The UCF Knights (3-3) face off against the Iowa State Cyclones (6-0) on Saturday, October 19th. This game will be played at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames and televised on FS1. Iowa State is coming off a win in their previous game, while UCF is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 7:30 ET.
UCF Knights vs Iowa State Cyclones
UCF Offense Breakdown
UCF’s offense has been driven by their rushing attack, ranking 3rd in the nation with 268 rushing yards per game on 48.2 attempts per game. RJ Harvey leads the team with 694 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns, and an average of 6 yards per carry. The Knights are 38th in scoring, averaging 30.7 points per game, and they have converted 45.8% of their third-down attempts, ranking 28th nationally.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson has thrown for 1,012 yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, posting a passer rating of 96. UCF ranks 87th in passing yards per game. Kobe Hudson leads the receiving corps with 477 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 catches, averaging 20 yards per reception. Heading into week 8, UCF is ranked 62nd in our offensive power rankings.
Iowa State Offense Breakdown
Heading into week 8, Iowa State’s offense is averaging 30.7 points per game, placing them 38th nationally. However, they rank 18th in our offensive power rankings. The Cyclones are 15th in third-down conversions, converting 48.7% of their attempts. They also rank 23rd in completion percentage, completing 66.7% of their passes, and are 29th in rushing attempts, averaging 174.5 rushing yards per game.
Rocco Becht leads the passing attack with 1,438 yards and a passer rating of 108. He has thrown 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, completing 66.5% of his passes. Jaylin Noel is the top receiver with 528 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the ground, Jaylon Jackson has rushed for 314 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry.
UCF Team Defense
UCF’s defense has been strong against the run this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 93.5 rushing yards per game. In their recent game against Cincinnati, they held the Bearcats to 97 rushing yards on 32 attempts. However, the secondary has struggled, giving up 246 passing yards per game, which ranks 119th in the country, and a 69.9% completion rate, ranking 156th.
In the game against Cincinnati, UCF’s defense allowed 19 points and 338 total yards, including 241 passing yards. They also forced two interceptions. On average, UCF is giving up 23.7 points per game this season, which ranks 43rd nationally.
UCF Team Defense
Iowa State’s defense has been impressive this season, ranking fourth nationally by allowing just 11 points per game. They’ve also held opponents to 145.7 passing yards per game, the eighth-lowest in the country, and quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of only 47.8, the second-lowest in college football.
In their recent game against West Virginia, Iowa State’s defense allowed 16 points, while giving up 356 total yards, including 150 rushing yards and 206 passing yards. They also forced two interceptions during the game.
UCF vs Iowa State Trends
- UCF has a 1-2 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 23 points per game while allowing 27. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
- Across their last five home contests, Iowa State has been good against the spread posting a mark of 5-0. Their overall mark in these games was 5-0, while averaging 31 points per game.
- Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the UCF Knights have a straight up record of 4-6. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.
- Iowa State has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 5-0 SU and 5-0 ATS in their last five games.
Knights vs Cyclones Prediction
Our projections have Iowa State winning their week eight matchup against UCF by a score of 35-16. With the Cyclones as -13.5 point favorites, we expect them to cover the spread.
The over/under line is set at 48.5 points, and with our projected score of 51 points, we recommend taking the over in this matchup.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:October 15, 2024 Iowa State Cyclones, UCF Knights