Game Preview: West Virginia football at UCF
West Virginia will travel to UCF for a Big 12 Conference matchup, and WVSports.com breaks down some of the key items of the matchup in our preview.
Kickoff: 1 PM ET.
Series: WVU 4-0
Last Meeting: 2024: WVU 31 UCF 21
Television Information: TNT/TruTV/HBO MAX, J.B. Long (PBP), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), Lauren Jbara (sideline reporter)
Odds: UCF -7 — U/0 48.5 (BetMGM)
Head Coaches Information:
| West Virginia | UCF | ||
| Rich Rodriguez | Scott Frost | ||
| Record at West Virginia: | 62-30 | Record at UCF: | 22-10 |
| Overall Record: | 192-134-2 | Overall Record: | 38-41 |
| 2025 Record: | 2-4 | 2025 Record: | 3-3 |
Numbers of Note:
–The 2025 season marks West Virginia’s 133rd season of football. The Mountaineers are the winningest program in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 in college football.
–West Virginia Football Coach Rich Rodriguez has 192 career victories, ranking No. 5 among active FBS coaches.
–WVU is 6-8 in games played on Oct. 18, including 3-6 away from home. The last time WVU played on that date was against Baylor in 2014 in Morgantown (W/41-27).
–Rodriguez ranks No. 9 among active coaches for most career wins against AP Top-25 opponents (22), including 12 at WVU.
–West Virginia is 4-0 all-time against UCF.
–West Virginia has surpassed at least 140 rushing yards in 38 of the last 44 games (since 2022)
–The Mountaineers are No. 25 nationally in rushing offense and tied for No. 27 in red zone offense
–WVU is 104-18 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.
–On first down, the Mountaineers have run 180 plays and gained 1,023 yards for a 5.7 average. On second down, the Mountaineers have run 139 plays for 774 yards and a 5.6 average. On third down, the Mountaineers have run 84 plays for 436 yards and a 5.2 average gain. West Virginia has run 17 plays on fourth down for 36 yards and a 2.1 average.
–WVU’s touchdowns have come nine times on first down (7 rush/2 pass), five times on second down (3 rush/2 pass), three times on third down (3 rush/0 pass) and zero times on fourth down (0 rush/0 pass).
–Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the 2025 season shows that the Mountaineers have run 420 plays, 275 on the ground and 145 through the air.
–The rushing game has totaled 1,237 yards, an average of 4.5 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 1,032 yards, four touchdowns and an average of 11.7 yards per completion. Combine the two and the Mountaineers have turned in 2,269 yards of total offense, 17 touchdowns, an average of 5.4 yards per play and an average of 22.3 points per game.
–Deeper analysis shows that the Mountaineer offense has gained 64 first downs by the run
and 39 via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 206.2 yards per game on the ground, 172.0 yards per game passing and 378.2 yards per game of total offense.
–West Virginia has gone to a bowl game in 20 of the last 23 years.
–The Mountaineers added 79 new players to the roster in 2025, including 39 on offense, 37 on defense and three on special teams.
–The 2025 roster consists of 124 players from 23 different states, Washington D.C. and three foreign countries: Australia (1), Finland (1) and Liberia (1).
–The TNT broadcast of the WVU-UCF football game on Sept. 27 marks the 342th national television game for WVU. All-time, the Mountaineers are 177-163-1 in nationally televised games.
UCF
UCF is led by Scott Frost, who, like Rich Rodriguez, is now in his second tenure atop the Knights football program. After two seasons in 2016 and 2017 including a perfect 13-0 mark in his second campaign, Frost left for his alma mater Nebraska where he was just 16-31 into his fifth season before being relieved of his duties. That led him back to UCF where he has the Knights 3-3 in his first year back leading the program.
Quarterback Tayven Jackson started the season at quarterback for the Knights and has thrown for 906 yards and 3 touchdowns but injuries forced both Jaccuri Brown and Cam Fancher into the role at times although Fancher has been ruled out and Brown is considered questionable for the game.
Running back Myles Montgomery has been the primary ball carrier with 434 yards and 3 touchdowns, but Jaden Nixon has rushed for 289 yards and 4 scores.
Duane Thomas is the leading receiver with 26 grabs for 276 yards, while DJ Black has 15 catches for 241 yards and 2 scores. At the tight end spot, Dylan Wade has 15 grabs for 155 yards and a score.
The Knights have boasted a top 20 defense in terms of scoring limiting opponents to just 17.8 points per game and are top 25 in total defense surrendering just 305.8 per game under coordinator Alex Grinch.
