They say nature comes with a premonition. The macrosm-microsm, folks! If that’s the case, two college football programs must already be on high alert. August 28 marks the date when the UCF Knights hit the field to face off against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Both programs are kicking off a new start. The Gamecocks have undergone a major shift as they now have a new head coach, Charles Kelly, and they now have to start the season against a Power Four program in UCF. On the other hand, the Knights welcome their old head coach, Scott Frost. But the weather chose not to be cooperative at all. 

On August 28, UCF Marc Daniels posted a picture taking snap of a weather update displayed on the big screen. It read, “Inclement weather in the area! Lightning has been detected within 8 miles of the stadium. Please exit the seating bowl at this time.” The UCF Knights were just a couple of hours away from kickoff at the FBC Mortgage Stadium. The excitement must have been touching the roof after the hoopla surrounding the name of the stadium, which was newly christened Acrisure Bounce House. However, the weather did not align with their plans to play tonight. And where did the two programs stand when nature threw its fury?

The Gamecocks went 9-5 overall with a 7-1 record in CUSA play, losing only to Western Kentucky 19-17 in the regular season finale. But then Jax State came back to beat WKU 52-12 in the CUSA title game. While they must have thought to roar against Frost’s boys, the nature rained on their plans. The contest against Jacksonville State had to be officially delayed. What does that mean? Frost’s boys and Kelly’s program had to undergo a minimum 30-minute waiting period to find out whether there were no lightning strikes within 8 miles of the stadium.

Thankfully, the universe listened to the fans’ prayers, who were already running out of patience to wait any further. When the stoppage occurred, the Scott’s Knights possessed the ball with 10:45 left in the second quarter. The score stands at 0-0. Now, what’s the weather department saying? 

According to the National Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms are likely before 11 p.m. The chance of precipitation is 60%. Looks like the luck has been bad lately for UCF when it comes to suffering interruptions, thanks to the weather. The 2024 season has been all about weather delays for the Knights, but since Frost was not there, it’s something new for him.  

UCF’s history with weather delays

Back in 2024, on September 28, UCF faced off against Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. But they entered into a weather delay just before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. But after they got the green signal, the Knights lost to the Buffaloes 21-48. The same thing happened during their non-conference home game with Sam Houston. 

The weather delay due to inclement weather in the vicinity of FBC Mortgage Stadium started around 4:45 p.m. Kickoff was initially scheduled for 6:30 and was moved to 7:02 p.m. The Knights won the game 45-14 against the Bearkats. So, UCF’s luck can go any way given the weather delays, that’s going to play tricks with their patience and game plan. 

Jacksonville State is entering its third year at the FBS level. They are 18-9 since moving up, with two bowl appearances and a Conference USA title last year. Time for UCF not to take them easy. After all, last year they started 0-3 before ripping off eight in a row. Now what about the Knights?

Under Scott Frost, UCF is expected to achieve new heights. Their new head coach walks in with NFL experience, having served under Sean McVay in the Los Angeles Rams. To top that, he has the college football experience of working under Chip Kelly at Oregon . On that note, on the Sons of UCF podcast, the host shared, “Kind of blending some of those new run game concepts that what maybe he’s dusting off from his early days there with Chip Kelly, and to be able to kind of blend some old with the new. I think it’s going to make for a very interesting look not only this year for UCF, but I think in the next couple of years, as he kind of finds his groove once again as a play caller.” If the weather gods cooperate, we’ll get the true measure of UCF vs. Jax State.