3 things to watch as Knights host Sam Houston

ORLANDO — Sam Houston quickly caught Gus Malzahn’s attention Saturday night.

In 12 minutes, the Bearkats, UCF’s second opponent of the season, put up 17 points and outscored Rice 34-14 on the road.

“They beat Rice convincingly. It wasn’t even close,” Malzahn said Monday at his news conference.

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The Knights face a much tougher test Saturday at 6:30 p.m. than their 57-3 win over New Hampshire in the season opener, regardless of the fact that they are a 22½-point favorite Wednesday, according to BetMGM. A victory would mark UCF’s 200th win since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.

Sam Houston, meanwhile, made the jump to the FBS in 2023, two years after an undefeated FCS national championship run. The Bearkats lost their first eight games after joining Conference USA, but have since won four of their last five dating back to last November.

Here are three things to watch as the Knights welcome Sam Houston to the Bounce House for the first time.

1. UCF’s sharp passing game, early and often

Last week, UCF didn’t demand much from its passing game, instead crushing New Hampshire with 454 rushing yards — the second-highest single-game total in program history. And while Malzahn’s offense will still rely on the run game, balance will become crucial as the competition gets tougher.

“It just depends on how each game goes. The main thing is to be able to take what the defense gives you,” Malzahn said. “We’re going to be able to run the ball. Defenses know that. When they bring in extra players, you have to be able to throw the ball.”

KJ Jefferson missed six of his first seven pass attempts but completed 7 of 14 passes for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in his debut behind center. He threw for 8,075 yards (179.4 per game) in his college career with a completion rate just under 65%, so a positive regression seems likely.

Additionally, it’s important to get UCF’s receivers involved. Of the 11 passes Jefferson and Jacurri Brown completed, only four were completed by their receivers. Kobe Hudson, a preseason All-Big 12 selection, had two catches for 61 yards, including an acrobatic 46-yard reception to set up a touchdown before halftime, while Jarrad Baker and Xavier Townsend each had a reception for four yards.

2. Continued pressure on the pass rush

Even though they didn’t manage a single sack against New Hampshire, the Knights created plenty of problems in the trenches.

Ricky Barber, a sixth-year senior defensive end, generated five of UCF’s 14 total pressures on dropbacks. He recorded three quarterback hits and two pressures, earning him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Big 12 Team of the Week.

“Every week the ball’s not going to come out as fast. If we keep hitting the quarterback, he’s going to end up holding the ball,” Barber said.

Nyjalik Kelly, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, played the same number of defensive snaps (35) as his counterpart Malachi Lawrence, who added three QB pressures.

Sam Houston gave Rice seven sacks, giving him a loss of 29 yards. In his press conference Tuesday, Bearkats coach KC Keeler attributed part of that total to starting quarterback Hunter Watson holding the ball too long.

“I think it was as much Hunter as anybody,” Keeler said of Watson, a former JUCO national champion who threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns and added a team-best 57 yards rushing. “He missed all summer, part of the spring and wasn’t healthy the first couple days of training camp after he tore a meniscus. I think it’s just him finding a rhythm in that pocket and getting a little more comfortable.”

“I thought the offensive line played a very physical game, maybe as physical as I’ve seen us play. We made guys lose the ball, and it was very exciting.”

3. UCF remains at the top of the channels and continues its momentum

UCF squandered two promising first-quarter offenses, settling for short shots and never really getting into sync until the third quarter. The Knights’ first-team finish with four straight kills, simply wearing down a lesser opponent with its offensive line and highly touted backfield quartet (RJ Harvey, Myles Montgomery, Peny Boone and Johnny Richardson).

Sam Houston will look to avoid the same fate by keeping the Knights in second-and-long situations, which is easier said than done. UCF had 14 rushing attempts that went over 10 yards and nine designed running plays that went over 15 yards, according to PFF.

“We’re not going to stop (UCF’s running game), but we have to slow them down,” Keeler said. “And we just can’t have a lot of explosive plays against us. We know we’re going to give up some because they’re just very talented. We have to limit the damage they do with the speed they have.”

“If they’re in second and fifth, fourth and third a lot, it’s going to be a long day for the Bearkats.”

Sam Houston forced seven three-and-outs in the win over Rice, while also intercepting two passes. That gave the Bearkats control of the clock, holding the ball for 35 minutes and 20 seconds. Only one of Rice’s 13 drives that day lasted more than three minutes.