National Statistical Rankings
| Statistic | West Virginia | UCF |
| Scoring Offense | 91 (24.0) | 28 (39.7) |
| Scoring Defense | 97 (28.5) | 26 (17.8) |
| Rushing Offense | 33 (205.0) | 38 (202.3) |
| Rushing Defense | 59 (130.8) | 57 (129.3) |
| Passing Offense | 87 (203.0) | 53 (247.0) |
| Total Offense | 62 (408.0) | 36 (449.3) |
| Pass Defense | 84 (234.5) | 14 (157.5) |
| Total Defense | 95 (389.5) | 24 (305.8) |
| Third Down Conversions | 128 (31.0) | 100 (36.5) |
| Opponent Third Down | 39 (34.1) | 22 (30.8) |
Coaching Staff Assignments:
Zac Alley (AHC-DC-LB/Field)
Travis Trickett (Senior Offensive Assistant/Press Box)
Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL/Field)
Jeff Casteel (Bandits/Field)
Logan Bradley (IR/Field)
Gabe Franklin (S/Field)
Ryan Garrett (WR/Field)
William Green (DL/Field)
Pat Kirkland (STC-Defensive Assistant/Field)
Michael Nysewander (TE/Field)
Larry Porter (RB/Field)
Rhett Rodriguez (QB/Press Box)
Rod West (CB/Field)
Derek Dressler (Assistant OL/Press Box)
Henry Weinreich (Nickels-Sams/Field)
Pat White (Assistant QB/Field)
Jake Casteel (Asst. Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Ryan Nehlen (Asstant WR/Press Box)
Andrew Warwick (Assistant Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Depth Chart:
OFFENSE:
QB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Khalil Wilkins | 6-3 | 204 | r-Fr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 15 | Scotty Fox | 6-2 | 213 | Fr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 13 | Jaylen Henderson | 6-3 | 223 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 8 | Nicco Marchiol | 6-2 | 226 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 6 | Max Brown | 6-2 | 223 | r-Jr. |
RB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Diore Hubbard | 5-10 | 190 | r-Fr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 2 | Tye Edwards | 6-2 | 225 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 27 | Clay Ash | 5-9 | 196 | So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 23 | Cyncir Bowers | 5-10 | 191 | So. |
WR X:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Cam Vaughn | 6-2 | 185 | r-So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 16 | Jeff Weimer | 6-1 | 209 | r-Sr. |
WR Y:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Rodney Gallagher | 5-10 | 180 | Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 7 | Jarod Bowie | 5-9 | 162 | Sr. |
WR Z:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 181 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 11 | Justin Smith-Brown | 5-11 | 190 | r-Sr. |
TE:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 80 Grayson Barnes | 6-4 | 222 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 81 | Jacob Barrick | 6-3 | 231 | Sr. |
LT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Nick Krahe | 6-6 | 305 | r-So. |
| 79 | Mickel Clay | 6-4 | 300 | Sr. |
LG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | Walter Young Bear | 6-3 | 306 | r-Sr. |
| 57 | Donovan Haslam | 6-3 | 341 | r-Jr. |
C:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Landen Livingston | 6-4 | 294 | r-Jr. |
| 55 | Carson Lee | 6-2 | 327 | r-Sr. |
RG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Kimo Makane’ole | 6-4 | 300 | r-Sr. |
| 59 | Josh Aisosa | 6-3 | 321 | r-So. |
RT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Ty’Kieast Crawford | 6-5 | 305 | r-Sr. |
| 65 | Malik Agbo | 6-4 | 280 | r-Jr. |
DEFENSE:
DE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Kelly | 6-5 | 286 | Sr. |
| 91 | Devin Grant | 6-2 | 267 | r-Sr. |
DT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | Edward Vesterinen | 6-3 | 284 | r-Sr. |
| 92 | Asani Redwood | 6-3 | 294 | r-Jr. |
NG:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Hammond Russell | 6-3 | 308 | r-Sr. |
| 69 | Nate Gabriel | 6-3 | 315 | So. |
BANDIT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Braden Siders | 6-2 | 243 | r-Sr. |
| 0 | Jimmori Robinson | 6-4 | 248 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 18 | Curtis Jones | 6-4 | 231 | So. |
MIKE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Reid Carrico | 6-2 | 229 | r-Sr. |
| 32 | Ben Bogle | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
WILL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Chase Wilson | 6-1 | 230 | r-Sr. |
| 15 | Ben Cutter | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. |
NICKEL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Fred Perry | 5-9 | 206 | Sr. |
| 34 | Chris Fileppo | 6-2 | 211 | Fr. |
FS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
| 14 | Kekoura Tarune | 6-0 | 199 | Sr. |
| 13 | Derek Carter | 5-10 | 182 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 7 | Israel Boyce | 5-11 | 192 | So. |
BS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Darrian Lewis | 5-9 | 198 | r-Sr. |
| 4 | Jordan Walker | 6-0 | 194 | r-Sr. |
LCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Michael Coats | 5-11 | 183 | Sr. |
| 6 | Jordan Scruggs | 5-10 | 172 | r-Sr. |
RCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Jason Chambers | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. |
| 16 | Ty Crutcher | 5-8 | 176 | Sr. |
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Kade Hensley | 5-10 | 190 | r-Sr. |
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
KO:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
| 48 | Nate Flower | 6-2 | 184 | r-So. |
H:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 42 | RJ Kocan | 5-10 | 233 | r-Jr. |
P:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 47 | Aidan Stire | 6-0 | 198 | Fr. |
LS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Macguire Moss | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
| 53 | Kaden Seller | 6-2 | 256 | r-Fr. |
KR/PR:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 188 | r-Sr. |
| 24 | Rodney Gallagher | 5-10 | 180 | Jr. |
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