{"id":361881,"date":"2025-11-07T09:38:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T09:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/361881\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T09:38:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T09:38:15","slug":"2025-week-11-space-game-preview-houston-cougars-ucf-knights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/361881\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Week 11 Space Game Preview: Houston Cougars @ UCF Knights"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"duet--article--unordered-list _1nfb3k4i feuejx0 ls9zuh1\">\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Time and date: <\/strong>Friday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Network:<\/strong> FS1<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Location:<\/strong> Acrisure Bounce House \u2014 Orlando, FL<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Spread:<\/strong> Houston (-1.5)<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Over\/under:<\/strong> 47.5<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>All-time series:<\/strong> UCF leads, 8-3<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Last meeting:<\/strong> UCF 27, Houston 13 \u2014 November 25, 2023<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\"><strong>Current streak:<\/strong> UCF, 3 (2019-23)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"_1eezmj01\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.underdogdynasty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/172\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2182554852.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"3486\" data-pswp-width=\"5229\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img alt=\"UCF defeated Arizona 56-12 in the 2024 Space Game.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"w91vxg0\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2182554852.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>UCF defeated Arizona 56-12 in the 2024 Space Game. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF is hosting its ninth-annual Space Game, and there\u2019s no opponent more fitting for it than Houston. UCF was founded as Florida Technological University in the 1960s with a mission of supporting the United States space exploration program, developing engineers and scientists for the nearby Kennedy Space Center \u2014 the most active launchsite for spacecrafts in the country. Meanwhile, Houston is the home of the Johnson Space Center, which contains the mission control center used to facilitate space exploration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF designs unique space-themed uniforms for each iteration of the Space Game, but that\u2019s not the only thing to know about this annual spectacle in Orlando. As good as the \u201cCitronauts\u201d (their Space Game rebrand moniker) look from an aesthetic standpoint each year, they look even more out of this world on the field. Here\u2019s a history of UCF in the Space Game:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"duet--article--unordered-list _1nfb3k4i feuejx0 ls9zuh1\">\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2017 &#8211; UCF 63, East Carolina 21<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2018 &#8211; UCF 52, Temple 40<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2019 &#8211; UCF 44, Houston 29<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2020 &#8211; UCF 51, Tulane 34<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2021 &#8211; UCF 24, Memphis 7<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2022 &#8211; UCF 70, Temple 13<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2023 &#8211; UCF 45, Oklahoma State 3<\/li>\n<li class=\"feuejx1\">2024 &#8211; UCF 56, Arizona 12<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF is 8-0 and outscoring opponents 405-159 in Space Games, an average score of 51-20 per game. Since joining the Big 12, the Knights are 6-17 overall; yet they\u2019re 2-0 in Space Games with two 40+ point wins. Sure Houston enters with a 7-2 record compared to UCF\u2019s 4-4 mark, but the Citronauts\u2019 dominant history suggests you can throw the records out when they\u2019re suited up in spacegear.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1eezmj01\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.underdogdynasty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/172\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2242480105.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0.0054412884971171,100,99.989117423006\" data-pswp-height=\"3062.6666666666665\" data-pswp-width=\"4594\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img alt=\"Houston TE Tanner Koziol has 5+ receptions in seven of nine games this year.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"w91vxg0\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2242480105.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Houston TE Tanner Koziol has 5+ receptions in seven of nine games this year. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Houston (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) finally attained its first ranking since joining the Big 12, checking in at No. 22 in the AP Poll. One week, it faded in stunning fashion. Houston dropped a home game 45-35 to a West Virginia team riding a 5-game losing streak, watching its dark-horse shot at a Big 12 title take a severe hit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">How do the Cougars bounce back in a road environment? They successfully rebounded from their first home loss to Texas Tech with a 22-point win at Oklahoma State. To show similar resolve in Orlando, Houston must get back to what brought it seven wins, and that\u2019s clean football. Houston tied for third in the FBS with four turnovers through Week 9, but in Week 10, the Cougars doubled their season output with four giveaways against West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Outside of the Wets Virginia game, Conner Weigman has done a tremendous job with ball security. The quarterback has 25 total touchdowns (16 passing, 9 rushing) compared to four interceptions, and he\u2019s delivered 300+ yards on a 70 percent or greater completion rate in two of his last four games. Weigman rides a four-game streak of completing at least 65 percent of his attempts, with accuracy among his top attributes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The receiving production is primarily handled by wide receiver Amare Thomas and tight end Tanner Koziol, who account for 88 of the team\u2019s 158 completions and 12 of 17 receiving touchdowns on the year. Thomas is more of the intermediate threat and Koziol thrives in the short-yardage game, and Houston is looking to get a vertical piece after a season-ending injury to Stephon Johnson Jr. That candidate is Koby Young who recorded season-highs in catches (4) and yards (56) last week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Although the aerial production is increasing lately, Houston isn\u2019t getting consistent gains on the ground. The Arizona game showcased the peak of the Cougars\u2019 run game, producing 232 yards with Dean Connors and Weigman designed runs leading the charge. The line hasn\u2019t cleared space for the duo in the past two weeks, and Houston looks to regain that element of its game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Defensively, Houston