BYU will face a new defensive dilemma against UCF on Saturday afternoon in Orlando, Fla.
The No. 11 Cougars (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) struggled to stop long running plays in their 38-35 victory over Oklahoma State last week. BYU allowed the Cowboys to rush for a season-high 269 yards while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Oklahoma State’s previous high was 149 rushing yards in its season opener against South Dakota State.
For the Cougars, it marked the second time in four games they’ve allowed an opponent to generate at least 200 yards on the ground.
“This defense doesn’t usually give up very many big plays, but we gave up two big runs that cost us about 50 yards each,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The big plays were missed assignments that we can fix. That happens sometimes. But I think that minimizing the big plays is what we are good at. We are going to go back to that.”
UCF will not make it easy to stop the run. The Knights (3-4, 1-3) lead the Big 12 with an average of 280.3 rushing yards per game. They average nearly 6 yards per carry and have 19 touchdowns on the ground.
RJ Harvey leads the league with 890 yards and 11 touchdowns on 6.7 yards per carry. He’s fifth in the nation in yards gained.
Still, BYU has other ways to make it hard for the Knights to move the ball. The Cougars’ defense has generated 16 turnovers through seven games — tied for fourth among FBS teams. Ten players have made an interception for the Cougars this season, with Tanner Wall and Jakob Robinson leading the way with two apiece.
BYU also ranks fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense (94.74).
That’s bad news for a UCF squad that generates 185.3 passing yards per game and has given up eight turnovers in four Big 12 games. Still, the Cougars aren’t taking the Knights for granted.
“Their record does not speak for how good of a football team they are,” BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff said. “They’re probably the best 3-4 football team in the country and probably a lot better than a lot of (teams) who have better records than them.”
UCF hopes for a win this week after coming up short in an upset bid against then-No. 9 Iowa State — the Knights’ fourth consecutive loss after starting the season 3-0.
The Knights fell 38-35 to the Cyclones after blowing an eight-point lead late in the fourth quarter. It was a tough end to a game in which UCF racked up 354 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while averaging 9.1 yards per carry.
“We had opportunities, really, in all three phases to close the game out,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. “We got to find a way to take that next step. I will say we did improve this game. Played one of our best games, so that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
BYU leads the all-time series 2-1. The Cougars beat UCF 49-23 when the teams last met in the 2020 Boca Raton Bowl. This will be their first meeting as members of the Big 12.
