UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will start against No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday after missing the better part of the last four games with a leg injury. The Knights have not won a game against an FBS opponent since Plumlee suffered his injury on Sept. 9.
Coach Gus Malzahn told reporters on Monday that Plumlee was close to 100% after the Knights' bye week.
Plumlee fell awkwardly in the final minutes of UCF's 18-16 win over Boise State and was inactive in the Knights' losses against Kansas State and Baylor to open their Big 12 tenure. He officially started in a 51-22 loss to Kansas but was visably hobbled and pulled in the first quarter.
Upcoming foe Oklahoma boasts one of the top defenses in college football. Its 14 points per game allowed is tied for seventh nationally with Georgia. Plumlee's predecessor -- Dillon Gabriel -- is the Sooners' starting quarterback. The Knights are 19-point underdogs in Norman, Oklahoma, per SportsLine consensus.
The start of Big 12 play has been an embarrassment for the Knights, too. They squandered a 28-point lead against Baylor in their home opener, which remains the Bears' only FBS win. UCF also lost by a combined 42 points against Kansas and Kansas State. Along with only Cincinnati, it is still without a conference win.
Plumlee has been a dynamic piece since transferring to UCF before the 2022 season. In 13 games last season, Plumlee completed 63% of his passes for 2,586 yards, rushed for 862 yards on 5.4 yards per carry and accumulated 25 total touchdowns.
He's struggled with passing the ball against Power Five competition, though. In his one year with major quarterback snaps at Ole Miss, Plumlee completed just 52.7% of his passes. In three games against power-conference competition in 2022, he completed 53.5% of his passes for 4.3 yards per attempt.
While Plumlee's return should provide a spark, the Knights' issues have gone beyond the offense. UCF is allowing a Big 12-worst 43.7 points per game in conference play and 490.7 yards per game, the latter of which is better than only Houston. Opponents are averaging 6.6 yards per play against a struggling Knights defense and have scored 15 touchdowns against UCF. All of those marks rank bottom-two in the Big 12.
