After starting the season with a 36-31 home win over Boise State, the UCF football team (1-0) is set to get back in action this weekend, hosting Bethune-Cookman (0-1). The Knights and the Wildcats are scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday from the Bounce House with coverage on ESPN+ and FM 96.9 The Game

A UCF WIN WOULD...
• Be better than a loss
• Be Malzahn's 79th win as a head coach
• Total 176 FBS wins for UCF in program history
• Give UCF a 12-5 lead over Bethune-Cookman in the all-time series
• Mark the Knights' fifth straight year starting 2-0

SERIES BREAKDOWN

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Bethune-Cookman is in its sixth season under head coach Terry Sims, who had led the Wildcats to a record of 34-21 in his five seasons.

• The Wildcats did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but went 7-4 overall in 2019, recording a mark of 5-3 in MEAC play.

• Bethune-Cookman opened the 2021 season on the road at UTEP, falling 38-28 in El Paso.

• Quarterback Shannon Patrick went 15-of-22 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the defeat, while Que'Shaun Byrd rushed 12 times for 98 yards and a score on the ground.

TEAM NOTE
AWESOME ACADEMICS
• This past spring, UCF Athletics extended its streak to 27 consecutive semesters with a department average GPA of 3.0 or better and it marked the ninth straight semester of a 3.2 or better as a department.
• The UCF football team put 49 student-athletes on the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team this past spring.
• A total of 37 football student-athletes earned Dean's List honors over the course of the 2020-21 school year, with Derek Gainous, Anthony Montalvo and Alex Swenson earning the accolades both semesters.
• Gainous, a senior safety for the Knights, also received CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this past year.

OFFENSE NOTE
GABRIEL'S GOT IT
• Dillon Gabriel has already made his name as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and came into the 2021 season as a PFF preseason honorable mention All-American and a watch list honoree for every national quarterback and player of the year award.
• In 2020 he threw for 3,570 yards and 32 passing touchdowns with only four interceptions in just a 10-game season.
• He earned second-team all-conference accolades from the AAC and led the nation with 357.0 passing yards per game. 
• Gabriel's 32 passing touchdowns ranked fourth in the nation and were the second most in a single season in UCF history.
• As a sophomore he threw for 400 or more yards in four games in 2020, which was more than any other Knight has done in an entire career.
• Gabriel didn't miss a step in the 2021 opener, throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns to go with 64 rushing yards.

DEFENSE NOTE
LOADED AT LINEBACKER
• The one area of the defense that UCF returns all of its experience from a year ago is linebacker, bringing back starters Eriq Gilyard and Tatum Bethune, as well as key reserve Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste.
• Jean-Baptiste and Bethune got the start in the first game of 2021, with the former leading the Knights with a career-high nine tackles and two tackles for loss.
• UCF also started newcomer and former FCS All-American Bryson Armstrong at their hybrid Knight position. Armstrong is a two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year and has totaled 40 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks in his career.

DID YOU KNOW?
Thursday's win over Boise State marked the largest comeback in Bounce House history and the largest comeback victory for Gus Malzahn as a head coach.