Houston Vs. UCF: Everything to Know About the Cougars Next Opponent

The Houston Cougars face a tough test in their home Big 12 opener against UCF.

Houston RB Dean Connors scores against the UCF Knights at Acrisure Bounce House in 2025. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 20 Houston Cougars seek to win their second straight game next Saturday when they host the UCF Knights.

Last season, the Cougars struggled to take down the Knights, eventually winning 30-27. This season, UCF looks a bit different, and here's everything to know about the Knights.

UCF Has Struggled Mightily to Pass the Ball

Houston's secondary has been a glaring weakness through four weeks of the season. Thankfully, UCF may struggle to take advantage of it.

The Knights are averaging just 158.0 yards per game through the air, the worst in the Big 12 and the second-worst in the Power Four. This is partly due to an injury to James Madison transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who remains out.

UCF QB Alonza Barnett III warms up before the game against Pittsburgh. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The FIU Panther transfer quarterback Keyone Jenkins has since replaced Barnett as the starter. Jenkins struggled against the Georgia State Panthers in Week 3, completing just seven of 17 passes for one touchdown and one interception.

However, Jenkins bounced back on Saturday with a 21-13 win over the TCU Horned Frogs, completing 19 of 20 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Between these two QBs, though, passing has been a major weakness. With Houston's secondary once again struggling in its 42-28 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday, UCF needs to expose this major weakness.

Interestingly, this game presents a major opportunity for the Houston secondary to improve significantly.

UCF's Defense Has Been Solid - Especially With Turnovers

So far, the Knights' defense has allowed only 15.3 points per game, the fourth-best in the Big 12. The defensive stats don't jump off the page, with mediocre numbers in the secondary and in the run defense.

But UCF has still found a way to limit how many points its opponent has scored. Part of that is because UCF has forced nine turnovers and turned the ball over four times. While the Knights allowed 30 points against Georgia State, they bounced back, allowing only 13 points against TCU.

UCF ranks 11th in the nation in forced turnovers, which has kept it in many games and prevented points. The good news is that Houston has turned the ball over only three times and had no turnovers against Georgia Southern.

This means that if the Cougars can keep the ball in their own hands, then their high-powered offense has a good chance of putting up a lot of points. Overall, with the Knights' offense struggling as much as it has, their defense will be huge in giving them a good chance of taking down Houston on the road.

Where UCF Could Be a Problem

Stat-wise, UCF has been pretty mediocre. However, there are a couple of things that could make UCF a bigger problem than Houston would like.

UCF has compiled 10 sacks, which is enough to rank sixth in the conference. Really, 10 sacks don't jump off the page either, but they do show that UCF has been pretty good at generating pressure and getting sacks.

UCF, on offense, as mentioned, hasn't been good. But the running game sits in the middle of the Big 12 and does have some dangerous running backs. The Knights as a team have averaged a solid 5.9 yards per rush behind running backs Duke Watson (354 yards on 40 carries with three touchdowns), Landen Chambers (129 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns), and freshman Taevion Swint (116 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns).

UCF RB Duke Watson carries the ball during the second quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston still ranks as the best run defense in the Big 12 and sixth in the country, with only 63 rushing yards allowed per game. However, given how poorly the Knights' QBs have done passing the ball, it makes a ton of sense to try to beat Houston on the ground.

Really, the question is: Will UCF still try to test the struggling secondary despite struggling to pass the ball themselves? Or will it try to establish itself more on the ground?

Either way, Houston must be ready. This matchup is simply a must-win game for the Cougars, who have high hopes for the 2026 season. The Cougars will face a tough stretch of games after this one, so beating the Knights is critical.