ORLANDO, Fla. – Their first two games of the season resulted in lopsided victories for UCF. This week, the Knights will face their toughest challenge so far -- a trip to Penn State and the Nittany Lions' 106,000-seat Beaver Stadium.
As of Monday, the Knights were the five-point underdogs. They've never beaten a team from the Big Ten but promise they are not intimidated.
"To me, it's just another game," Chris Martin, the junior offensive lineman told the media Monday. "I'm not putting anybody on a pedestal. I'm not putting anybody up there. They're just the next team in the way."
UCF is looking for its first 3-0 start since 1988. The Knights cruised in their first two games, outscoring Akron and FIU 74-7. They haven't committed a turnover yet.
Penn State is also 2-0 with wins over Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. Nittany Lions head coach Bill O'Brien and UCF's George O'Leary know each other well.
O'Brien worked as an assistant coach to O'Leary from 1995-2001 at Georgia Tech. O'Leary, now in his 10th season at UCF, says this game isn't about anybody other than the players.
"I'm always preaching 'next game.' You play it one game at a time," said O'Leary. "But they're excited about the game, the opportunity to get up to Penn State."
This may be the opportunity to get a win over the Big Ten for the first time in history. UCF kicks off at Penn State on Saturday at 6 p.m.