ORLANDO - UCF turned the Bounce House into chaos Saturday, finishing off a 39-31 double-overtime stunner over No. 2 BYU after a game that kept lurching from one wild moment to the next.
BYU entered the day fresh off an emotional win over Notre Dame, but the Cougars couldn’t shake the Knights in a finish that swung back and forth until the final sequence of regulation spilled into overtime. UCF kept surviving, kept extending the game and, in the end, made the plays that BYU couldn’t.
The last minute of regulation alone had enough drama for an entire game. UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins appeared to be sacked before getting rid of the ball, and the play was initially ruled a fumble.
Replay wiped that out. Then a personal foul on Keanu Tanuvasa for shoving a Knights player in the head while he was on the ground moved UCF 15 yards and gave it a first down, setting up a potential 46-yard game-winning field goal.
Faletau Satuala then jumped the line and blocked the kick, but UCF’s kicker recovered the ball. Officials initially ruled the Knights kept possession, then after review and deliberation, a 10-second runoff was assessed because kicker Will Stone’s helmet had come off.
BYU got the ball first in overtime and needed only one snap to strike. Bachmeier delivered a touchdown on third down to Legend Glakser for the lead.
UCF answered immediately. On the Knights’ first play, Jenkins slipped away from pressure and found Josh Derry alone in the end zone to tie it back up.
The Cougars’ tackling never held up, and that weakness showed all afternoon. UCF repeatedly broke free from contact, turned near-losses into positive gains and kept dragging the game on.
That missed sack in overtime was only the latest example. BYU also gave UCF help with undisciplined penalties, including the Tanuvasa personal foul that revived the Knights and a roughing-the-kicker call on Kendall Wall that erased three points and handed UCF another first down.
UCF made those extra chances count. Jenkins hit Grayson Brousseau for a touchdown, then threw on the run for a 2-point conversion to Tyren Hornes. After that, the Knights still needed one more stop to grab their first-ever win over a top-five team, and they got it with a goal-line stand to finish the upset.
With starting quarterback Alonza Burnett III still out because of a hamstring injury, Jenkins made his fifth start and delivered one of his best games of the season. He finished 25-of-41 for 293 yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing score.
Hornes was his top target, piling up six catches for 137 yards. His biggest moment came in the third quarter, when UCF faced third-and-17 and BYU had just built momentum with a touchdown on its opening drive of the second half. Hornes turned a screen into a 56-yard gain, setting up Jenkins’ 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Bachmeier also kept BYU in the fight, continuing to build chemistry with Kyler Kasper. Kasper caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Bachmeier finished with 257 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and he added 37 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
In Other News...
BYUs First Loss Came Down To A Brutal Late Mistake
BYUs first loss of the season arrived in a game that had already taken plenty out of both teams before it reached double overtime. The Cougars fell 39-31 at UCF after a night that featured a sputtering rushing attack without star back LJ Martin and a passing game from Bear Bachmeier that produced 257 yards but also an interception, leaving BYU to lean on an offense that never quite found enough consistency to pull away.
The deciding stretch turned on a special teams mistake that was as costly as it was avoidable. A roughing-the-kicker penalty against defensive end Kendal Wall kept UCFs drive alive in the second overtime, and the Knights used the extra life to punch in the winning touchdown and hand BYU its first defeat. For a team that had battled back into a tight road fight, the ending was a brutal reminder of how little margin exists in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
GameDay Backed BYU But One Warning Still Looms At UCF
ESPNs College GameDay made its choice for BYUs trip to UCF, and the message from the panel was pretty clear: the Cougars drew plenty of support from the shows regulars. Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit all picked No. 2 BYU to win, framing the matchup as another chance for a team that has spent the season earning national respect and handling pressure with a veteran edge.
Still, one voice on the set pointed to the kind of trap that can follow a big-stage win and a long road trip. Guest picker Dalton Kincaid went the other way, backing UCF and raising the idea that BYU could be due for an emotional letdown, especially with the Knights getting the boost of a homecoming atmosphere. GameDays discussion around the matchup circled back to maturity and key players, but the warning hung over the pick segment as the Cougars headed into one more road test. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Freshmans $2 Million Moment Hasnt Changed His Daily Life
Carter Smiths brush with instant fame came on ESPNs College GameDay stage, where the BYU freshman nailed a field goal during the Kicking is Easy segment and walked away with a $2 million headline moment. Half of that total is pledged to charity, and the rest is still working its way through the usual prize-money process, including tax withholdings, so the windfall has not exactly landed in his lap yet.
For now, Smiths day-to-day life looks a lot like it did before the kick. He is still focused on his studies and waiting for ESPN to finish processing everything, with no major changes to his academic plans so far. The spotlight may have found him, but the practical reality is that the biggest payoff from that moment is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]