Game time: Fast facts, odds, keys to UCF Knights vs. Oklahoma State
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Where: Acrisure Bounce House Stadium
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Coaches: Scott Frost is 23-13 at UCF, 39-44 overall; Doug Meacham is 0-7 at Oklahoma State, 0-7 overall.
Latest line: UCF by 14.5 points
Weather: 82 degrees with 0 percent chance of precipitation
Quick slant: This is the second meeting in the series between the two programs and the first since 2023, when UCF scored 24 consecutive points before cruising to a 45-3 win over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State. Running back RJ Harvey rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback John Rhys Plumlee passed for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. … OSU has lost 16 consecutive Big 12 games, the fifth-longest losing streak in league history. … The Cowboys have also lost nine straight road games, the longest current streak in the Big 12 ahead of UCF’s eight straight road losses.
About UCF (4-6, 1-6 Big 12): UCF quickly found itself in an early hole that the Knights were unable to climb out of as Texas Tech scored 21 unanswered points en route to a 48-9 win last week. The Knights didn’t record a first down until the second quarter and finished with less than 300 yards of offense for the third consecutive game. The defense didn’t fare much better, allowing a season high 499 yards of offense to the Red Raiders.
About Oklahoma State (1-9, 0-7 Big 12): Oklahoma State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before surrendering 14 unanswered points to Kansas State last week. The Wildcats forced five turnovers in handing the Cowboys their ninth straight loss of the season. Quarterback Zane Flores passed for 233 yards but turned the ball over four times, with two fumbles and two interceptions. It was Kansas State’s first win in Stillwater since 2017.
3 things to watch
1. Oklahoma State has seen a steady improvement on defense, particularly under interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. The Cowboys went from allowing 35 points and 473 yards per game through the first month of the season to allowing just 26 points and 313 yards over the past two games, in losses to Kansas and Kansas State.
2. UCF’s Noe Ruelas is among 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, given to the top kicker in college football. Ruelas has connected on 87.5% (14 of 16) of his field goal attempts and is the first Knights’ kicker in the Football Bowl Subdivision era to make three field goals of 50-plus yards in a season.
3. UCF is hoping to get out to a fast start against Oklahoma State. The Knights haven’t scored on their first offensive possession since scoring a touchdown against West Virginia on Oct. 18, while the defense has allowed early touchdowns in two of the past three games against Baylor and Texas Tech.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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