The UCF football team improved to 2-0 after defeating FAU, 48-14, on the road Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, the Knights improved one spot to 16th and 17th in the Amway Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, respectively.

Taming the Owls

Freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the Knights to the 48-14 win in his first career start. Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.

Running backs Greg McCrae, Adrian Killins Jr., Otis Anderson and Bentavious Thompson all scored rushing touchdowns for the Knights.

“I’m proud of that group,” Heupel said of the running backs after the game. “They cheer for one another and they’ve done a great job of understanding what we’re doing against the looks that we’re seeing and getting to the right spot.”

The UCF defense was equally impressive for the second straight outing, allowing just one second half touchdown and two first half field goals. The Knights pressured FAU relentlessly, registering five sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

“The defensive line changed the game the entire night,” Heupel said.

Top 25 Program

With the win this weekend at FAU, the Knights improved to 33-2 all-time when ranked in the Top 25.

UCF has been ranked in 29 straight Top 25 poll releases, dating back to week six of the 2017 season, and this week’s standing marks the 42nd time in history the Knights have been in the Top 25.

UCF and the Florida Gators are the only two programs from the state to appear in this year’s national polls.

Up next: Stanford

UCF looks to continue their hot start to the season when it hosts Stanford at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Spectrum Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.

UCF aims to improve to 3-0 for the third straight year and extend its school-record home winning streak to 17 games.

Stanford fell out of the Top 25 on Sunday after recording a 45-20 loss to USC over the weekend. The Knights and the Cardinal have met just one time in the history of the two programs, a 31-7 Stanford victory in California in 2015.

Knights fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. Three Sheets to the Wind, a 1970s and ’80s tribute ban, will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. on IOA Plaza for the pregame UCF Tailgate Concert Series show.

For more information about game day, including parking, tailgating and shuttles, check out the UCF fan guide.

Tickets
A limited number of game tickets for Saturday are available for purchase through ticketmaster.com. Admission to home games are free for UCF students, but passes must be claimed through the UCFStudentTix.com prior to game day. Claiming a free student pass does not guarantee entry as admission is first come, first served.

  • Step 1: To claim your free pass, log into UCFStudentTix.com using your Knights email. Note: All UCF students are allowed to claim a pass. To reiterate, claiming a pass to a game does not guarantee entry and early arrival is encouraged.
  • Step 2: Opt in for receiving messages. A text will be sent to your phone to accept your seat. There is no assigned seating as the student section is first come, first served.
  • Step 3: Once you arrive at the gate, you must have your phone in order to scan the ticket barcode, *AND* you must show your student ID for entry into the stadium.