ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF and Oklahoma State meet in a matchup Saturday between two teams that have had tough seasons.
The game kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Acrisure Bounce House.
What You Need To Know
UCF will wrap up its home season starting at 4 p.m. Saturday against Oklahoma State
The Knights will hold a ceremony before the game honoring 25 seniors and fifth-year players preparing for their final home game
UCF must win Saturday’s game and next week’s game on the road against No. 11 BYU to be eligible for a bowl game
The Knights have won just one Big 12 game this season so far, and Oklahoma State still seeks its first
The Knights (4-6, 1-6 in the Big 12) are in the first year of a rebuild, as coach Scott Frost has returned to the team to try to re-establish the culture of the team that he made so successful in his first stint with the program. They brought in 60-70 new players after last year’s team graduated 30-plus seniors, and many others entered the transfer portal following the departure of then-coach Gus Malzahn.
The only victory for the Cowboys (1-9, 0-7 in the Big 12) this season came in their opener against UT-Martin, and longtime coach Mike Gundy was fired Sept. 23 after their third game of the season, a loss to Tulsa. They are the only team in the conference that hasn’t won a Big 12 game so far this season.
Still, UCF’s players have continued to fight each week, and Frost said he expects them to continue to do so.
“I expect — and am going to demand — a lot of energy and effort this week,” Frost said. “It’s a big night for our program and a lot of our seniors.”
It’s still possible for the Knights to win their final two games of the season and qualify for a bowl game after the season. It would be unlikely because their final game will be on the road, where they have not recorded a victory all season, against BYU, who enters the weekend ranked No. 11 in the nation.
But Frost said he and his team are focused on this week’s game after watching Oklahoma State post a 14-6 loss to Kansas State last week.
“You don’t see a team that’s given up,” Frost said of the Cowboys. “They fought Kansas State right to the end, even with the coaching change early in the season.”
In addition to the opportunity to reach a bowl game, the Knights need to continue to grow, Frost said.
“We’ve made progress because of a lot of things we have done from a culture standpoint,” Frost said. “But there’s also no magic button to push to make it all work. That’s a process. And I think the guys that we have have come a long way from that standpoint. I feel like I inherited a group — nobody’s fault — but inherited a group where there wasn’t a lot of feeling of team. I think we’ve come a long way with that, but we still have a ways to go.”
Frost wants the team to send out the seniors the right way, he said.
“It’s our whole team’s — as this team — last chance to play a home game together,” Frost said. “I think we need to get the momentum turned back the right way. It’s a chance to perform better than we did last week. So, it’s a big game for us.”
UCF will hold a ceremony before the game honoring 25 seniors and fifth-year players who will play in their final home game.
Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, senior offensive lineman Paul Rubelt and offensive lineman Pat Barnett are the only seniors who have played their entire careers at UCF. Some of the seniors made a big impact in their first and only season year at UCF, including running back Jaden Nixon, linebacker Cole Kozlowski and defensive back Phillip Dunnam. Frost called them great leaders and said he hopes the team can send them out with a win.
Frost also highlighted the contributions of running back Myles Montgomery, who grew up in Jacksonville and transferred in from Cincinnati two years ago. Frost said he wishes he had 40 guys like him on the team.
Lawrence, who signed as a freshman out of Louisville, Ky., said he is most proud of how UCF has grown and how he has grown with UCF during his playing career. His favorite memory is the Knights’ Gasparilla Bowl victory against Florida in 2021 because of the atmosphere.
He said he also wants the players coming up behind him to find the growth he has at UCF.
In the age of name, image and likeness and the transfer portal, Lawrence said he hopes that he’s shown that players can have a successful career and their games can continue to grow when playing all their eligible seasons for one team, even when there is a coaching change.
Despite the struggles this season, Montgomery said he hasn’t looked back since coming to UCF.
“UCF has changed my life forever for the good,” Montgomery said, adding, “I owe UCF my life.”
He said his favorite moment at UCF was his first touchdown in the Bounce House.
Lawrence and Montgomery said they expect a bright future for the Knights.
Lawrence said the players head into their last two games and still care about winning. The focus, he said, is “how can we come together to win these last two games and be bowl eligible.”
Montgomery said the Knights are now “in a two-game season, and you’ve got to work for it.”
Whatever happens, though, Montgomery said he expects the team to continue to get better next season.
“It’s strictly on culture, and I feel like we have a really good foundation for that,” Montgomery said. “I think the young guys know what to do and not to do and how it looks. All they have to do is keep doing this, and the sky’s the limit.”