Preview: Houston Cougars vs. UCF Knights

Who: Houston Cougars (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) vs. UCF Knights (4-4, 1-5 Big 12)

What: Week 11 Big 12 conference matchup

When: Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. CST

Where: Acrisure Bounce House, in Orlando, Florida

TV/Streaming: FS1

TV Announcers: Dan Hellie (Play-by-Play), Petros Papadakis (Analyst)

Radio: KPRC AM 950, The Varsity Network- “Search Houston”, SiriusXM: 138 or 199, and on the SiriusXM App, FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game (UCF)

Radio Announcers: Kevin Eschenfelder (Play-by-Play), Ted Pardee (Analyst), Jeremy Branham (Sideline), Adam Wexler (Pregame)

Last Season: In Willie Fritz's first year with the Coogs, not much changed with Houston going 4-8 for the second straight year, unable to qualify for a bowl game, finishing 3-6 in conference play, and finishing No. 12 in the Big 12 standings. As for UCF, they also ended the season with a 4-8 record while losing one extra conference game, ending with a 2-7 record in the Big 12, and just like the Coogs, the Knights were not featured in a bowl game.

Series History: The Knights are in total control of the all-time series record over the Cougars with a 3-8 record and currently on a three-game winning streak in a series that dates back before joining the Big 12, as the pair were both in the AAC. The last victory for the Coogs over UCF came in 2016.

Meet the Coaches

Willie Fritz, Houston: Fritz has turned around the Coogs in just two seasons, inheriting a four-win team before he arrived and then having the same record in year one. Fritz has already surpassed last season's win total and has the Cougars already bowl-eligible and in the hunt for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

Before Fritz arrived in the Bayou City, the Kansas native spent eight seasons in the Bayou State with the Tulane Green Wave. Fritz brought incredible success to the Green Wave in his tenure, going 54-47, which is the second-most games in the school’s 130-season history by a head coach. He was named American Athletic Conference coach of the year in the last two seasons, led Tulane to consecutive AAC championship games and a Cotton Bowl win in 2022.

Scott Frost, UCF: With the 2025 season, Frost enters his second stint as the head coach at UCF. He's first run as the Knights' head man was incredible. Frost inherited a 0-12 program, and in just two seasons, UCF went undefeated in the 2017 season, won an AAC championship, and a victory over No. 7 Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl.

After the 2017 season, Frost accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater, Nebraska. Frost's tenure with the Cornhuskers was not as fruitful as he would've hoped, going 16-31 in five seasons, and he did not finish off his fifth year after being fired three games into the 2022 season.

What to Know about UCF

The Knights' offense heavily relies on running the ball, which the Coogs will have to be ready for, especially after struggling to defend the run against West Virginia. As the running back duo of Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon, who have combined for 995 rushing yards on only 146 rushing attempts, the pair has scored nine rushing touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, edge rusher Malachi Lawrence has been a different maker for UCF. The redshirt senior has recorded six sacks through eight games, and will be going up against a patched-up Houston offensive line this Friday, which will have to be up for the task to protect quarterback Conner Weigman.