UCF Knights Begin Promising 2024 Against New Hampshire

RJ Harvey — © Mike Watters/USA TODAY SPORTS

The UCF Knights will begin the 2024 college football season against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, one of the FCS's historically stronger programs. The game will be at 7 p.m. EST on Aug. 29 at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

These teams are a lot alike. Both had similar records in what were disappointing seasons. They also had strong transfer classes that will need to hit quickly. Overall, both have strong offenses but major questions on defense.

The difference is in the level of competition. The Wildcats compete at the FCS level, while the Knights compete at the FBS level. But stranger things have happened before, including FCS teams conquering FBS foes. It happened last Saturday when the Montana State Bobcats beat the New Mexico Lobos.

FBS teams can sometimes underestimate these FCS squads and end up paying for it. Will the Knights be unprepared and have pie thrown in their face with this opening matchup, or will it be business as usual?

Key Players: UCF Knights

The Knights are set to rebound from what was a disappointing 2023. The team went 6-7 and struggled at times as new members of the Big 12 Conference. With some key players returning, though, the conference's No. 1 transfer class and head coach Gus Malzahn setting new stands, UCF can adjust quickly. Things are looking up for the program in their second season in the Big 12. Here are a few guys who will be game-changers in this game and for the season.

KJ Jefferson, Quarterback

Jefferson transferred from the Arkansas Razorbacks after having a somewhat disappointing 2023 campaign. However, under a new system that fits his skillset a bit more, Jefferson could thrive with the Knights. He could be one of the better quarterbacks in the conference when all is said and done. Jefferson has totaled 7,911 yards passing, 1876 yards rushing and 88 total touchdowns throughout his six-year career.

RJ Harvey, Running Back

Harvey has one of the most illustrious careers out of any running back in college football. Last year was his magnum opus thus far. This year, he will prove to be a force once again. He is in the running for the Walker and Maxwell awards. Harvey finished 2023 with 1,416 yards rushing, 238 yards receiving and 17 total touchdowns. He will lead a stacked group of running backs for UCF.

Lee Hunter, Defensive Lineman

Hunter, also known lovingly as "The Fridge," is the key returner on this Knights defense. A preseason watch list member of the Bednarik and Lombardi awards, Hunter is predicted to have another big year. In 2023, he totaled 69 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and a pass deflection. He will be the anchor for this UCF defensive line and a force to be reckoned with for opposing offensive lines.

Key Players: New Hampshire Wildcats

The New Hampshire Wildcats also had to rebuild heavily through the Transfer Portal. They lost perhaps two of the best offensive players in program history, Dylan Laube and Max Brosmer. They also lost some key defensive pieces. New Hampshire will have some concerns defensively that may not bode well against this Knights' offense. But these three players will be the deciders in how much those will matter.

Logan Tomlinson, Wide Receiver

Tomlinson was the top producer for this Wildcat receiving corps in 2023, which returns each of their top three players for 2024. He will be key in helping transfer quarterback Seth Morgan lead this Wildcats' offense. Tomlinson caught 42 passes for 616 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2023.

Myles Thomason, Running Back

Thomason will be the guy to fill Laube's shoes. Replacing one of the most talented FCS players in recent history will not be easy. Thomason had a great mentor and has shown a lot of promise. Thomason recorded 48 carries for 216 yards, caught 12 passes for 103 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in 2023.

Wande Owens, Cornerback

The Yale Bulldogs' transfer and back-to-back All-Ivy League defensive back is the best transfer for the Wildcats coming in. He recorded 55 total tackles and 7 pass deflections. In 2024, he will be paired with Noah Stansbury, who is one of the most experienced defensive players in the Coastal Athletic Association. The hope is that he can help the Wildcats' secondary make a major turnaround after ranking near the bottom of the conference.

Tale of the Tape

The Wildcats have a strong offensive team and some great pieces on defense. They have a lot of skill players returning and key transfers. That being said, there's too much going against them for them to be competitive in this matchup.

For one, the competition difference between FCS and FBS is deep. But there also are key mismatches that would be extremely tough to get over even if New Hampshire was an FBS team. While the concern defensively is the secondary, overall, the Wildcats' defense ranked No. 102 in the FCS and still allowed 143.4 rushing yards per game on average. Given the stable of running backs that the Knights have, this will be a major area of concern.

Not only that, but this will be a bit of a trial by fire for the secondary unit with multiple new starters. While it may not be their biggest strength offensively, Jefferson and the Knights' passing attack can still be lethal. They have Kobe Hudson, Jacoby Jones and Ja'varrious Johnson as high-producing receivers.

It will likely be a game of keep-up for the Wildcats, should it even manage to be close. They will have to rely on their offense to exploit the weaknesses in this Knights' run defense and almost brand new Knights' secondary. That has four transfers and a brand new starting corps. Even then, UCF has one of the top transfer classes in the nation this season, with a lot of those players being defensive players. It will need to be a monumental effort.

It is fun to imagine an FCS team beating the likes of a predicted Big 12 contender. But that isn't likely in this case given all the mismatches. UCF covers the spread and uses this as a key tune-up opportunity for conference play. Look for UCF to win 55-7.