[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Baylor Opens League Road Slate at UCF on Saturday

[Ingram, Brent]

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 25, 2023

Baylor Opens League Road Slate at UCF on Saturday
Bears to face UCF in Knights First Big 12 Home Game

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu> or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> or Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu<mailto:colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu>



WACO, Texas -- Baylor football heads to Orlando for its first road test of the 2023 season, facing UCF in its first home game as a member of the Big 12 Conference, with kickoff on Saturday slated for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on FS1 and the Baylor Sports Network.



Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) will voice the action for FS1. The game will also be broadcast on the Baylor Sports Network, with the Voice of the Bears, John Morris (play-by-play), J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline) calling the action.



Baylor (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) will face off with the Knights (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) in the first UCF home game as a member of a power-5 conference. The game has been sold out since the summer and will feature a UCF program that has solidified itself as a power in the group of 5 conferences and have earned a spot in a power-5 league.



This marks Baylor’s first road game of the season in a schedule that features a program-record and nation-leading eight home games.



SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS

• UCF is led by third-year head coach Gus Malzahn, widely regarded as one of the best offensive minds in college football. Malzahn is in his third stint as a head coach, leading Arkansas State to a 9-3 and Sun Belt Conference title in 2012, and going 68-35 over eight seasons leading Auburn. He was previously the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Auburn when the Tigers won the 2010 national championship. Malzahn took over UCF in 2021 and has led the Knights to consecutive nine-win seasons as UCF.

• UCF enters the Big 12 Conference for the 2023 season after an impressive run as a group of 5 school in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference. The Knights opened their Big 12 run on Saturday, falling in a fourth-quarter rally to defending league champion Kansas State.

• Addison Williams is in his first season as the defensive coordinator and his third on the UCF staff. Williams previously spent time at Coastal Carolina, Auburn, Furman, Tusculum and South Carolina. Darin Hinshaw is the offensive coordinator and QB coach at his alma matter, where he stared at QB. He has gained experience at Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Memphis, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Kentucky. Brian Blackmon is the special teams coordinator and came to UCF after three years at Troy, a season as the analyst at Auburn and a stint as the head coach and previously offensive coordinator at Opelika (Ala.) High School.

• The Knights rank among the nation’s leaders in nearly every offensive category, checking in third in rushing offense (260.2 yards per game), fourth in total offense (565.0), ninth in kickoff returns (29.0), 12th in first downs (105), 15th in passing offense (304.8 per game), 17th in third-down conversion percentage (51%), 21st in passing efficiency (169.06) and 23rd in scoring offense (38.2).

• UCF has wins over Kent State (56-6), Boise State (18-16) and Villanova (48-14), before falling to the Wildcats in Manhattan last week, 44-31.

• QB John Rhys Plumlee, a two-sport athlete who transferred from Ole Miss, has played in two of four games due to injury and has thrown for 276.5 yards per game with three TDs and four picks, also rushing for 163 yards and a score. Timmy McClain has thrown for five TDs and 638 yards over three games, with just one pick, while rushing for 80 yards. Johnny Richardson has rushed 39 times for 289 yards, while RJ Harvey has 283 yards on 52 carries with five TDs. Kobe Hudson has 20 grabs for 463 yards and two TDs. Walter Yates owns 20 tackles, with Tre’Mon Morris-Brash leading college football with nine tackles for a loss and three sacks.



SERIES HISTORY

• In the lone meeting in the series, the Knights posted a 52-42 win over the Bears in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, with UCF ranked No. 15 and the Bears No. 6. UCF finished the year 12-1 while Baylor sported an 11-2 record.

• UCF took a 35-28 lead midway through the third quarter and scored 24 of the final 38 points to post the high-scoring win. UCF totaled 556 yards of total offense with Baylor going for 550, including 356 through the air. Blake Bortles threw for 301 yards with three TDs and two picks, adding 93 yards rushing, while Bryce Petty was 30-for-47 with two TDs and 356 yards. Storm Johnson had 130 yards rushing and three TDs, with Lache Seastrunk toting it 17 times for 119 yards.



UP NEXT

• Baylor will return home to host Texas Tech on Oct. 7 at McClane Stadium. The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.



- BaylorBears.com -


--
Brent Ingram | Assistant AD for Communications
Men’s Tennis Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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