UCF (5-5, 2-5 Big 12) at Texas Tech (5-5, 4-3), Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (FS2)
Line: Texas Tech by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Bowl eligibility is on the line for both teams in the first meeting between the schools in UCF’s initial Big 12 season. The Knights are trying to build on a 45-3 stunner over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders are working on a late-season surge similar to a year ago, when they won their last four, including the Texas Bowl over Mississippi, in coach Joey McGuire’s debut. Texas Tech is on a two-game winning streak now after knocking then-No. 19 Kansas out of the poll with a 16-13 victory on the road last week. UCF also has won two in a row after a five-game losing streak.
KEY MATCHUP
They won’t be on the field at the same time, but this is a matchup of two of the running backs in the top 10 nationally in yards rushing. UCF’s RJ Harvey ran for a career-high 206 yards and matched his best with three touchdowns against Oklahoma State. It was his fifth consecutive 100-yard game, the longest streak for a UCF running back since 2007. Through Tuesday’s games, Harvey was ninth in the country with 1,082 yards. Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks was three spots ahead of him with 1,166 yards. Brooks has at least 100 yards in seven of the past eight games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
UCF: WR Kobe Hudson scored touchdowns on all three of his catches against Oklahoma State in his best game since recording three consecutive 100-yard games in September for the run-first Knights, who are third nationally in rushing yards per game. Hudson had 96 yards receiving while QB John Rhys Plumlee had a season-high 299 yards passing on just 11 completions. UCF had its biggest day offensively in a Big 12 game with 592 total yards.
Texas Tech: QB Behren Morton is 4-0 in games he started and finished since taking over for the injured Tyler Shough in a loss at West Virginia. The Red Raiders lost to Kansas State after Morton exited at halftime with a shoulder issue. He threw for a season-high 282 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago in a 35-28 win over TCU.
FACTS & FIGURES
This is the last of four first-time opponents for UCF in the regular season in its Big 12 debut. … A victory would guarantee Texas Tech a winning record in conference games for the second consecutive year. The Red Raiders haven’t done that since 2008-09 under the late Mike Leach. … UCF is seeking bowl eligibility for an eighth consecutive season. … Texas Tech has a five-game winning streak in November going back to last season, its longest since a six-game run from 1992-94. … The Knights forced four turnovers against Oklahoma State, their most in coach Gus Malzahn’s three seasons. It was Malzahn’s 100th career victory. … Texas Tech DB Dadrion Taylor-Demerson has three interceptions over the past two games to reach 10 for his career, putting him in the top 10 on the school’s all-time list.
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