UCF football is back on the road, with the Knights making their first trip to Norman to take on No. 6 Oklahoma (Noon, ABC) on Saturday.
Both teams are coming off bye weeks, but the Sooners are riding high after knocking off then-No. 3 Texas in their Red River Rivalry series, 34-30 on Oct. 8. The win put OU in the College Football Playoff picture and propelled quarterback Dillon Gabriel into the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Gabriel’s performance this season has fueled Oklahoma’s offense, which ranks sixth in the nation — two spots behind UCF.
“They have weapons everywhere on the field,” said defensive tackle Ricky Barber. “From the running back position to the receivers, they have a good O-line. They’re a solid team that gets the job done.”
The Knights hope the return of quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will help them snap out of a 3-game losing funk.
“They throw a lot of stuff at you,” Plumlee said of OU’s defense. “They love to pressure and kind of confuse you at times. We’re trying to create a good gameplan and scheme to combat that. They have some really good players, but UCF also has some really good players.”
UCF must also combat another hostile Big 12 crowd, with Oklahoma Memorial Stadium hosting 80,000 fans. It will be the largest crowd the Knights have played in front of since Michigan (109,295) in 2016.
“I don’t get caught up in the stadiums at the end of the day,” said Barber. “If it’s a turf field or grass field or whatever it may be. We’ve got to put the ball down and play football.”
Coaches: Gus Malzahn, 3rd season at UCF, 21-12 (98-40 overall); Brent Venables, 2nd season at Oklahoma, 12-7 (12-7 overall).
Quick slant: This is the first meeting between these two programs, but the third time that Malzahn has faced the Sooners. He’s winless (0-1) as a head coach, with the loss (35-19) coming in the 2017 Sugar Bowl for Auburn and 0-1 as the offensive coordinator at Tulsa in 2007 (62-21). … Venables previously served as OU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1999-2011. … Oklahoma, which is moving to the SEC in 2024, has won 14 Big 12 championships.
About UCF (3-3, 0-3 Big 12): RJ Harvey (511 yards) and Johnny Richardson (441) are the only pair of running backs ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 in rushing yards. Harvey is coming off his second career 100-yard rushing performance after totaling 133 yards vs. Kansas. … Cornerback Brandon Adams ranks among the best defensive backs in the league, allowing just 27% of the throws at him to succeed, per Pro Football Focus.
About Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0 Big 12): Receivers Drake Stoops, Andrel Anthony and Jalil Farooq have been targeted 102 times with 76 catches for 1,102 yards and 7 touchdowns while redshirt freshman receiver Nick Anderson has a team-high 6 touchdowns — all in the last four games. … Defensive end Ethan Downs is tied for the conference league in sacks (5) with five other players, including UCF’s Tre’mon Morris-Brash.
UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee set to return to face No. 6 Oklahoma
3 things to watch
Contain Dillon Gabriel. Oklahoma features the country’s fourth-best passing attack, with the Sooners averaging 341 yards per game. Much of that success is on the shoulders of Gabriel, who is averaging 10.8 yards per completion. To make matters worse, the redshirt senior and erstwhile Knights star is coming off a career-high 113 rushing yards while averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. UCF leads the Big 12 in pass defense (190 ypg) and has only allowed 4 TD passes.
Run the football. The Knights must run the football to pull off an upset. They’ve done a good job so far, averaging 246 yards per game, but they face an Oklahoma defense that’s allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season (Texas’ Jonathan Brooks, 129 yards). Pro Football Focus graded linebacker Danny Stutsman (87) as the sixth-best run-stopper in the Big 12.
Win the 3rd down battle. During UCF’s 3-game losing streak, opponents have converted 60% (25 of 42) of their 3rd downs. Meanwhile, the Knights have converted just 46% (17 of 37) of their 3rd downs. Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the country on 3rd downs, allowing teams to convert just 29% while converting 52% on the offensive side.
Where: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
When: Noon
TV: ABC; Radio: AM 740/FM 96.9 The Game, Sirius/XM Ch. 385
Weather: 84 degrees, 1% rain chance
Favorite: Oklahoma 19.5 points
Online: orlandosentinel.com/knights; @osmattmurschel on Twitter.