Four things to know about TCU football’s next opponent, the UCF Knights

The Horned Frogs will begin Big 12 play with an intriguing matchup against UCF in a primetime Saturday night matchup at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Both teams were picked to finish in the middle of the conference pecking order in the preseason media polls, but the winner of Saturday’s battle could emerge as a darkhorse to reach the Big 12 title game.

Both teams have looked impressive to start the season against weaker competition, but Saturday will be a true measuring stick for both teams as they try to start league play on the right foot. It’s a game that features plenty of storylines and some of the most talented players in the conference.

Buckle up, it could be a wild one. Here are four things to know about the Knights:

New sheriff in town

The Knights swung for the fences and landed one of the best transfer quarterbacks last cycle. Former Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson now leads the Knights after a good career with the Razorbacks in the SEC. Jefferson started nearly 40 games for the Razorbacks. His best seasons in Fayetteville were when he played under current TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.

In 2021 and 2022, Jefferson passed for 2,676 and 2,648 yards and a combined 45 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Listed at 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, Jefferson also rushed for over 600 yards in both seasons with a combined 15 touchdowns. Jefferson’s numbers took a big drop last season as Arkansas struggled as it his lone year as a starter where he didn’t account for over 3,000 yards of total offense.

So far with the Knights, Jefferson has a light workload in games against New Hampshire and Sam Houston State. He’s attempted just 29 passes, completing 19 for 233 yards and two touchdowns while adding 89 rushing yards and another score. Expect a heavy work load for Jefferson against the Horned Frogs.

Elite skill players

UCF has two of the most explosive playmakers you may not have heard of with RJ Harvey and Kobe Hudson. Let’s start with Harvey, a talented running back that is in the same tier with Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon and Kansas’ Devin Neal. Harvey had a monster season last year with 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Harvey is a big play waiting to happen with runs of 92, 61, and 60 in his career. This season Harvey has continued his elite production with 268 yards and six touchdowns while averaging an impressive 8.9 yards per carry. Harvey just needs one crease to turn a five-yard gain into a 50-yarder, TCU’s tackling will be tested.

At receiver, Kobe Hudson is another electric playmaker that isn’t a household name just yet. Hudson racked up 900 yards on just 44 receptions last year. He’s the definition of a deep threat and has produced three straight seasons with at least 580 receiving yards. Like Jefferson, Hudson’s workload has been light so far, but he still has 165 yards on just seven receptions. Hudson and Harvey will get plenty of touches against the Horned Frogs.

What about the defense?

The Knights struggled at times defensively last season, especially against the run as UCF allowed over 194 yards on the ground. To remedy that, UCF hit the transfer portal hard to beef up the defense. One major addition was Miami defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly, a 6-foot-5 edge rusher. Kelly has already matched his production from last season with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the Knights’ first two games.

At linebacker UCF was able to pluck Deshawn Pace from rival Cincinnati. Pace is a versatile defender that is a hybrid safety and linebacker, in many ways like TCU’s Namdi Obiazor. Pace had over 230 tackles in the three seasons prior to this one and he’s currently second on the team with eight tackles.

In the secondary UCF is led by safety Demari Henderson, who earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors despite starting just seven games in the latter half of the season. But Henderson missed the season opener and could be questionable for Saturday’s game, which could be a big boost for TCU.

Major test for TCU’s offensive line

LIke most games, as much as we pay attention to the quarterbacks and skill players, this battle will be determined in the trenches. TCU’s offensive line has performed solid so far as the unit has done a great job of keeping Josh Hoover clean, but the run blocking hasn’t been as dominant with the Horned Frogs only averaging 90 yards on the ground.

How will the unit matchup against UCF’s defensive line? The Knights have lived in their opponents’ backfield with 13 tackles for loss in two games led by Daylon Dotson, who has three on the season and Braeden Marshall, who has two. Yes the Knights have produced these numbers against inferior competition, but TCU also played competition beneath them and wasn’t able to register the rushing numbers Sonny Dykes desires.

The offensive line will be under a microscope Saturday.