UCF Knights vs. Georgia State: TV info, betting odds, keys
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Where:Acrisure Bounce House Stadium, Orlando
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Weather: 81 degrees, with a 60% chance of precipitation.
Latest line: UCF by 18.5 points
Coaches:Scott Frost is 25-15 at UCF, 41-46 overall; Dell McGee is 7-20 at Georgia State, 7-20 overall.
Quick slant: This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. … Georgia State is making its third-ever trip to Orlando, its first regular-season appearance after postseason trips to the Cure Bowl in 2015 and 2017. … The Panthers were picked to finish seventh out of 14 teams in the Sun Belt Conference in the coaches’ preseason poll.
About UCF (1-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Knights suffered their first loss of the season, losing 12-7 at Pittsburgh on Saturday. It was the program’s 10th straight road loss, and it hasn’t won on the road since 2024. UCF’s only points came on a 19-yard touchdown from Alonza Barnett III to receiver Waden Charles late in the fourth quarter. The Knights rushed for just 20 yards, the worst output since totaling 12 yards against Arkansas State in the 2016 Cure Bowl.
About Georgia State (2-0, 0-0 Sun Belt): The Panthers have already doubled their win total from last year after knocking off Kennesaw State, 31-17 on Saturday. The last time GSU started 2-0 was 2023, when the team finished 7-5. Freshman running back Lanear McCrary Jr. rushed for 101 yards, leading a ground attack that totaled 230 yards and three touchdowns. Georgia State leads the conference in rushing, averaging 257 yards per game this season, while McCrary is the league’s top rusher with 176 yards and two touchdowns.
3 things to watch
1. UCF’s rebuilt offensive line has struggled to protect the quarterback, allowing a Big 12-worst five sacks through two games. The Knights didn’t allow five sacks until the fourth game of last season and finished with just 20 overall in 12 games.
2. Running back Taevion Swint is seventh in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 49.5 yards on three returns. That’s more than double the 21.6 yards per return the Knights averaged last season, when Jaden Nixon and Duane Thomas Jr. returned kicks.
3. Frost wouldn’t commit to naming a starting quarterback in the wake of Barnett’s injury news, but it’s a safe assumption that Keyone Jenkins, a multi-year starter at FIU, would get the nod. That said, it wouldn’t shock anyone if UCF used two quarterbacks in the game.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram at @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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