5 UCF players to watch against Iowa State football

AMES — Another week, another milestone.

Iowa State (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) has reeled off six consecutive wins to start a football season for the first time since 1938. That leather-helmet-bound Cyclones team started 7-0, though — so a win Saturday night over foundering Central Florida (3-3, 1-2) won’t add any layers of history to this season’s already historic run.

An ISU victory would, however, keep the Cyclones firmly embedded as the odds-on favorite to not only reach the Big 12 championship game but win it.

As usual, winning is unlikely to come easy despite the Knights’ recent struggles. UCF boasts the Big 12’s best running attack (268 yards per game) and ISU’s depth issues at linebacker aren’t going away anytime soon.

Kickoff is set at 6:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on FS1. So … here are five Knights to know going into what could be another Jack Trice Stadium sellout:

RB R.J. Harvey

The 5-foot-9, 208-pound senior hometown hero has helped UCF stay in games during its recent three-game skid, but his production has waned since a hot start to the season.

Harvey’s only rushed for one touchdown in the past three games after striking for eight in the first three. He’s still averaged around five yards per carry during the losing streak — and has increasingly become a big-play threat in the passing game. Harvey’s caught at least one pass spanning 20-plus yards in each of the past four games and nearly achieved his first 100-yard receiving game in the blowout loss to Colorado on Sept. 28 at home.

The Orlando native ranks 10th nationally in rushing yards per game at 115.7 and is the most well-rounded back the Cyclones will face in the regular season.

WR Kobe Hudson

The 6-1, 200-pound senior from Pine Mountain, Ga., is one of the Big 12’s most incendiary downfield targets and has averaged 20-plus yards per catch in each of the past two seasons.

Hudson’s on pace to set single-season career highs in catches and receiving yards, so even as the Knights’ quarterback situation has become unsettled, his production hasn’t dipped.

Hudson secured a season-high seven catches in last week’s 19-13 loss to Cincinnati and he scored his team’s lone touchdown. He’s notched multiple touchdown grabs in four conference games since 2023 and scored two touchdowns in UCF’s 35-34 win over TCU.

Hudson tied for 11th nationally last season with four catches spanning 50 or more yards.

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QB Jacurri Brown (or K.J. Jefferson or E.J. Colson)

Jefferson — an experienced and prolific transfer from Arkansas — was benched last week, paving the way for E.J. Colson to start against Cincinnati. He completed one of four passes for minus-six yards and took a sack, so he was promptly benched for Brown — who’s also a transfer player.

The former Miami Hurricane put together a solid performance, completing 13 of 20 passes for 207 yards and the one touchdown to Hudson. He also rushed for 84 yards and is expected to get first-team reps all week in advance of the trip to Ames.

Sacks have been a problem for each of UCF’s quarterbacks. Jefferson absorbed 13 sacks before being replaced and Brown was taken down three times in last week’s loss. The Knights are tied for 14th in the Big 12 in sacks allowed with 17 and rank 12th in passing offense at 205.8 yards per game.

LB Deshawn Pace

The 6-2, 220-pound senior made waves in the offseason by transferring in-conference from Cincinnati.

Pace leads UCF in total tackles (28) and solo stops (21), but had a season-low one tackle in last week’s loss to his former team. Expect the veteran to bounce back this week. He’s recorded multiple tackles in every other game since the 2020 season. Pace also leads the team in interceptions with two.

DE Nyjalik Kelly

The 6-5, 250-pound junior notched a career-high seven tackles in last week’s loss and leads the Knights with two sacks this season.

Kelly, another transfer from Miami, was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school and compiled four sacks for the Hurricanes as a true freshman.

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com