Television
ESPN — Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack and Samantha Ponder
 
     Rutgers Radio                         UCF Radio
   WOR-AM 710 (flagship)                       WYGM-AM 740 (flagship)
 
THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the second meeting between Rutgers an UCF and the first to be played in the regular season … The only previous matchup was Rutgers’ 45-24 win in the 2009 in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl … Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu caught a touchdown pass and ran for two scores, while QB Tom Savage (now Pittsburgh’s starter) threw for two TDs.


 
RUTGERS (5-4, 2-3 American)
Head Coach
Kyle Flood (Iona ’93)
14-8, second season
 
NOTES
Rutgers wrapped up a string of three straight home games with a 52-17 setback to Cincinnati last Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium … The cumulative record of the four teams that have defeated Rutgers this season is 33-6 … RB Paul James, who was The American’s leading rusher prior to suffering a lower leg injury against Arkansas, returned to the lineup against Cincinnati … James has rushed for 651 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt and 130.2 yards per game … RB Justin Goodwin has been solid in James’ place, rushing for 479 yards with four touchdowns … QB Gary Nova has completed 154 of 269 passes for 2,052 yards and 18 touchdowns, but has thrown 13 interceptions … WR Leonte Carroo has 27 receptions for 469 yards and nine touchdowns, while TE Tyler Kroft has 25 catches for 356 yards and two TDs … WR Brandon Coleman has 28 catches for 403 yards and three TDs … LB Steve Longa, a redshirt freshman has 83 tackles and is fifth in the conference at 9.2 tackles per game … Rutgers has blocked three kicks on special teams this season.
 
17/20 UCF (8-1, 5-0 American)
Head Coach
George O’Leary (New Hampshire ’69)
67-56, 10th season at UCF
119-89, 17th season as collegiate head coach
 
ICYMI - J.J. Worton's amazing catch against Temple


NOTES
The Knights enter Saturday’s game as the winners of five straight, including a wild 39-36 victory against Temple that left UCF as the only unbeaten team in American Athletic Conference play … The Knights are ranked No. 18 in this week’s Bowl Championship Series standings …QB Blake Bortles, a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback, has completed 177 of 260 passes for 2,484 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions … RB Storm Johnson has rushed for 841 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 carries, averaging 93.4 yards per game … Johnson also has three touchdown receptions … WR Rannell Hall leads a deep group of receivers with 40 catches for 639 yards and three touchdowns … WR J.J. Worton has 31 catches for 500 yards and seven TDs … LB Terrance Plummer has 73 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions … K Shawn Moffitt has gone 14-for-15 in field goals and has not missed from inside 50 yards … UCF has converted 49 percent of its third-down chances (55 of 112).