We’re back! UCF Knights football kicks off tonight with one of the most highly-anticipated openers of not only this season, but in UCF history, with the Boise State Broncos coming to town for the first time ever. Let’s get ready:

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Game Day Guide

When: 7 p.m. ET

Where: The Bounce House

Line: UCF -6, Over/under 68 (OddsShark)

How to Watch

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Crew: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Harry Lyles, Jr. (sideline)

Series

All-time: First-ever meeting.

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Keys to the Game

When UCF Has the Ball

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Expect to still see a quick tempo, but without the constant home run throw. Gus Malzahn wrote the book on the no-huddle offense and we expect to see a continuation of that. The Knights are going to be more balanced than last year with Dillon Gabriel throwing more over the short and middle thirds of the field and Isaiah Bowser wearing down the defense on the ground.

UCF’s Key Players to Watch

• #11 QB Dillon Gabriel — 2020: 60%, 3,570 yards, 32 TD/4 INT
• #1 WR Jaylon Robinson — 2020: 55 catches, 979 yards, 6 TDs

Boise State’s Key Players to Watch

• #28 DB Kekaula Kaniho — 2020: 32 tackles, 7 PBUs
• #44 LB Riley Whimpey — 2020: 61 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 PBUs

When Boise State Has the Ball

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Boise State is going to try and get the ball into Khalil Shakir’s hands one way or another. Hank Bachmeier is a quarterback that has already shown he is not intimidated by playing in the state of Florida. While this is a new team with new head coach Andy Avalos, expect the Broncos to rely on Bachmeier’s arm against a UCF secondary that was much maligned last year.

Boise State’s Key Players to Watch

• #19 QB Hank Bachmeier — 2020: 61.5%, 1150 yards, 6 TD/2 INT
• #2 WR Khalil Shakir — 2020: 52 catches, 719 yards, 6 TDs

UCF’s Key Players to Watch

• #1 DE/LB Big Kat Bryant — 17 tackles, 3 TFLs, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 4 QB hurries
• #10 LB Eriq Gilyard — 2020: 59 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT, 3 fumbles forced

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Podcast

Listen to our latest podcast as we preview the game:

Predictions

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