Before the Big 12 season begins, UCF will play Villanova without quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.
Before making its Big 12 Conference debut, UCF is playing its last non-conference game on the road at Kansas State. Following the Knights’ thrilling victory over Boise State, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will miss several weeks due to a leg injury. It is anticipated that Timmy McClain will start against Villanova, which is receiving votes in the FCS standings following convincing victories over Colgate and Lehigh. McClain started nine games for USF in 2021, including the season finale, which saw USF come close to upsetting UCF.
UCF rushing attack vs. Villanova front seven. All the attention will be on McClain but the game will likely come down to who wins the line of scrimmage.
The big-play Knights lead the nation with 323.5 rushing yards per game and are second with 7.44 yards per rush. Johnny Richardson leads the running backs with 162 rush yards and R.J. Harvey has 154. Villanova has been solid against the run, allowing just 55.5 yards per game, but the Knights will be a step up in talent.
Villanova: R.B. Villanova’s attack, which averages 40.0 points per game and strikes a strong mix between the run and the pass, has been strengthened by Jalen Jackson. Jackson has already this season totaled 201 rush yards, 10.1 yards per carry, and four touchdowns.
UCF: With nine receptions for 178 yards, wide receiver Kobe Hudson leads the Knights. During the victory over Boise State, a fourth-quarter drop directly resulted in an interception in the end zone. This weekend, with a new quarterback in the mix, the Knights have a lot of cleaning up to do.
Kicker Colton Boomer of UCF won the title of Big 12 special teams player of the week after making three field goals in the team’s 18-16 victory over Boise State: a 55-yarder, a 50-yarder, and the game-winning 40-yarder with seconds remaining. In his career, Boomer has made 18 of 19 field goals. In Villanova’s 42-19 victory over Colgate last week, quarterback Connor Watkins of Villanova completed just eight passes for 310 yards passing. With just 22 points surrendered, the Knights have allowed the fewest points in a two-game stretch since 2021, when they gave up 17 in two games. The Knights rank 47th in the FBS in terms of yards allowed per game and are 17th in terms of points allowed per game.