Houston at UCF

Where: Accrisure Bounce House Stadium

When: Friday, 8 p.m.

TV: FS1

Weather: 72 degrees with 0% chance of precipitation

Latest line: UCF by 1.5 points

Coaches: Scott Frost is 23-11 at UCF, 39-42 overall; Willie Fritz is 11-10 at Houston, 219-126 overall.

Quick slant: This is the 12th meeting in the series with UCF holding an 8-3 advantage, including three straight wins. … The last time these two programs met, John Rhys Plumlee passed for 253 yards, while running back RJ Harvey had 136 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 win by the Knights. … UCF has a record of 8-0 In “Space Games” as the Knights averaged 50.6 points per game, while holding their opponents to just 19.9 points per game.

About UCF (4-4, 1-4 Big 12): UCF fell behind by 20 points in the first half as Baylor cruised to a 30-3 win in Waco last week. It was the seventh consecutive road loss for the Knights, who haven’t won away from Orlando since 2023. UCF failed to score a touchdown, snapping a 121-game streak, going back to a 44-3 loss to USF on Nov. 26, 2015.

About Houston (7-2, 4-2 Big 12): Houston turned the ball over a season-high four times as the Cougars saw their three-game winning streak snapped by West Virginia, 45-35, last week. Quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns but was picked off twice, including one that was returned 80 yards for a touchdown. Houston tied a season-low with just 82 rushing yards in the loss to the Mountaineers.

3 things to watch

1. UCF sits near the bottom of the Big 12 when it comes to third-down conversions, successfully converting only 33% of their attempts this season. Over the last two games, the Knights have managed to convert just 25% (2 of 8) of their third-and-short opportunities (1 to 4 yards).

2. The Knights have a record of 1-4 in games where they’ve lost the turnover battle this season. Their defense has managed to create nine takeaways, but they’ve only recorded two in the last four games. Meanwhile, Houston is coming off a loss in which they committed a season-high four turnovers. The Cougars are 1-2 this season when they find themselves on the losing end of the turnover battle.

3. UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, who is coming off back-to-back multiple sack games, enters this weekend tied for third in the Big 12 in sacks with 6. He is 1.5 sacks away from tying his career high of 7.5, set in 2023, and is tied at No. 10 for all-time career sacks at UCF.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com