
Mostafa's 16 lead Middle Tennessee over UTEP 76-75 in OT to remain a half-game back in C-USA
The victory keeps Middle Tennessee (20-9, 11-5 Conference USA) a half-game back of Liberty and Jacksonville State with two games left in the regular season and sets up a first-place showdown with the Flames Thursday in Murfreesboro.
Mostafa added 16 rebounds for the Blue Raiders. Camryn Weston added 11 points while shooting 5 for 12, including 0 for 3 from beyond the arc while they also had five rebounds. Jlynn Counter had 11 points and shot 4 for 9, including 3 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Kevin Kalu led the Miners (17-12, 7-9) in scoring, finishing with 26 points and nine rebounds. Ahamad Bynum added 16 points and two steals for UTEP. Otis Frazier III also recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
Weston put up eight points in the first half for Middle Tennessee, who trailed 33-31 at the break. Counter led Middle Tennessee with nine second-half points and also hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 1:28 left in the second half to send the game to overtime. Mostafa scored four points to lead Middle Tennessee in the overtime.
UTEP visits Sam Houston Thursday.
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USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 3 — Shawne Williams
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New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
2025 Conference USA betting odds, preview, picks: Why UTEP is a CFP sleeper
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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
5 UCF Knights football position battles to watch as 2025 fall camp begins
One month ahead of their opening contest against defending Conference USA champion Jacksonville State, the UCF Knights kick off fall camp July 28 — with Scott Frost back in charge, and roughly 60 new players on the squad compared to this time a year ago. The Knights went a dismal 4-8 in 2024, spoiling a 3-0 start that featured a road win over TCU to kick off Big 12 play. Gus Malzahn stepped down one day after a final defeat to Utah, taking over as Florida State's offensive coordinator and bringing two offensive starters (tight end Randy Pittman Jr. and guard Adrian Medley), two prized recruits (wide receiver Jayvan Boggs and offensive tackle Chastan Brown) and two assistants (offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. and offensive line coach Herb Hand) along to Tallahassee. All-time touchdown leader RJ Harvey was picked in the second round of the NFL draft. Several projected returning starters bounced for greener pastures via the transfer portal, including defensive tackle Lee Hunter (Texas Tech), linebacker Xe'Ree Alexander (Washington) and center Caden Kitler (Arkansas). UCF Knights football: Which former players are on NFL rosters as 2025 training camp begins? Frost's staff patched holes in the portal and suffered just one significant loss once spring camp concluded — sophomore cornerback Chasen Johnson. But there's still plenty to be sorted out over the next four weeks, and for starting jobs to be won or lost. Here are five position battles to monitor during fall camp, with players listed alphabetically in each category. Quarterback The favorites: Jacurri Brown, Tayven Jackson In the mix: Davi Belfort, Cam Fancher It's worth rehashing the fact UCF played four quarterbacks in 2024 despite none of them missing any significant stretch of time due to injury. Gus Malzahn's attempt to find a "spark" behind center was a primary reason the Knights' season fizzled, and eventually fell apart, in October. Jackson arrived in January, seeking a shot to start after Indiana brought Fernando Mendoza in from California. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound redshirt junior won his lone start last year against Washington and accounted for seven total touchdowns as the Hoosiers made a surprising run to the College Football Playoff. Brown found a passing rhythm against Cincinnati, going 13 of 20 for 204 yards and a TD, but completed less than half of his attempts in subsequent starts versus Iowa State and BYU. He was a weapon as a runner, totaling 401 yards and four scores. Left-hander Fancher possesses the most experience of the group, having previously been the starter at Marshall and Florida Atlantic. Belfort joined in place of Dylan Rizk following the spring, but he did not see the field at Virginia Tech and is more likely a developmental prospect at this stage. X and Z receivers The favorites: DJ Black, Marcus Burke, Waden Charles, Chris Domercant In the mix: Carl Jenkins Jr., Bredell Richardson, Caleb Rollerson None of UCF's active wide receivers tallied a single reception for the team last season. It's a blank slate at the position; three of the players listed above are transfers, and two are freshmen with Richardson and Rollerson the lone holdovers. Charles and Jenkins, the aforementioned early enrollees, flashed major potential in reps with the first team throughout the spring. Burke missed a chunk of camp due to injury, and Domercant will look to make an impact after transferring in from Chattanooga. Duane Thomas Jr., a newcomer from Charlotte, is the favorite to man the slot with DayDay Farmer ruled out for the season with an ACL tear. Guard The favorites: Jabari Brooks, Gaard Memmelaar, Keegan Smith In the mix: Preston Cushman, Cameron Kinnie Both guard spots are seemingly up for grabs over the next month; left tackle Paul Rubelt and center Carter Miller are likely the only safe bets as starters along the offensive line. Memmelaar started 11 of Washington's 12 games in 2024, rebounding after missing the entire previous campaign due to injury. Brooks and Smith, meanwhile, have been given a new lease on life after spending last year on the Knights' bench. Cushman could very well earn the nod at right tackle, where he worked for most of the spring. Kinnie is motivated to crack the rotation full-time after appearing in 11 games last year, including an extended stretch at center versus Florida. Defensive end The favorites: Sincere Edwards, Nyjalik Kelly, Malachi Lawrence In the mix: Aymeric Koumba, Isaiah Nixon On paper, this is one of UCF's deeper position groups. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and edge rushers coach Mike Dawson should be happy to roll out four or five players in order to keep everyone fresh. Kelly is a surefire starter; the 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior won the job in fall camp last year, led the team with 5½ sacks and was one of four representatives for the program at Big 12 media days earlier this month. Lawrence partnered Kelly atop the depth chart for most of 2024, adding five sacks to rank 11th in the conference. Edwards, an Apopka native who returns home after a year at Pittsburgh, played in all 13 games and recorded three sacks as a freshman. Nixon is expected to see a bump in playing time after logging 195 snaps as a redshirt freshman and notching his first career sack against Cincinnati. Outside cornerback The contenders: DJ Bell, Jayden Bellamy, Ja'Cari Henderson, Isaiah Reed In the mix: Jyaire Brown Johnson's exit for USC, where he reunites with former UCF cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, reopens a spot in the secondary. Bellamy impressed at Syracuse, starting six times, recording 37 tackles and picking off a pair of passes — including a pick-six in a win over Holy Cross. Tampa native Reed filled the stat sheet for Brown in four games before a season-ending injury, registering 16 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception. Henderson has missed 10 games the last two years with injury, but he set career-highs for tackles (13) and solo tackles (seven) in 2024. Bell earned praise during the spring and could build on a solid redshirt sophomore season at Memphis in which he had 16 tackles, five pass breakups and a pick in 12 games. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: 5 position battles in fall training camp