FAU – UCF rivalry renews tonight after 15 year hiatus

Kenneth Stephens New Era Prep Staff Writer

ORLANDO – UCF is hosting FAU tonight for an in-state showdown.

The last time these two teams played was in 2003, with UCF coming out victorious in a close 33-29 game.

To give you an idea of how long it’s been since these two squared off, Mike Kruczek was UCF’s head coach and FAU’s head coach was legendary Howard Schnellenberger.

This time around, FAU is under the direction of Lane Kiffin and UCF under Josh Heupel, who’s in his first season as the program’s head coach.

The Knights are 2-0 after posting impressive blowout victories over Connecuit 56-17 and South Carolina State 38-0. After postponing its game against North Carolina, UCF has had an extra week to prepare for the Owls, which could play a factor how this game plays out.

FAU (2-1) has its second opportunity of the season to knock off a ranked opponent in UCF, who is No. 16 in the latest AP Top 25 rankings.

After a taking a thumping against No. 5 Oklahoma, the Owls have bounced back in a big way by scoring good victories over Air Force (33-27) and Bethune-Cookman (49-28) in Weeks 2 and 3.

Both squads are riding a two-game winning streak coming into tonight’s matchup and will be looking to score a third.

UCF is looking to show the college football world it is a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The AAC powerhouse wants to build off of last year’s undefeated season (13-0) under former head coach/now-Nebraska head coach Scott Frost.

FAU will be looking to find consistency and get a marquee win under its belt against a ranked opponent. The Owls will be focused and motivated for a big win.

In addition to that, this intrastate game will feature a whopping 18 players from Palm Beach County on both teams. Here’s the full list below.

UCF players from Palm Beach County:

1. Redshirt senior long snapper Caleb Perez (No. 47 jersey; Palm Beach Gardens alum)

2. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jonathan Gebka (No. 47 jersey; Olympic Heights alum)

3. Freshman defensive back Trey Green (No. 19; Glades Central alum)

FAU players from Palm Beach County:

1. Junior running back Devin Singletary (No. 5 jersey; Delray Beach American Heritage alum)

2. Senior safety Jalen Young (No. 18 jersey; Seminole Ridge alum)

3. Redshirt junior running back Kerrith Whyte (No. 6 jersey; Seminole Ridge alum)

4. Junior running back Chauncey Mason (No. 26; Boynton Beach alum)

5. Junior safety Davon Brown (No. 27; Royal Palm Beach alum)

6. Freshman cornerback Teja Young (No. 32; Palm Beach Lakes alum)

7. Redshirt senior running back Gerald Hearns (No. 34; Dwyer alum)

8. Senior tight end Ray Wilson Jr. (No. 43 jersey; Palm Beach Central alum)

9. Senior defensive tackle Steven Leggett (No. 56 jersey; Glades Central alum)

10. Freshman defensive end Dalton Hustad (No. 57 jersey; Dwyer alum)

11. Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Jake Jones (No. 71; Seminole Ridge alum)

12. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Deon Humphrey (No. 74; Delray Beach American Heritage alum)

13. Redshirt junior wide receiver Dante Cousart (No. 87; Dwyer alum)

14. Redshirt seior defensive tackle Daikwon Fuse (No. 94; Dwyer alum)

EXTRA: Redshirt freshman defensive lineman BJ Etienne (No. 76 jersey; went to Park Vista, but graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas; from Palm Beach County)

Kickoff is tonight at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, with a start time of 7 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Please note: If you can’t watch the game live, you may want to DVR this matchup because it promises to be one that could go down the wire.

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