Baylor at UCF
ORLANDO (Interstat) — Baylor will visit UCF on Friday in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Acrisure Bounce House, where the forecast at game time calls for 79 degrees. Both teams enter at 4-3, giving the matchup added importance as each looks to move above .500. Baylor’s Bears will face UCF’s Knights in a game that pits two quarterbacks enjoying productive recent stretches. Baylor is the visiting team and UCF is the home team.
Baylor is coming off a 25-24 loss at Kansas. DJ Lagway completed 20 of 31 passes for 236 yards, ran 11 times for 47 yards and scored a touchdown. Reggie Bush II recorded three tackles and half a sack, and Colby McCalister added three tackles. Lagway, the player to watch for Baylor, also completed 22 of 53 passes for 256 yards against Texas Christian and threw for 306 yards with four touchdown passes and a rushing score in a win over Arizona State. His ability to extend plays with his legs could test a UCF defense that will need to contain him on the edge.
UCF is coming off a 39-31 double-overtime win over BYU. Keyone Jenkins completed 25 of 41 passes for 293 yards, ran 11 times for 35 yards and accounted for three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Sincere Edwards had three tackles and a quarterback hurry, while Jahleel Culbreath recorded two tackles. Jenkins, the player to watch for UCF, also completed 30 of 42 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State and completed 23 of 35 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown against Houston. He has been the Knights’ central figure in the passing game and will face a Baylor defense looking to force pressure and limit explosive plays.
Baylor’s recent season results include a 17-6 loss to Texas Christian, a 55-19 win at Arizona State, a 23-13 win over Colorado, a 36-19 win over Louisiana Tech, a 44-3 win over Prairie View and a 17-16 loss at Auburn. UCF’s other results include a 42-28 loss at Oklahoma State, a 27-17 loss at Houston, a 21-13 win over Texas Christian, a 44-30 win over Georgia State, a 12-7 loss at Pittsburgh and a 73-6 win over Bethune-Cookman. Baylor is scheduled to host Iowa State next, while UCF is set to visit Kansas.
Interstat’s game simulator projects UCF 39, Baylor 38. Interstat’s ELO system gives UCF a 55.3 percent probability to win. Baylor has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5, and the over/under is 48.5.