College football is officially back! Louisville football is taking on Ole Miss in a big-time Week 1 showdown this weekend. The Cardinals are ranked entering the season for the first time since 2017 and will look to send a massive statement to the rest of the league by pulling off an upset over the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels.
Yesterday, college football fans tuned in to a few games as some notable teams made their 2026 debut. One of those teams that took the field yesterday was the UCF Knights, and Cardinals fans quickly noticed that one former Cardinal didn’t take long to have a statement game, as Duke Watson quickly showed UCF his ability to take over.
Duke Watson has explosive debut with UCF
Watson spent his first two seasons at Louisville after he committed to the Cardinals as a 4-star running back who ranked No. 382 overall in the 2024 recruiting class and No. 27 among running backs. He quickly made a name for himself in his freshman season with the Cardinals, but after seeing limited action in his sophomore year, he entered the Transfer Portal.
Now, in his first game with UCF, he showed Knights fans what he brings to the table as he finished the night with 110 rushing yards and one touchdown on just seven carries, including his first carry of the game and for UCF, which went for 64 yards and a touchdown.
First carry as a Knight = 64-YARD TOUCHDOWN
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) September 3, 2026
Get ready to learn Duke Watson‼️ pic.twitter.com/RXzgemChDE
The speedy running back transferred to UCF as a 3-star transfer, but he has tremendous potential, and he showed that in his debut with the Knights. Watson had an eye-popping freshman season at Louisville, where he led college football with a dominant average of 8.9 yards per carry, finishing with 67 carries for 597 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Watson rushed for 100 yards or more in two games with the Cardinals that freshman season, including the Cardinals' 41-14 win over Kentucky, where he finished with 104 yards on just six carries. In the final four games, he earned 373 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Watson’s UCF debut was a perfect reminder of how explosive the star running back can be when healthy, and Louisville fans are happy to see their former running back making an immediate impact with his new team.
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