HOUSTON - UCF had the kind of start that should have put the Knights in position to leave with a statement win. Instead, a 17-0 edge in the third quarter dissolved fast, and No. 20 Houston ripped off 27 straight points on the way to a 27-17 victory Saturday.
That result handed UCF its 11th consecutive road loss, the longest streak in the Big 12, and sent the Knights toward another road test at Oklahoma State on Saturday. They are still chasing their first road win since Sept. 14, 2024.
The biggest issue around UCF was impossible to miss before the game even settled in: the injuries kept piling up. The Knights were already without four starters - quarterback Alonza Barnett III, wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr., guard Owen Spell and linebacker Lewis Carter - and center Jacob Maiava then exited with an apparent hip injury.
That forced UCF to shuffle Cooper Terpstra and Conner Meadows at center. Linebacker Jayden Jennings, filling in for Carter, also left with an undisclosed arm injury and was later seen in an arm sling.
Coach Scott Frost didn’t hide how frustrating that has been, but he made it clear there’s only so much the staff can do.
“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “The majority of our injuries aren’t anything we could have affected with training differently. You’ve just got to deal with it.
“You always hope you’re the team that doesn’t get touched by the injury bug at this point, but we’re not that lucky. Hopefully, we’ll start getting these guys back.”
Even with all that going against them, the Knights had their best chance to seize control in the third quarter. Duke Watson’s 37-yard burst helped ignite a nine-play, 71-yard drive, and Keyone Jenkins finished it with a 5-yard touchdown run to push UCF ahead 17-0.
But after that, the ground game basically vanished. The Knights ran the ball just one more time over the final 23 minutes.
Frost said Houston’s defensive looks dictated that shift.
“It’s not that we didn’t call run plays,” said Frost. “They’re very multiple and they’re going to give you different looks a lot, and all run plays have RPOs (run-pass option) on them.
When they get too many in the box, we’re throwing the RPO. So that led to fewer carries.”
UCF finished with 73 rushing yards on 21 carries, its second-lowest total of the season.
Jenkins, meanwhile, kept showing he can handle the job while Barnett works back from a hamstring injury. The quarterback went 23 of 35 for 253 yards with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run, though Frost said he was cramping for much of the second half. In three starts this season, Jenkins has completed nearly 70% (53 of 76) of his passes for 541 yards with 4 touchdowns and two interceptions.
His third-quarter interception became a turning point, leading to Houston’s second touchdown of the day. Jenkins left after the turnover and Kaleb Annett handled one series in his place.
At receiver, Josh Derry kept making the most of his expanded role with Thomas still sidelined. The Monmouth transfer came in as UCF’s top target and backed that up with his most productive outing since joining the Knights, finishing with seven catches for 101 yards. He also hauled in a 13-yard catch early in the first quarter.
“I was open and caught the ball and I saw my lineman get downfield and get the block, so I came behind him and the only thing left was green grass,” said Derry.
Defensively, UCF did plenty right early, including stopping Houston on three separate fourth-and-goal chances before halftime. But the second half turned into a different game. The Cougars piled up 200 yards of offense and all 27 of their points after the break, while the Knights couldn’t hold the line.
Safety Jayden Williams said the group has to clean up the details.
“We could have been better on all phases of the ball,” said Williams. “We didn’t hone in as much as on the details as much as we should have. We’ve just got to get better.”
Through the first four games, UCF had allowed just 15 second-half points. Against Houston, that number nearly doubled in one afternoon.
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UCF Suddenly Has A Bigger Concern Than The Houston Loss
The Houston loss ended up being only part of the concern for UCF, because the Knights came out of the game with a few health questions layered on top of the result. Quarterback Keyone Jenkins was dealing with cramps during the game, but he got treatment and returned, while wide receiver Josh Derry also worked through an ankle issue and was able to keep going in the second half.
The bigger concern centered up front, where center Jacob Maiava left with a hip injury and had X-rays afterward. With Maiava out, Cooper Terpstra had to step in at center, leaving UCF to sort out what the line looks like if the injury lingers and whether the offense can keep its stability after already absorbing one tough night in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
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