The Arizona Wildcats look to end their four-game losing streak against the UCF Knights in Orlando. Here's a look at the "Space Game's" starting lineups, key matchups and a score prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears.
Arizona (3-5) at UCF (3-5)
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando
Watch: FS1
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita looks to pass against Utah during UA’s September victory over the Utes.
Arizona Wildcats
Record: 3-5 (1-4 Big 12)
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
XWR | 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | 6-5 | 212 | Jr.
FWR | 2 | Jeremiah Patterson | 5-10 | 175 | Jr.
LT | 71 | Jonah Savaiinaea | 6-5 | 336 | Jr.
LG | 60 | Alexander Doost | 6-7 | 332 | R-Fr.
C | 75 | Josh Baker | 6-3 | 300 | Sr.
RG | 72 | Wendell Moe | 6-2 | 339 | R-So.
RT | 77 | Michael Wooten | 6-5 | 315 | R-So.
TE | 88 | Keyan Burnett | 6-6 | 248 | Jr.
ZWR | 16 | Chris Hunter | 6-1 | 192 | R-So.
QB | 11 | Noah Fifita | 5-10 | 188 | R-So.
RB | 7 | Quali Conley | 5-10 | 209 | Sr.
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 11 | Chase Kennedy | 6-3 | 220 | R-So.
DT | 46 | Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei | 6-4 | 280 | Jr.
NT | 47 | Stanley Ta'ufo'ou | 6-2 | 274 | R-Sr.
DE | 3 | Tre Smith | 6-5 | 270 | R-Jr.
MLB | 6 | Taye Brown | 6-2 | 225 | So.
LB/S | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 202 | R-Jr.
Dime | 27 | Owen Goss | 6-2 | 202 | Sr.
CB | 23 | Emmanuel Karnley | 6-3 | 184 | R-Fr.
CB | 1 | Tacario Davis | 6-4 | 190 | Jr.
NB | 12 | Genesis Smith | 6-2 | 203 | So.
FS | 13 | Jack Luttrell | 6-0 | 180 | R-Fr.
UA 2024 SCHEDULE
August
31 | NEW MEXICO | W, 61-39
September
7 | NORTHERN ARIZONA | W, 22-10
13 | at No. 14 Kansas State | L, 31-7
28 | at No. 10 Utah | W, 23-10
October
5 | TEXAS TECH | L, 28-22
12 | at No. 14 BYU | L, 41-19
19 | COLORADO | L, 34-7
26 | W. VIRGINIA | L, 31-26
November
2 | at UCF
15 | HOUSTON*
23 | at TCU
30 | ASU (Senior Day)
Home games in BOLD; *=Friday game
UA 2024 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Fifita | 173-289-10 | 2,068 | 11 | 78
McMillan | 1-2-0 | 14 | 0 | 14
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]
Conley | 109 | 572 | 7 | 5.2 | 71.5
Reescano | 45 | 245 | 1 | 5.4 | 30.6
Croskey-Merritt | 13 | 106 | 1 | 8.2 | 106.0
Fifita | 39 | 60 | 1 | 1.5 | 7.5
K. Luke | 4 | 19 | 0 | 4.8 | 2.4
RECEIVING
[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]
McMillan | 57 | 982 | 5 | 17.2 | 122.8
Burnett | 18 | 217 | 1 | 12.1 | 31
Conley | 27 | 177 | 0 | 6.5 | 22.1
Lemonious-Craig | 17 | 172 | 1 | 10.1 | 21.5
Patterson | 14 | 124 | 2 | 8.9 | 15.5
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Johnson | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
Manu | 47 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Brown | 46 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Smith, T. | 39 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1
Smith, G. | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1
Goss | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1
Davis | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Central Florida quarterback Jacurri Brown reacts to the fans as he runs in a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)
UCF Knights
Record: 3-5 (2-4 Big 12)
WHEN UCF IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 80 | Trent Whittemore | 6-4 | 211 | R-Sr.
TE | 5 | Randy Pittman Jr.| 6-2 | 225 | So.
LT | 78 | Amari Knight | 6-7 | 318 | R-Sr.
LG | 76 | Adrian Medley | 6-5 | 305 | Sr.
C | 52 | Caden Kitler | 6-3 | 295 | R-So.
RG | 72 | Marcellus Marshall | 6-5 | 310 | R-Sr.
RT | 69 | Paul Rubelt | 6-11 | 330 | R-Sr.
WR | 9 | Ja'Varrius Johnson | 5-10 | 180 | Sr.
WR | 2 | Kobe Hudson | 6-1 | 200 | Sr.
QB | 11 | Jacurri Brown| 6-4 | 220 | R-So.
RB | 7 | RJ Harvey | 5-9 | 220 | Sr.
WHEN UCF IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 51 | Malachi Lawrence | 6-4 | 243 | R-Jr.
DT | 2 | Lee Hunter | 6-4 | 320 | R-Jr.
DT | 5 | Ricky Barber | 6-3 | 295 | Sr.
DE | 11 | Nyjalik Kelly | 6-5 | 250 | Jr.
WLB | 2 | Deshawn Pace | 6-2 | 220 | Sr.
MLB | 32 | Ethan Barr | 6-3 | 245 | Sr.
NB | 4 | Braeden Marshall | 5-10 | 175 | So.
CB | 0 | BJ Adams | 6-3 | 175 | So.
FS | 13 | Ladarius Tennison | 5-10 | 200 | Sr.
SS | 9 | Sheldon Arnold | 6-1 | 191 | Sr.
