tremendous skill but is still erratic. This plays right into UCF’s strength in the secondary, even after losing Moore to injury.

Overall, FAU presents the Knights a step up in challenge, but this game is still a tune up to the Stanford game next week.

Final Score: UCF 51, FAU 24