UCF Preview

Battling mediocrity has been squarely on ASU’s and UCF’s minds this season, and this weekend in Orlando, one of those teams will have a chance to avoid falling back to .500 after facing the other. How formidable can the Knights prove to be for the Sun Devils? Here’s our deep dive into UCF.

2026 So Far: 5-4 (3-3 in Big 12)

The 2026 season opened with a blowout victory over Bethune-Cookman, and after a close loss at Pittsburgh in week two, UCF took down Georgia State and TCU in back-to-back games to close out September with a 3-1 record.

From there, however, the Knights lost consecutive games to ranked opponents in Houston and Oklahoma State to fall to 3-3, before a world-shocking upset of second-ranked BYU to open November.

The celebration of that victory was short-lived, as the next week, Baylor was throttled at home by Baylor (an experience with which ASU can relate) by a score of 41-9.

Last weekend, UCF returned to winning ways with a comeback win over Kansas, where the Knights scored a touchdown with one second remaining in regulation and the ensuing PAT gave UCF a 33-32 win.

Series History: ASU leads, 2-0

Saturday will be just the third all-time meeting between the two programs, with ASU holding a 2-0 edge so far. This will also be the first meeting between ASU and UCF in Orlando.

The first matchup was a 46-13 Sun Devil victory in Tempe on Sept. 7, 2002, a time when UCF was a member of the Mid-American Conference and in just its seventh overall season as a Division I-A (now known as FBS) program. ASU actually trailed 13-10 at halftime, but thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points – 29 coming in the third quarter – the Sun Devils cruised to a comfortable win.

ASU’s offense managed just 327 total yards, including just 120 through the air, but three touchdown catches by All-American Shaun McDonald and a pair of third-quarter pick-sixes by Josh Amobi and Connor Banks helped give the Devils the win. Legendary defender Terrell Suggs posted seven tackles, including 4.0 for loss, with 2.5 sacks in the early stages of what would ultimately become his record-setting junior season.

Most recently, ASU edged UCF by a score of 35-31 in Tempe on Nov. 9, 2024. Though Cam Skattebo missed the game due to injury, Jordyn Tyson posted seven receptions for 99 yards with two touchdowns – one of which proved to be the game-winner.

Head Coach: Scott Frost (second year with UCF, ninth overall as a head coach)

They say you can never go home, but in the Big 12, that’s far from the case, as last season Frost returned to the helm of the UCF football program, where he had incredible success almost a decade earlier.

Frost’s first head-coaching gig came at UCF in 2016, and in year two, he guided the Knights to a 13-0 record, a No. 6 finish in the Associated Press poll, and a hotly debated, self-applied National Championship distinction.

From there, Frost returned to his college alma mater to coach Nebraska but had a miserable return, getting fired three games into his fifth season with a combined record of 16-31 and four losing seasons.

After being fired from Nebraska early in the 2022 season, he returned as UCF’s head coach prior to last season. The Knights finished with a 5-7 record last season and have a 5-4 record through nine games this year.

Frost has an eternal connection to Arizona State that Sun Devil fans will never forget, as he was the starting quarterback for Nebraska when the No. 1 ranked Cornhuskers visited Tempe on Sept. 21, 1996. In that game, Frost was terrorized by the Sun Devil defense, as he completed just 6-of-20 passing attempts for 66 yards and had -7 net rushing yards on the night, largely due to the three safeties generated by ASU that propelled the Sun Devils to an unforgettable 19-0 victory.

UCF Offense Preview

After injury issues that resulted in six missed starts, Alonza Barnett III returned to his starting role last week after having not started since the second game of the season.

A transfer from James Madison, who guided the Dukes to the College Football Playoff after he won the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year award, Barnett has appeared in four games this year with three starts, averaging 182 passing yards per game with four touchdowns to two interceptions, along with 35 net rushing yards with a score.

Barnett, who threw for over 5,400 yards with 49 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions, with over 1,000 combined rushing yards and 22 touchdowns across the 2024-25 seasons for James Madison, is a skilled quarterback as his time with the Dukes proves, but the step up to the Big 12 level, along with injury issues, has impaired his ability to have anywhere near the impact at UCF so far as he did at JMU.

At running back, UCF will have to mix things up for the first time this season due to injury issues that occurred in last week’s game.

