2 Keys to the Game for Houston Cougars vs. UCF

After a gut-wrenching loss to the Mountaineers last week, the Cougars are looking to rebound against the UCF Knights in a Friday night matchup.

Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; The Houston Cougars run out onto the field before playing against the West Virginia Mountaineers at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

On Friday night, the Houston Cougars will look to keep their Big 12 title game hopes alive with a win over the UCF Knights. With both programs suffering embarrassing losses last weekend, this week's keys to the game could be more important than ever.

Both in their first season as a member of the Big 12, the Cougars and Knights last faced each other in 2023 with UCF winning the contest by a score of 27-13. Now a running back for the Denver Broncos, RJ Harvey, popped off for 136 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns.

It's safe to say that Houston and UCF have a completely different look in the 2025 season. While Houston has recently flourished under head coach Willie Fritz, the Knights have had a recent coaching change of their own with the rehiring of Scott Frost. With different looks on both offense and defense, and each program in desperation mode, this Friday's contest between former AAC members could be something to monitor closely.

Winning the Turnover Battle

Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) fumbles the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

For Coog Nation, this is an obvious talking point surrounding the loss to West Virginia last week. Houston turned the ball over four times leading to the Mountaineers controlling the time of possession, even if only by a narrow margin.

Since the Cougars' defense spent a lot of time on the field early in the game, it resulted in the West Virginia run game exploding for nearly 250 rushing yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

If Houston wants to find a win in Orlando, they'll need to limit turnovers against a UCF secondary that's been surprisingly stout this season. The Knights have allowed just 1,251 passing yards across eight games this season. Even in a severely lopsided loss to the Baylor Bears last week, the UCF secondary held quarterback Sawyer Robertson to just 267 passing yards.

As a defense, the Knights rank within the top 20 in the country in total passing yards, average yards per pass, and first downs allowed. To say that the UCF secondary could be trouble for the Cougars on Friday is an understatement. If the Houston offense wants to do things its way, winning the turnover battle early could be massive.

Slowing Down the Knights Rushing Attack

UCF Knights running back Myles Montgomery (22) runs the ball during the second half of the game against Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last week, the West Virginia offense exposed some weakness in Houston's run defense. Carlos Allen Jr. and the rest of the defensive line could be facing another tough matchup this weekend with a two-headed dragon in the UCF backfield.

Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon have been a massive factor in UCF's rushing success this season. While the passing game has been a little lackluster, the running back duo has combined for 995 rushing yards on only 146 rushing attempts. Together, they've found the endzone nine times this season.

While Montgomery tends to take on the majority of the work in the backfield, it hasn't stopped the senior from averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season. Nixon, a transfer from Western Michigan, presents more of a speed threat with multiple touchdowns that have gone for over 80 yards this season. Containing the running back duo will be extremely important for the Cougars this Friday.