UCF didn’t exactly cruise through Georgia State, but Scott Frost liked the way his team handled the mess.
The Knights beat the Panthers 44-30 on Saturday night, and Frost’s word for the performance was “businesslike.” UCF (2-1) went into halftime trailing by four, yet Frost said the group kept its composure, stayed away from panic and didn’t turn on each other in the locker room. That steadiness showed up after the break, when the Knights cleaned things up enough to finish off their non-conference schedule with a win.
"That game is going to serve us well down the stretch in the Big 12 season," Frost said. "There's going to be a lot of games like that because everybody's so close, and you got to find ways to win close games."
The biggest swing came from UCF’s defense, which opened with a turnover on downs and a three-and-out before Georgia State settled in and scored on every remaining drive of the first half. By halftime, the Panthers had piled up 323 yards and averaged 7.7 yards per play, with the damage coming both on long marches and on explosive snaps like freshman running back Qwantavius Wiggins’ 78-yard touchdown run. As defensive back Demari Henderson put it, UCF "ain't played the ball we knew how to play."
The second half looked a lot different. After giving up 128 rushing yards in the second quarter alone, the Knights held Georgia State to 47 rushing yards over the final 30 minutes.
The Panthers managed just six points on seven second-half drives, and quarterback Cameran Brown threw three interceptions. One of those picks came right after Keyone Jenkins threw one of his own, but UCF’s defense slammed the door from there and let the offense stretch the lead to two touchdowns before time ran out.
UCF’s offensive line also looked much different than it did a week earlier. Frost said right guard Owen Spell was not at 100% because of plantar fasciitis, which led to some shuffling up front. Redshirt freshman Jacob Maiava started at center, Connor Meadows moved to right guard, and the changes helped spark a run-heavy night for the Knights.
Duke Watson was the headline. He ran 14 times for a career-high 177 yards, averaged 12.6 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. Watson credited the line for the difference.
"I mean, we were just more focused, more physical," Watson said of the offensive line. "I feel like we was way more physical than last week, way more intent on our assignment, and I feel like when we're more focused, we can play faster and physical."
Landen Chambers added nine carries for 62 yards, Taevion Swint had nine for 40, and Jenkins picked up 25 rushing yards while scoring twice on eight carries. Frost also pointed out that the wide receivers and tight ends helped out as blockers, too, which mattered in a game where UCF leaned hard on the ground game.
Jenkins’ first start for the Knights came with production and rough edges. He scored three times overall, but his passing line was modest: seven completions on 17 attempts for 86 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Frost said "the nature of the game" didn’t really call for much throwing, though Jenkins’ interception came at a tense moment when the game was tied in the third quarter.
Georgia State never made UCF pay for it. On the very next play, linebacker Tackett Curtis picked off Cameran Brown for his first career interception. Frost said there were "a couple of missed formations," and that he would need to repeat himself more going forward, but he also said he had "a lot of plays" he trusted Jenkins to throw.
"We got to let him probably let it loose a little more if we're going to win some more games down the stretch, but you know, I was just really happy with how the team stayed calm and just kept playing," Frost said. "Tougher win than you want, but any win's a good win."
Now UCF gets a week to clean things up before hosting TCU next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
In Other News...
TCU Gets Timely Boost As UCF Enters Big 12 Opener Shorthanded
TCU is set to get a useful piece back just as Big 12 play begins, with wide receiver Jordan Dwyer expected to return from a foot injury when the Horned Frogs meet UCF. Dwyer missed the first three games of the season, so his availability gives TCU a timely lift as it looks to open conference play with some momentum.
UCF, meanwhile, enters the matchup dealing with a significant change under center. Starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III is sidelined by a hamstring injury, and the Knights are expected to turn to Keyone Jenkins in his place. For a team trying to settle in quickly against a conference opponent, the timing of those injury updates adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of early-season importance. [Read more 🡒]
UCF's Offense Just Created A Tough Big 12 Decision
UCFs offense looked a lot different in the win over Georgia State, and that was the point. With Alonza Barnett III sidelined, backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins stepped in and the Knights leaned hard into the run game, a formula that helped them control the day and leave with a 44-30 victory. Duke Watson was at the center of it, and the ground attack carried much of the load while UCF kept the ball in Jenkins hands enough to complement what was working.
The bigger question now shifts to the Big 12 opener against TCU, where the Knights will have to decide whether the same approach can travel against a tougher league opponent. Scott Frost has already settled the quarterback side of it, naming Jenkins the starter for next week, so the discussion is more about how much UCF can keep leaning on that rushing identity and whether the offense can keep finding answers with a limited passing volume. [Read more 🡒]
UCF's Defense Is Giving The Knights Real Momentum Into Big 12 Play
UCFs defense looked like the unit that could help carry real momentum into Big 12 play after the Knights came up with three interceptions against Georgia State. The performance was built on steady pressure in the middle of the field, with Tackett Curtis and Lewis Carter active all afternoon and the secondary taking advantage whenever throws drifted off target. Special teams did its part too, as Will Stone was perfect on his kicks and Atticus Bertrams kept flipping the field with punts that averaged more than 50 yards.
Demari Henderson gave the Knights another lift with a career-best outing, showing the kind of playmaking that can change a game in a hurry. Curtis also added an interception to go with a double-digit tackle day, and Carter was right there again as a sure tackler on the back end of the defense. For UCF, the encouraging part is not just the turnovers, but how many different pieces are starting to matter at once. [Read more 🡒]