has been quite streaky recently. The Cougars started and ended the West Virginia game in brutal fashion but dominated the middle portion. At Arizona State the prior week, they pitched a 3-quarter shutout before letting up three scoring drives in the final frame. What Houston desires is four quarters of a more stable performance, and this unit is capable of stifling opponents. They rank 28th nationally in fewest yards allowed per play, wielding above average metrics against the run and the pass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Key performers include Carlos Allen, who leads all FBS defensive tackles with 63 tackles, while ranking second on the Cougars with 5.5 tackles for loss. Allen consumes plenty of attention at the line of scrimmage, opening up pass rush opportunities for the havoc-inducing defensive end Eddie Walls III, who has 5.5 sacks and five passes batted down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">One issue holding Houston\u2019s defense back lately is the lack of turnover production. The Cougars intercepted five passes in their first three outings, yet only secured one in their last six. They only have three fumble recoveries on the year, and perhaps one opportune takeaway could have swung that West Virginia game back into their favor. Outside linebacker and second-leading tackler Jalen Garner is one player looking to revitalize that effort, leading the team with two forced fumbles.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1eezmj01\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.underdogdynasty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/172\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2241622576.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0.007255840951963,100,99.985488318096\" data-pswp-height=\"4593.333333333334\" data-pswp-width=\"6890\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img alt=\"UCF DE Nyjalik Kelly has 3.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles on the year.\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"w91vxg0\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2241622576.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>UCF DE Nyjalik Kelly has 3.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles on the year. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF (4-4, 1-4 American) is off to a .500 start to Scott Frost\u2019s second tenure, still in search of its first winning season since joining the Big 12 in 2023. In the theme park capital of the United State, the Knights\u2019 season has mimicked the hills of a roller coaster. UCF\u2019s peaks have been incredibly high, decimating North Carolina 34-9 and West Virginia 45-13. But overall this team is 1-4 in conference play and fresh off a disappointing 30-3 showing at Baylor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Knights are different at home and on the road. In the Bounce House, they sport a 4-1 record and the offense often scores in droves, as evidenced in those North Carolina and West Virginia games. But away from Orlando, UCF only hopes to win with its defense, recording just 34 points across three road games in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Similar to last year, UCF has cycled through different quarterbacks, but Tayven Jackson is the clear-cut QB1 heading into Week 11. Jackson was instrumental to all three of the Knights\u2019 FBS victories, generating 200+ passing yards on efficient completion rates each time. The quarterback looks to make those types of performances a regular trend, and he may also seek improvement in the mobility department \u2014 generating 66 rushing yards vs. North Carolina and six combined against all other opponents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Even without heavy quarterback contribution, the run game is the foundation of UCF\u2019s offense. The Knights are 28th nationally with 191 rushing yards per game and rank 12th in rushing average at 5.6 yards per carry. It\u2019s a thunder and lightning duo of Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon, with Montgomery operating more as the workhorse and Nixon thriving as the flashy explosive runner, picking up 12.1 yards per rush and a team-high six touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">In the receiving game, Duane Thomas Jr. has separated himself as the overwhelming No. 1 target, and UCF hopes another contributor steps up. In recent weeks, tight end Dylan Wade has become a reliable threat, rising up to second on the roster in receptions with 23 \u2014 only trailing Thomas\u2019 38.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Significantly contrasting to Frost\u2019s first tenure at UCF, the defense is much more potent than the offense. UCF surrenders 18.8 points per game to rank 21st in the country, while also fielding a top-20 total defense and the nation\u2019s 11th-ranked passing defense. However, the Knights are averaging fewer than a takeaway per game against FBS competition, searching for better fortune in the ballhawking department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF exhibits a powerful defensive end duo of Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence to cause havoc to opposing passing games. The two combine for 9.0 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss, regularly establishing habitats in opposing backfields. Negative plays are a significant feature of the UCF defense and one key reason the Knights field the 17th-best third down defense in the FBS, only allowing 31.9 percent of conversions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">In the secondary, Phillip Dunnam has been the most impactful transfer in a defense full of first-year Knights. Dunnam is third on the unit with 44 tackles, and he\u2019ll look to add to his career total of six interceptions, in effort to force Houston\u2019s offense into another sloppy showing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Space Game magic is real. But can Houston be the first team to send Space U out of orbit? The Cougars have been excellent in road environments this year, posting a 4-0 record and playing solid football in the middle portion of all four games. Houston is fresh off a heartbreaking loss, knowing that a turnover barrage is the reason the team is no longer ranked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">UCF is a bit harder to predict given its ups and downs. The Knights have seen two sensational performances at home this year, but piling the points on Houston\u2019s defense (16.5 points per game allowed on the road) isn\u2019t always easy. This one features a back-and-forth style, with a last-minute score swinging the outcome in Orlando.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><strong>Prediction: Houston 24, UCF 23<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Time and date: Friday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET Network: FS1 Location: Acrisure Bounce House \u2014 Orlando,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":361882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4345,110646,358,3187,30191],"class_list":{"0":"post-361881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-legacy-aac","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-tx","12":"tag-ucf"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115507750960200130","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}