UCF vs. Kent State: How To Watch & Preview

The Golden Flashes begin the 2023 season with a trial by fire in Orlando

Date/Time: Thursday (August 31) 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: Fox Sports 1 (FS1)

Listen: Kent State Radio Network // FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game (Orlando)

Line: UCF -36

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

All-Time Series Record: 2-2. Kent State won the two most recent meetings in 2003 and 2004.

UCF Preview

As of now, the game is still scheduled to move forward on Thursday evening as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in the state of Florida. However, as is the case with severe weather in the southeast, things can change quickly. 

Regardless, UCF plays their first game as a member of the Big 12 conference this week. A decade plus in the American, as well as time in CUSA and the MAC, gave G5 football fans plenty of incredible memories as the program grew. But now, a former David has joined the Goliath ranks. That should be apparent in this contest. 

Knights' head coach Gus Malzahn is going for his 12th consecutive win in a season opener dating back to his days at Auburn. UCF is 33-10 all time in season openers. Even with new coordinators in Addison Williams (defense) and Darin Hinshaw (offense), expectations are fairly high once again at the Bounce House.

"Honestly, we don't know a lot about them," Malzahn said of his Week One opponent. "They don't have a lot of players back. They have a lot of new faces, new transfers, new staff, new head coach. So we're curious to see exactly what they'll do, really in all three phases...At the end of the day when there are so many unknowns, you do what you do. You adapt in all three phases and I'm sure they'll do something similar."

Kent State Preview

As Malzahn alluded to, the offseason was one of immense change for Kent State. New head coach Kenni Burns assumed his new post shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 season. New defensive coordinator Dave Duggan followed shortly after, along with co-offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover. 

Kent State's changes come after the team finished 5-7 in 2022 and former head coach Sean Lewis left the program to join Deion Sanders' staff at Colorado

The Flashes did lose star running back Marquez Cooper in the offseason when he transferred to Ball State. He was far from the only one as Kent State's starters at basically every position are question marks. Do keep an eye on running backs Xavier Williams and Ky Thomas, however. Thomas transferred to Kent State from Kansas in the offseason.

This will inevitably be a year of trying to figure out what works and building upon it for Kent State. There will be bumps along with the way. But, Burns is optimistic about the future.

"It's an exciting time for Kent State football," Burns said in his weekly presser this week. "Excited to get going and finally play another opponent that's not yourself...UCF obviously is a very good football team. You watch any Gus Malzahn team, they're going to play fast, they're going to be disciplined, they're going to do everything right when it comes to how you play the game."