BYU Football to play UCF in Boca Raton Bowl

BYU Football confirmed on Monday it will travel to Boca Raton, Florida to play the University of Central Florida in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

The Cougars finished the regular season 10-1 with a win against San Diego State on Dec. 12 and found out just two days later where they would be playing in the postseason.

“Our team is excited for the challenge and opportunity to face UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “UCF is a well-coached team and top-tier football program that’s had a lot of success. In a season where we’ve learned that we can’t take playing this game for granted, we’re really thankful for the chance to go to Florida and play one more time with our group.”

“We are looking forward to the bowl matchup with UCF and also really like the timing of this game, which will allow our players to spend the holidays with their families, after a great season together,” Sitake said.

UCF enters the game with a 6-3 record, including close losses to No. 6 Cincinnati and No. 20 Tulsa. The Knights currently rank second in the nation in both total offense and passing, and average 44.3 points per game. Both the total offense and passing yard figures are on track to be all-time UCF highs. The Knights’ most recent game was a 58-46 win over USF on Nov. 27.

BYU and UCF have faced each other twice previously, with each team registering a victory. The Cougars won the first matchup in 2011, 24-17 in Provo and the Knights won most recently in 2014, 31-24 in Orlando. This is BYU’s first time playing in the Boca Raton Bowl, but fourth time playing a bowl game in Florida, with the last coming in 2014 at the Miami Bowl.

With COVID-19 protocols in place for the 30,000-seat stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, the game has been approved for 6,000 fans at 20% stadium capacity. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 5 p.m. MST on Tuesday, Dec. 22.