Duke Watson, UCF’s leading rusher who has started all nine games, was carted off the field last week against Kansas with a foot injury and has been ruled out of Saturday’s game

Through nine games, Watson, a transfer from Louisville, has 94 carries for 596 yards (6.3 avg.) with three touchdowns along with eight receptions for 15 yards.

Watson’s primary backup, Landen Chambers, formerly a transfer from Central Arkansas, has 55 carries for 225 yards (4.1 avg.) with a share of the team-high of four rushing touchdowns to go with five catches for 58 yards with one touchdown.

Chambers suffered an injury against Kansas and, as of Wednesday, was not listed on the team’s availability report, although the initial narrative at the start of the week was that he likely wouldn’t play against ASU.

A name to keep in mind for a potentially elevated role Saturday is redshirt freshman Taevion Swint, who could see increased reps and possibly his first collegiate start if Chambers is unable to go.

In seven games this season, Swint has carried 40 times for 181 yards (4.5 avg.) with three touchdowns, along with four receptions for 18 yards. However, nearly half of Swint’s rushing yards have come against lower-conference or lower-division opponents, as he rushed for 40 yards against Georgia State and 48 yards against Bethune-Cookman. Aside from those two games, his season-high rushing total was 29 yards on seven carries against TCU.

The projected starting trio of wide receivers is listed as Josh Derry, Waden Charles, and Duane Thomas, Jr., with Tyren Hornes as an additional viable option for the Knights.

Derry, who transferred to UCF from Monmouth after recording over 1,100 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns last year, has caught 45 passes for 571 yards with four touchdowns to lead UCF.

Derry has caught on substantially in the last month or so, as in the past five games he’s had at least six receptions or at least 70 receiving yards in each game. He has two 100-yard receiving outings on the year, including a season-high 143 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown last week versus Kansas.

Charles and Hornes tie for second on the team with 25 receptions each, with Hornes posting 314 receiving yards and one score, and Charles tallying 28 yards and two scores. Charles, however, was listed as “doubtful” on the initial availability report released on Wednesday.

Thomas, a former transfer from Charlotte and an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection in 2025, has only appeared in three games this year and has eight catches for 57 yards. Last season, he caught 53 passes for 528 yards for the Knights.

At tight end, either Dylan Wade or Caden Piening should get first-team reps for UCF on Saturday.

Piening ranks second on the team with three touchdown catches and has 21 receptions for 194 yards, while Wade has 13 receptions for 95 yards. Piening was listed as “questionable” on the team’s initial availability report.

The UCF offensive line figures to feature a starting lineup of left tackle Henry Tabansi, left guard Brady Wayburn, center Connor Meadows, right guard Owen Spell, and right tackle Preston Cushman.

All five projected offensive line starters are portal acquisitions, as Tabansi is a former Buffalo transfer, Wayburn came to UCF from UConn, Meadows previously played for Tennessee State and Tennessee, Spell transferred from Limestone, and Cushman came from Ole Miss.

UCF Offense Summary

Though he has had a rocky season so far, Barnett being available is certainly a plus for UCF, though Watson’s absence is something that could notably affect the offensive game-planning.

The Knights have shown the ability to put some points on the board – such as the 39 scored against BYU, albeit in two overtimes – while UCF has also shown a knack for being rattled by attacking defenses – such as the nine points scored against Baylor and the seven sacks yielded to the Bears in that game.

Another concern for the Knights is unreliable offensive line play, as UCF entered the week tied for 102^nd nationally in sacks allowed per game (2.44) and tied for 122^nd in the country in tackles for loss allowed per game (6.33). ASU’s defense, which has flipped its switch from lethargy to attack mode the last few weeks, should be able to take distinct advantage of these UCF weaknesses.

Additionally, UCF has shown other areas of struggle on offense, ranking 92^nd nationally in total offense (359.0) and placing 107^th in third-down conversions, though the team is at least in the top half of the nation in scoring offense, ranking 55^th by scoring 30.1 points per game.

UCF Defense Preview

Operating primarily out of a 4-2-5 defensive alignment, Isaiah Nixon and either Ken Talley or Sincere Edwards figure to start at the edge positions, with either Horace Lockett or RJ Jackson, Jr. and either Thomas Collins or Jeffson Lafontant as the starting pair of defensive tackles.

