UCF’s first half ended the same way too many road trips have gone lately: with the Knights walking off the field on the wrong side of a ranked opponent, this time a 42-28 loss at No. 18 Oklahoma State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The defeat sent UCF into its bye week at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, but there were still a few clear takeaways to sort through. Keyone Jenkins delivered his most productive outing since taking over at quarterback, the offense showed some life on deep balls, and a battered defense was still forced to chase Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker all night.
Here’s what stood out from the loss.
Jenkins gave UCF its sharpest quarterback performance of the season
Jenkins has been the starter for four games now after Alonza Barnett III went down with a significant hamstring injury, and Saturday was easily his most complete showing.
He finished 30 of 42 for 265 yards with four touchdowns and an interception, making him the first UCF quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game since John Rhys Plumlee did it against Temple on Oct. 13, 2022. Over his four starts, Jenkins has completed 69% of his throws - 79 of 114 - for 764 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
According to Pro Football Focus, this was Jenkins’ highest-graded game of the season.
“‘Lightz’ is getting more and more comfortable, which makes us more comfortable with the game going faster for him,” said coach Scott Frost. “We ‘tempoed’ more and got into formations.”
Jenkins said the comfort level is building.
“It’s been good following the scheme, staying on track, calling the right plays and making plays as they present themselves, extending plays or getting us to the right check,” said Jenkins.
The vertical passing game was more active
UCF still hasn’t fully unlocked the deep passing attack, but there was at least some progress against Oklahoma State.
Entering the game, Jenkins had completed only 25% of his passes that traveled 20 yards or more in the air - 4 of 16 - for 113 yards and one interception. Against the Cowboys, he was 3 of 9 on those throws for 91 yards and an interception.
Frost said the deep shots at least started to show up more consistently.
“In the second quarter, he hit on those, or he put them in the right place and we got PIs (pass interference calls),” said Frost. “He was hurting a little bit because he thought he could have hit a couple.
“We didn’t bring him in here to be the starter. He’s done an unbelievable job for the situation he was thrust into.”
UCF couldn’t generate enough disruption on defense
The Knights had trouble getting Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker off schedule. UCF pressured him 14 times, and that led to just one sack and three tackles for loss.
Mestemaker made them pay for the clean pockets. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, while also scoring once on the ground. It was his fourth straight game with at least 300 passing yards.
Frost pointed to the missed chances to create game-changing plays.
“Our defense always plays so solid and (defensive coordinator Alex) Grinch does such a good job,” said Frost.
“We just need to make a few more plays. We need to get a sack on a few more drives.
We need to get a tipped ball interception somewhere. We need to make a play on a ball and a glance and a slant.
We can’t just bend and not break, particularly not against a quarterback like that.”
Cole Kozlowski was back in the mix
One of the quieter but important developments Saturday was the return of linebacker Cole Kozlowski, who made his 2026 debut after a Florida Ninth Circuit Court judge granted him a temporary injunction Friday that gave him an extra year of eligibility.
With Lewis Carter out because of a hamstring injury and Jayden Jennings dealing with a shoulder injury, UCF badly needed help at linebacker. Kozlowski played 16 defensive snaps and also contributed on special teams, finishing with a tackle.
“I just love being around Cole. He was so fired up to play football again,” said Frost. “We were so thin at linebacker; anything he gives us is a boost.”
Linebacker Tackett Curtis added, “It’s really exciting just knowing what he brings to the room and knowing what he did last year,”
The bye week arrives at the right moment
UCF has spent the first half of the season patching holes. Barnett, Carter, wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr., and offensive linemen Owen Spell and Jacob Maiava have all missed extended time, and that wear has shown up in the way the Knights have had to piece things together week after week.
Now they finally get a break.
Frost said the week off should help not only the injured players, but also the rest of the roster that has been carrying heavier loads than usual.
“It’s not just the hurt guys; it’s the other guys that we’ve been leaning on that have been playing more reps,” Frost said. “We’ve had some physical games. This bye week comes at a really good time for us to get guys back and get everybody else fresh and ready to go.”
UCF returns on Oct. 24 with No. 8 BYU coming to town.
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