UCF junior cornerback Zamari Maxwell knows what's at stake when the Knights head up to Memphis on Saturday.
Over the past three years, UCF and Memphis have been the dominant teams atop the Athletic Athletic Conference. UCF swept four games against the Tigers in 2017-18, which included a pair of conference championship games. The two teams didn't meet in 2019, but Memphis finally got a title of their own.
As both teams possess an early-season league loss, this game amounts to a must-win to keep 2020 conference championship dreams alive. And for Memphis players who were around in 2017-18, Maxwell understands they want some revenge on UCF.
"It's like it's personal," Maxwell said. "When you lose the types of games they lost and how they lost them, I'd be mad too. Expect the unexpected. It's going to be a full-on war."
UCF is fired up too. They want some redemption after Tulsa and also don't want to be the first UCF team at the FBS level to lose to Memphis (UCF has won 13 in a row in the all-time series).
"I'm pretty sure the other guys feel this way. This is one of the ones you circle," Maxwell said. "They haven't gotten one on us yet. I'm pretty sure they want one on us... It's going to be a war. I'm looking forward to it."
Memphis has only played two games this season. They were among the few teams to play Labor Day Weekend, knocking off Arkansas State at home 37-24. After taking three weeks off due to COVID-19 postponements, Memphis finally played again Oct. 3, losing a 30-27 game at SMU. Like UCF, they had another bye this past weekend.
Memphis does have a new coach this season (Ryan Silverfield replacing Mike Norvell), though much of their offense remains intact between sixth-year senior Brady White and redshirt senior wide receiver Damonte Coxie.
Maxwell talked about what he expects from their offense.
"D.C., Damonte Coxie, they like back shoulder (throws) to him," Maxwell said. "That's a big-body receiver. I've done my little research. Their wide receivers got some experience... The quarterbacks tends to look for No. 5, his tight end (Sean Dykes). We feel like they might come at us with their wildcat package. They had a lot of success on that a while ago. We expected them to pass in the (2018) championship game and they came out and ran that wildcat all over us in the first half. That's the focal point of our emphasis this week. Expect the unexpected. They do a lot of odd formations like the wildcat. It's really just prepping for war. Like I said, expect the unexpected when it comes to Memphis."
Given the overall youth at the position, Maxwell is considered UCF's No. 1 cornerback though this is his first season as a full-time starter.
"I don't treat it like No. 1 because I've got a lot to work on," he said. "I know you guys have seen I've had some penalties that were unnecessary. This season for me, I kind of embrace it. I treat (the freshmen) like my little brothers. If they've got questions, I'm always telling them to hit me up. Lining up against No. 1 guys, I'm always looking forward to that because I want a challenge and I need some respect on my name as well."
Of the freshmen, Corey Thornton has seen the most action at cornerback while Justin Hodges and Davonte Brown have seen reps as well.
"When it comes to Davonte, Hodges and Corey, they've grown each and every week and every day," Maxwell said. "They soak it all in and have caught on pretty fast for the defense that we run. It's just technique and getting them comfortable with the defense. I probably get like 10 questions a day (from them). I like it. I'm all for it. I know I like to ask questions too. If they're asking me questions, it's going to make me think even faster when I'm playing. It comes full circle. They've been growing every day."
