UCF and Utah end disappointing seasons with Black Friday matchup
UCF and Utah end disappointing seasons with Black Friday matchup
Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) celebrates after his touchdown against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, right, congratulates quarterback Luke Bottari, left, after he led a scoring drive during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah quarterback Luke Bottari (15) is tripped by Iowa State defensive back Beau Freyler (17) short of the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) celebrates after his touchdown against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) celebrates after his touchdown against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, right, congratulates quarterback Luke Bottari, left, after he led a scoring drive during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, right, congratulates quarterback Luke Bottari, left, after he led a scoring drive during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah quarterback Luke Bottari (15) is tripped by Iowa State defensive back Beau Freyler (17) short of the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah quarterback Luke Bottari (15) is tripped by Iowa State defensive back Beau Freyler (17) short of the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah (4-7, 1-7 Big 12) at UCF (4-7, 2-6), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
Bet MGM College Football Odds: UCF by 9 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Both UCF and Utah will wrap up disappointing seasons. The Knights will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2015, when they went winless in George O’Leary’s final year as coach. The Utes were a preseason favorite to win the Big 12 but have lost seven in a row and will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2020 (opt out after 3-2 season) and 2013 before then.
KEY MATCHUP
Utah has had as much quarterback volatility as any team in the country thanks to injuries throughout the roster. How the Utes handle the UCF pass rush will be one of the big keys in the game. Luke Bottari is the fifth different quarterback to see the field for Utah. He completed 5 of 9 passes for 55 yards against Iowa State after taking over in the third quarter. UCF has 17 sacks and 50 tackles for a loss in the last seven games, including three sacks and nine tackles in a loss last week against West Virginia.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Utah: LB Lander Barton leads Utah with 66 tackles and 3.0 tackles for a loss. Against a high-powered UCF offense, the Utes will need their top linebacker, who last week had a pick-six against Iowa State to extend Utah’s NCAA-record streak to 21 seasons with at least one interception return for a score.
UCF: RB RJ Harvey has put together a stellar season despite his team’s struggles. Harvey is fourth in the nation with 1,458 rush yards (132.5 yards per game) and fourth with 21 rushing touchdowns. Harvey needs only one touchdown to tie Kevin Smith’s program record for most total touchdowns in a season.
FACTS & FIGURES
Both UCF coach Gus Malzahn and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham are facing questions about their plans for the future. Malzahn was asked following Saturday’s loss about reports that he might retire at the end of the season and he dismissed them. Whittingham, who has coached at Utah for the past 20 seasons, acknowledged the team has a succession plan for his eventual retirement and that he would make a decision that is best for the program after the season. Both UCF and Utah have changed coordinators this year with the Knights firing defensive coordinator Ted Roof and Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigning earlier this season.
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