UCF’s week off didn’t do much to clear the picture on its injury front.
Heading into Saturday’s home matchup with No. 2 BYU, the Knights listed 10 players as questionable or worse on Thursday, including starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III and freshman running back Taevion Swing, who has 162 yards. Another six players are probable for the game, with the group split across four defenders, one offensive player and one special teamer.
The timing could hardly be tougher for UCF, which is preparing for a top-10 showdown against a BYU team coming off its nationally-regarded win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo. The Cougars arrive in Orlando as 6.5-point favorites, and UCF is expected to be without Barnett, which sets up another start for backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins.
Jenkins is lined up to make his fifth straight start, and the Knights are counting on him to steady an offense that has already taken hits in the last two Big 12 losses at Oklahoma State and Houston. In those two games, Jenkins put up 518 passing yards, threw five touchdowns and two interceptions on 53 attempts, but the results still didn’t show up in the win column. He exited the Houston game in the third quarter, and now the senior backup is again being asked to run the show.
The challenge gets even steeper because UCF’s injury report is littered with linemen. Six different players up front are dealing with issues, including OL combo Owen Spell and Tyler Gibson, and that means Jenkins may have to operate against a BYU defense that was sharp against Notre Dame. The Cougars held the Irish to 115 rushing yards and 8-of-10 on third down last week.
Even with the injury pileup, Jenkins won’t be short on targets. Wideout Josh Derry, who has 304 yards, and tight end Dylan Wade are both expected to be available.
For UCF, the formula is pretty clear: Jenkins has to protect the ball and give the offense a chance to keep up. The Knights haven’t been able to put together a full 60-minute effort lately, and that’s a problem against a BYU team that wants to stay perfect in Big 12 play and keep its College Football Playoff push rolling.
BYU has its own absence to manage, too. Starting running back LJ Martin, who had been on pace to become the Big 12’s leading rusher, is out after suffering an ankle injury against TCU and is expected to miss an estimated 4-to-6 weeks. Preston Rex handled the load last week against Notre Dame and finished with 10 carries for 66 yards.
That leaves Saturday’s math pretty simple for UCF: it needs a big day from Jenkins and enough offense to match a Cougars team determined to keep its 3-0 Big 12 start intact. The spread is tight, the setting is home, and the Knights are hoping the week off at least gives them a shot to make this one interesting.
In Other News...
BYU Suddenly Has A Backfield Question That Could Shape Everything
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Now the attention shifts to what comes next in the backfield, especially with BYU continuing to assess Moas readiness after a history of injury. Kalani Sitake praised the growth and contributions of the running backs, but the Cougars still have to sort out how much depth they truly have and how they want to use it as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Fans Will Want To See Where Bear Bachmeier Ranks Now
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For BYU, the interest is not just in where Bachmeier lands, but in what the ranking says about the Cougars place in the Big 12 conversation overall. With another round of league games on deck, the quarterback pecking order remains fluid, and the next update could look very different depending on who keeps playing at a high level and who seizes the biggest stage in Week 8. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Suddenly Right In The Middle Of The No. 1 Fight
A wild weekend in college football shook up the top of the rankings, and BYU suddenly finds itself right in the middle of the No. 1 conversation. Miami moved to the top spot after Georgias loss to Auburn, but the picture is anything but settled, with the AP poll, ESPNs algorithm and plenty of outside voices all pointing in different directions as the season turns toward its next big test.
The Cougars were right there in the debate, finishing with 20 first-place votes in the AP poll as the sports usual hierarchy started to wobble. Brian Kelly, speaking as a college football analyst and former coach, voiced confidence in Kirby Smart even after the upset, another sign that there is no clean consensus at the top and no shortage of contenders waiting for the chaos to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]