Lafontant leads all UCF linemen with 35 tackles, while leading the team with 6.0 tackles for loss and five quarterback hurries, while tying for second on the team with 2.0 sacks.

Nixon leads the team with 2.5 sacks, while also posting 27 total tackles, including 4.0 for loss, with three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery, while Lockett has tallied 33 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, with 1.5 sacks along with three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery.

Talley has registered 19 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, with 1.5 sacks; Collins has 16 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, with a share of a sack, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery, while Jackson has totaled three tackles in four games.

At linebacker, Lewis Carter figures to be joined by either Jayden Jennings or Tackett Curtis in the starting lineup.

Curtis, who began his career at USC in 2023 before spending the past two seasons at Wisconsin, leads the team with 59 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions, while tying for second on the team with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Carter has recorded 24 tackles this season, while Jennings has 20 tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

The UCF secondary is slated to showcase a starting lineup featuring Jayden Williams and possibly Caleb Flagg at the two safety positions, Braeden Marshall at nickel defensive back, and likely the pairing of Antione Jackson and Jayden Bellamy at cornerback, though Jackson was listed as “probable” on the week’s initial availability report.

The Knights will be without veteran safety Demari Henderson – one of only three UCF players in their fifth year in the program – who ties for fourth in the team in tackles (35), while tying for the team-high of two interceptions. He was ruled out of the game due to injury issues.

Williams ranks second on the team with 46 tackles, adding an interception and two forced fumbles, while Jackson has recorded 29 tackles with an interception and a team-high seven pass breakups.

Marshall has recorded 27 tackles, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries, Bellamy has 22 tackles including 2.0 for loss with one interception, one forced fumble and three pass breakups, while Flagg has collected 20 tackles on the year.

UCF Defense Summary

Statistically, UCF has multiple areas of concern on defense, as the team ranks 117^th nationally in pass defense (245.2 yards per game), tied for 107^th in team tackles for loss (4.4 per game), while placing or tying for 94^th in total defense (379.0 yards per game), third down defense, and sacks per game (1.78).

There is, however, one notable area of strength among the UCF defense in that the Knights are tied for 25^th nationally with 14 takeaways – a statistic that certainly can be a great equalizer and cover other defensive deficiencies.

UCF Special Teams Preview

At placekicker, Texas transfer Will Stone handles field goals and kickoffs and has connected on 11-of-14 field goal attempts with a long of 57 yards.

Australian Atticus Bertrams, a Wisconsin transfer, is statistically one of the top punters in the nation, as he averages 46.9 yards on 38 punts with a long of 64 yards. The Ray Guy Award semifinalist ranks eighth in the country in punting average.

On returns, Antione Jackson averages 6.5 yards on 11 punt returns with a long of 21 yards, while Taevion Swint leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth in the nation averaging 29.4 yards on 11 kickoff returns.

Overall Summary

Saturday’s game places two teams on the cusp of bowl eligibility in action, though that pursuit means different things for ASU and UCF.

For the Knights, to reach a bowl game would be a notable sign of progress in year two under Frost, as UCF hasn’t had a postseason berth since 2023.

For the Sun Devils, qualifying for a bowl game is an absolutely essential, bare minimum requirement for the season not to be considered an overwhelming disappointment.

Naturally, both teams will have two additional opportunities to achieve bowl eligibility after Saturday, though that pursuit on paper is much more plausible for UCF, which faces Iowa State and Colorado after this weekend than it presumes to be for ASU, which has games against Oklahoma State and Arizona beyond this weekend.

This season, ASU has followed a lather, rinse, repeat pattern of alternating wins and losses and hopes to claim wins in consecutive games for the first time in nearly a full calendar year, when ASU won three straight against Iowa State, West Virginia and Colorado last November.

Saturday’s contest certainly represents a challenge for ASU – the Sun Devils are the underdogs and are 0-3 in true road games this season – but if the Devils can continue to play defense and special teams as they have in recent weeks and if freshman QB1 Jake Fette and the offense can continue to make strides, this is an entirely winnable game for Arizona State.

Final Score Prediction (via Speak of the Devils Podcast): Arizona State 23, UCF 20