By: Adrian Beecher
UCF is just on the outside of the AP Top 25 looking in right now. UCF has received votes for two straight weeks now and with a statement win this weekend could break into the rankings. If the rankings went beyond 25 with votes UCF would be sitting at 32 in the country.
The UCF Knights head to Memphis Tennessee this Saturday to face off against the tigers. Coming fresh of their first defeat of the season to (12) South Carolina, the Knights look to make a statement in their opening conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 4:30 pm and is scheduled to air on ESPN 3. Memphis opened up with losses to Duke and Middle Tennessee, but notched a 31-7 win vs. Arkansas State for a 1-2 record so far this season.
Key Fact’s to know about UCF before Saturday’s Game.
- Since the first meeting in 1990, the Knights have scored at least 26 points in every outing vs. the Tigers, including posting 32 points or more in the last four contests.
- The Knights are 24th in the nation in penalties and first in the league by averaging just 4.5 penalties per game.
- UCF stands 12th in the FBS with 15.26 yards per reception.
- The Black and Gold has a 16-4 record vs. teams from Tennessee.
- Throwing for 1,174 yards through four games, Blake Bortles is on pace to finish with 3,522 yards in a 12-game season. That would rank as the third-most yards by a UCF quarterback in school history, ranking only behind Ryan Schneider (3,770 in 2002) and Daunte Culpepper (3,690 in 1998).
Key Facts to know about Memphis before Saturday’s Game.
- On the ground, Memphis is averaging 199.3 yards per game while the defense is yielding just 102.3 per outing.
- Redshirt freshman quarterback Paxton Lynch has a 64.9 completion percentage with two TDs and a pair of interceptions.
- Junior defensive end Martin Ifedi leads the nation with 1.8 sacks per game (five total), and as a team the Tigers lead the FBS with 4.33 sacks per outing (13 overall).