After earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, UCF running back RJ Harvey has been selected as the Doak Walker Award National Running Back of the Week, the organization announced Tuesday.
Last season, Harvey was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation’s top running back, and was on the 2024 preseason watch list.
Harvey’s standout performance helped lead UCF to a win in its conference opener on Saturday at TCU, as he rushed for 180 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-34 win against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas. Orlando's Hometown Hero also scored his second career receiving touchdown to end the day with 209 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
He had seven rushes of 10 or more yards in the win, headlined by a 27-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter, which was the longest rush for either team in the game.
Harvey has now rushed for more than 100 yards in his last five games dating back to 2023, scoring 11 TDs during that span.
He also moved up to No. 4 on the UCF all-time list for rushing touchdowns with 29 and his 2,663 career rushing yards are fourth most in program history. Harvey’s 2,663 rushing yards are the ninth-most among active FBS players and his 29 rushing TDs are the eighth most.
Harvey leads the Big 12 this season in rushing yards (448), rushing touchdowns (8) and rushing yards per game (149.3). He leads the nation in scoring with 56 points to his credit.
UCF will have a bye week this weekend before welcoming Colorado to FBC Mortgage Stadium on Saturday, September 28.
Women’s Soccer
IRVING, TX — UCF senior defender Taylor Jacobson has been named the Big 12 Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Knights to a 5-0 shutout victory over Houston in their conference opener last week.
In last week’s decisive win over the Cougars, Jacobson was a key component of the Black and Gold’s backline by helping limit Houston’s offense to just two shots on frame in the match. She also scored her first collegiate goal in the match, as she found the back of the net in the 22nd minute to give the Knights a 2-0 advantage at the time. Her teammate Annika Huhta fed a pass into the box off a corner kick and Jacobson was there to drill it home in the lower right corner for the goal. The shutout marked UCF’s second of the season and its fourth in its Big 12 Conference era, as the Knights recorded a trio of clean sheets in league play in their inaugural season of Big 12 competition last year.
Jacobson, who has played and started all six matches on the season for the Knights, becomes UCF’s second player to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week accolades on the season as Jada Silvest previously earned the honor on Sept. 4.
Other winners of this week’s Big 12 weekly honors are BYU’s Avery Frischknect (Co-Defensive), Utah’s Taliana Kaufusi (Offensive), Colorado’s Jordan Nytes (Goalkeeper), and Kansas’ Jillian Gregorski (Freshman).
The Knights, who are currently receiving votes for this week’s United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, went on the road on Thursday, but the game against Iowa State was declared a No Contest when weather forced a stoppage of play in the 67th minute with the game tied at 0-0. UCF will return to Orlando to welcome Arizona State to the UCF Soccer Complex on Sunday at noon.
