No. 25 UCF
feels well-prepared as the Knights travel to Cincinnati tonight.
After a chaotic September schedule rearranged by Hurricane Irma, the Knights are back in a groove they believe gives them an edge.
“It’s nice to be back in game week and get in that, we call it, battle rhythm,” UCF defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said. “It’s nice to have that battle rhythm for the kids and they know exactly where to be, exactly what’s going on. Their bodies adjust and their minds adjust, so it’s really good.”
No. 25 UCF (3-0, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) spent the week getting ready to hit the road for the second time this season, this time making a trip to Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1) for a Saturday showdown at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will air on ESPNU.
The Knights are off to their best start since 2013, which is also the last time the program was ranked. The team is looking to go 4-0 for the first time since 1988 when UCF was still competing at the Division II level.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has lost its past two games, includ-
ing falling 38-21 to Marshall last week.
Luke Fickell, who is in his first season as the coach at Cincinnati, is well aware of the threat UCF presents to his Bearcats squad.
“Athletically, I think they’re going to be a challenge,” Fickell said of the Knights. “The quarterback [McKenzie Milton] does a great job. He’s not taking sacks. He has the ability to run very well and he’s also making the throws, so it looks like he’s comfortable behind that offensive line and has a grasp of what they’re doing offensively.”
UCF enters the contest with the best offense in the AAC. The Knights are averaging more than 46 points and 563 yards per game this season.
Against Memphis last week, UCF amassed more than 600 yards for the first time since 2013. The team also accounted for more than 350 rushing yards, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the first time since 2011.
If Cincinnati is going to slow down UCF’s offense, the Bearcats will have to do a better job of tackling, especially when it comes to bringing down the Knights’ triple-threat Adrian Killins.
“I don’t know if we’ve had one this year, not a go-to guy … but a guy that stands out a bit separate from everyone else,” Fickell said when asked if he’s faced a player of Killins’ caliber. “He poses a lot of issues and we’ve got to do a better job than what we’ve done all year just leveraging the football, and being able to tackles and making plays in space.”
For Cincinnati to succeed, the Bearcats will need more production from their playmakers.
“We’ve got to be able to move the ball around. We’ve got to get the ball into the hands of the guys who can make plays,” Fickell said. “Our most productive and most electric guy has been Mike Boone and Mike hasn’t been available for us in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get Mike back where he’s healthy enough to be able to generate some of that momentum and energy.”
Boone, a senior running back, has missed two games this season while dealing with an ankle injury. He returned to the field against Marshall last week, but he only managed 17 yards on five carries. So far this season, he’s rushed for just 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the disparity in records, UCF is prepared to be tested.
“This is going to be a challenge. We’re going up to that place and it’s not an easy place to play,” coach Scott Frost said. “[It’s] a night game, so we’re going to have to earn this one. They’re sound in everything they do. They don’t give you a lot of freebies.”