Knights expect to be tested

11th-rated team prepares for showdown with rival USF in War on I-4 series

Perhaps the most difficult job on the USF football staff this week could be scouring media outlets for juicy bulletin board material heading into the annual War on I-4 rivalry game against UCF.

The No. 11 Knights (10-0, 7-0 AAC) are avoiding trash talk as they prepare for their regular season finale against the Bulls (7-4, 3-4) at Raymond James Stadium Friday afternoon.

UCF owns the nation’s longest win streak spanning 23 games, but the Knights said they expect to be challenged when they face rival USF during another chapter of the somewhat brief history between two schools separated by a little more than 100 miles.

“USF always plays tough, you know. Their guys want to knock our heads off. We want to knock theirs off. It’s just what it is,” UCF senior linebacker Pat Jasinski said. “So you know you’re going to get a hard, tough-fought game and as a player that’s everything you kind of want.”

UCF enters this week fresh off its impressive 38-13 win over No. 24 Cincinnati Saturday night in front of a nationally-televised audience. The victory gives the Knights their second consecutive East Division crown and a chance to defend their American Athletic Conference title in the championship game in two weeks.

USF, meanwhile, is riding a four-game losing streak after the Bulls saw their 17-point halftime lead quickly evaporate in the second half against Temple Saturday.

Bulls defensive back Ronnie Hoggins insists a win over UCF would go a long way in salvaging a disappointing season for the Bulls.

“Absolutely. I mean, one of our goals was to beat them because they are our rivalry, they are the team out East, so those were one of our goals coming into the season,” Hoggins told the Tampa Bay Times Monday.

Added USF defensive end Josh Black, “It would mean a lot, especially for this program, just to come mess up their season, put a nice little cap on our season.”

UCF coaches may be in their first season leading the Knights, but they understand the animosity between the two programs.

“You can throw out the records and all of the clichés,” UCF defensive line coach Shane Burnham said of this week’s challenge. “They know each other. There’s intimacy and they want to win it.”

USF leads the overall series 6-3,