In what is clearly shaping up to be one of the marquee games of the year in the AAC, the 22nd ranked Central Florida Knights will travel to Louisiana to take on the 16th ranked Tulane Green Wave. UCF comes into the game at 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference. Tulane, firmly entrenched in the Top-25 for multiple weeks now, comes in at 8-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The opening kick for this matchup is scheduled for 3:30pm EST.
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Central Florida comes into this matchup a winner in six out of their last seven games including a 35-28 win at Memphis last week. The Knights were able to turn away Memphis on Saturday to earn their first conference road-win of the season. The Knights' defense was able to make three huge red zone stops to pick up the huge win. Quarterback Mikey Keene finished the game with three touchdowns while going 21-of-28 for 219 yards and one interception.
''Mikey stepped in and handled himself like a champ like we thought he would,'' said UCF coach Gus Malzahn in his postgame presser.
Keene got the starting nod while starter John Rhys Plummer recovered from injuries suffered the week before. Plummer should be able to return this week against Tulane. RJ Harvey had his second-straight breakout performance with 151 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. Isaiah Bowser chipped in with 67 yar ds on 15 carries in the huge win. The Knights finished with 427 yards of total offense and the one turnover on the interception.
Defensively, the Knights forced two turnovers with two interceptions in the game. They allowed 433 yards of total offense but survived it with their red zone defense. The Knights didn't have any sacks in the game but did have four tackles for loss.
top-25 matchup in NOLA pic.twitter.com/5WuNfxNZdL
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) November 7, 2022
UCF comes into this game with a solid offense that has proved to be adept at both running and throwing the football. They should also have their starting quarterback available but now also know that they can turn to Keene if they need to. The Knights are ranked 31st in scoring offense through their first eight games. They are 10th in rushing the football and a solid 47th putting the ball in the air. They are not as solid in the red zone offensively, however, ranking just 100th in the country. The Knights will not hurt themselves, with the 23rd ranked team in the country in penalties. One major concern is their difficulty protecting the ball, with the 91st ranked turnover differential in the nation. They are an impressive 16th in scoring defense this year while ranking 40th in rushing defense and 103rd against the pass. As they showed in the game against Memphis, they are stout in the red zone. The Knights are 30th in the nation in red zone defense.
Key Injuries: Plumlee was apparently ready to go on Saturday but the decision was made to go with Keene. Plumlee will likely get the nod this week.