CB | 20 | Mac McWilliams | 5-10 | 185 | R-Sr.
Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) takes a handoff from quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) during the Knights' game against TCU on Sept. 14 in Fort Worth, Texas.
UCF 2024 SCHEDULE
August
29 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | W, 57-3
September
7 | SAM HOUSTON | W, 45-14
14 | at TCU | W, 35-34
28 | COLORADO | L, 48-21
October
5 | at Florida | L, 24-13
12 | CINCINNATI | L, 19-13
19 | at No. Iowa State | L, 38-35
26 | No. 9 BYU | L, 37-24
November
2 | ARIZONA
9 | at Arizona State
23 | at West Virginia
29 | UTAH*
Home games in BOLD, * = Friday game
Central Florida helmets are viewed behind the bench are on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
UCF 2024 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Jefferson| 64-108-4 | 1,012 | 7 | 75
Brown | 34-66-4 | 387 | 1 | 40
Rizk | 7-11-0 | 102 | 1 | 32
Colson | 1-4-0 | -6 | 0 | 0
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]
Harvey | 149 | 1,017 | 13 | 6.8 | 127.1
Brown | 44 | 339 | 2 | 7.7 | 67.8
Boone | 34 | 208 | 2 | 6.1 | 34.7
Jefferson | 61 | 193 | 2 | 3.2 | 38.6
Montgomery | 25 | 156 | 2 | 6.2 | 26
RECEIVING
[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]
Hudson | 27 | 509 | 3 | 18.9 | 63.6.9
Harvey | 11 | 205 | 2 | 18.6 | 25.6
Pittman | 16 | 186 | 0 | 11.6 | 23.3
Jones | 8 | 145 | 1 | 18.1 | 18.1
Whittemore | 4 | 99 | 0 | 24.8 | 14.1
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Bullard | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Pace | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0
Barr | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0
Alexander | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Arnold | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Kelly | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
Hunter | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0
Head to Head
Arizona defensive players Taye Brown, left, Chase Kennedy (11) and Tre Smith (3) put pressure on New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier during the first half of the Wildcats’ season-opening matchup on Aug. 31 in Tucson.
6 Taye Brown vs. 7 RJ Harvey
With linebacker Jacob Manu out for the season with a leg injury, Brown has stepped in as the Wildcats' leader in the middle. Whenever the Wildcats used the dollar or dime packages, Manu was the lone linebacker in the middle, but Brown is now in Manu's role with strong safety Dalton Johnson as a box safety-linebacker, a role Martell Irby had last season. In last week's loss to West Virginia, Brown had an 81.6 tackling on Pro Football Focus and didn't have any missed tackles.
Harvey is the only player in the Big 12 with over 1,000 rushing yards at 1,017 — and the next one in line is Kansas State star DJ Giddens and Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks. Harvey's 13 rushing touchdowns leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally. Harvey is 128 yards shy of passing Alex Haynes for the second-most career rushing yards by a UCF player.
Arizona center Josh Baker, shown during the UA 2023 season opener against NAU last September, started all 13 games for the Wildcats last season.
75 Josh Baker vs. 2 Lee Hunter
Arizona's captain on the offensive line is the only one not to switch positions this season. After left tackle Rhino Tapa'toutai went down with a season-ending leg injury, the Wildcats shuffled the offensive line and moved right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea to left tackle and Oregon transfer Michael Wooten at right tackle, then switched junior left guard Wendell Moe and redshirt freshman right guard Alexander Doost to balance the experience on both sides.
Hunter, a 320-pound force in the middle, is in his third season with the Knights after initially starting his college career at Auburn as a highly-touted recruit out of Mobile, Alabama. Hunter was named to the Bronko Nagurski, Outland Trophy and Bednarik Award watch lists in the preseason. Arizona's run game between the tackles will be tested with Hunter's size plugging the gaps.
The matchup
When Arizona has the ball …
Arizona played catch-up most of the game, trailing by three possessions in the fourth quarter against West Virginia. But the Wildcats found a spark late and scored on their final drives. Considering UCF is a run-heavy team, scoring early, sustaining offensive rhythm, and forcing the Knights to throw and play out of character could carve out a path for Arizona to win. The Wildcats have also yet to play a game this season without a turnover. A turnover in the "Space Game" could spell trouble for Arizona.
Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) runs past linebacker Jonathan Thompson (22) during the second half of a game on Oct. 12 in Orlando, Florida.
When UCF has the ball …
The Knights' quarterback situation is still undecided, but UCF has the top rushing attack in the Big 12, averaging 267.9 yards per game and league-best 21 rushing touchdowns. Arizona has struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks this season, more notably against New Mexico and Kansas State, and UCF's Jacurri Brown, a transfer from Miami, is the Knights' top rushing quarterback. Plus, the Wildcats surrendered over 200 rushing yards last week against West Virginia, which hadn't happened since the Kansas State loss.
Prediction: UCF 30, Arizona 27
The Wildcats haven't lost five straight games since they were on a 20-game losing streak in the 2021 season. The Wildcats will either end their losing streak on Saturday or extend UCF's own losing skid to six games and end the Knights' unbeaten streak in the "Space Game" (they're 7-0 all-time). After firing defensive coordinator Ted Roof and changing offensive play-calling duties from Gus Malzahn to Tim Harris Jr. this week, UCF will have a refreshed look against Arizona. If UCF dominates time of possession and Arizona's offense turns the ball over and fails to score points, it could be a grinder of a game for the Wildcats on Saturday. Stopping Harvey and UCF's rushing attack will be critical.
