Knights look to build off a massive road victory against Kansas

Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics

UCF looks to build on a massive road win against Kansas and hopes to avoid another disappointing letdown against Arizona State on Saturday at the Acrisure Bounce House.

The Knights (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) head home following a huge win, securing their first road victory in 785 days since their thrilling 35-34 comeback win against TCU on Sept. 14, 2024.

Last Saturday, the Knights survived an unanswered 25-point second-half effort by the Kansas Jayhawks to steal a big win on the road.

While they have achieved a major high, the main concern for the group is avoiding a letdown against the visiting Arizona State Sun Devils (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) this Saturday, as they did against Baylor the week prior.

After putting the college football world on its head in their 39-31 double overtime thriller against then-No. 2 BYU on Oct. 24, the Knights sent fans home early after a disappointing 41-9 loss to Baylor the next week in their 10th annual Space Game on Oct. 30.

Redshirt senior offensive lineman Preston Cushman attributed the Baylor loss to a lack of energy and said a big boost this weekend could help the team get over the hump.

“I think it’s the energy and the juice that we bring on Saturday just has to be ramped up even more,” Cushman said. “I think we came out a little bit flat versus Baylor, we had a lot of juice, and we were ready to play Kansas the other day.”

That same juice and energy will need to transfer over to avoid another letdown. With the Sun Devils making their first-ever visit to the Acrisure Bounce House, it presents an opportunity for the Knights to build on the momentum from Saturday’s road win.

“There’s definitely no time to take a breath now, we need to double down on effort and intensity,” head coach Scott Frost said. “I’ll be really disappointed in all of us if we don’t play really hard and well on Saturday.”

The Sun Devils enter the matchup following a 20-10 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes last Saturday. However, they have yet to win back-to-back games this season.

After losses to Texas A&M, Baylor, No. 12 Texas Tech, and No. 10 BYU, Arizona State is now 5-4. Holding the same record as UCF, Frost sees a tough fight against a team in a similar position.

“They’ve been in every game they’ve been in except one, similar to us,” he said. “They’re a really good team, and in about the same situation we are, so it’s going to be another battle.”

Another thing to note is that a win on Saturday would make the Knights bowl eligible, something they haven’t been since 2023.

However, redshirt freshman running back Taevion Swint said the message for the team is to focus on the Sun Devils and not look ahead.

“Stay focused and keep staying focused,” he said. “Don’t let the little things distract us and just stay mission-focused.”

The Knights will look to capitalize on their newly found momentum in front of their home crowd this Saturday at the Acrisure Bounce House as they host the Sun