UCF heads into Big 12 play with a sense of calm that Scott Frost thinks could matter a lot once the league games start stacking up.
The Knights went 2-1 in non-conference play, taking care of business against Bethune-Cookman and Georgia State before dropping their lone game to Pittsburgh. That loss came with the offense sputtering and star quarterback Alonza Barnett III leaving the game hampered, leaving UCF to adjust on the fly.
Barnett is expected to miss multiple weeks, so Frost turned to Florida International transfer Keyone Jenkins as the starter. Jenkins had a rough afternoon through the air, going 7-for-17 with one interception, but he still found a way to impact the game on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.
The most encouraging sign for Frost may have been how UCF responded after a shaky first half against Georgia State. The defense gave up 24 points before the break, an unusual showing for a unit that had allowed just nine points before last Saturday. Instead of unraveling, the Knights settled in and finished strong.
"I think one of the best things we did Saturday night was that nobody panicked," Frost said during Monday's media availability. "Nobody listened to any noise. We just kept doing what we were supposed to do and found a way to win."
That second-half turnaround was built on both sides of the ball. The defense limited the Panthers to two field goals after halftime, and the offense answered with 24 points of its own.
Now the challenge gets sharper. Big 12 opponents bring star power and demand clean execution, and Frost knows UCF will need to play with more precision to survive the stretch ahead.
One area he singled out was third down, where the Knights are just 3-for-12. Frost also noted that some of those numbers are shaped by the team’s willingness to gamble on fourth down.
"The first thing is we got to get in manageable thirds," Frost said. "That number gets skewed a little when we're going to go for it on fourth down."
UCF has gone for it four times on fourth down and converted once, including an 0-for-3 showing against Pittsburgh.
The larger picture is still hard to ignore. This is UCF’s fourth season in the Big 12, and the program’s 7-20 conference record has left real urgency around what comes next. A 2-7 league mark last season kept the Knights out of a bowl game for the second straight year.
The schedule does offer some relief in spots, with ESPN’s matchup predictor favoring UCF against Iowa State and Arizona State. Even so, the Big 12 remains a demanding road, packed with strong teams and frequent ranked opponents.
UCF also used January’s transfer portal window to add depth, a move that could help lay the groundwork for a turnaround in 2026. For now, though, the focus is on proving the Knights can carry that composure into the toughest part of the season.
In Other News...
How UCF Changed Daunte Culpepper's Path When Few Others Would
Daunte Culpeppers path to Central Florida almost never made it to the starting line. A difficult academic stretch in high school pushed several college programs to move on, but UCF stayed in the mix long enough to offer something more practical than a sales pitch: help. Former assistant Paul Lounsberry worked with Culpepper on the schoolwork side, a crucial bit of guidance that helped him clean up his grades and reopen the door to recruitment.
Once he arrived in Orlando, Culpeppers career took off in a way UCF could hardly have drawn up better. He went on to set multiple records and became the programs first first-round NFL draft pick, a milestone that still speaks to how much the Knights gained from sticking with him when others backed away. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Faces A Huge Test Against A Quarterback Who Can Change Everything
TCU arrives with a quarterback who has already forced the rest of the Big 12 to take notice, and UCF is preparing for the kind of challenge that can stress every layer of a defense. Jaden Craig has been one of the leagues most productive passers early in the season, and Scott Frost along with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch have pointed to the difficulty of matching up with a quarterback who can extend plays, stay composed in the pocket and punish hesitation.
For the Knights, the timing makes this one even trickier. UCF is still sorting through offensive line injuries while trying to steady its protection up front, and the offense is also chasing better results on third down. Against a TCU attack led by a quarterback with the ability to change the game in a hurry, that combination turns this into more than just another Big 12 matchup. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Secondary Gets Its Real Test After Eye-Opening Start
Through the first three weeks, UCFs defense has looked far sharper than many expected, and the secondary has been a big reason why. Antione Jackson and Demari Henderson have both drawn strong marks from Pro Football Network, giving the Knights a back end that has helped set the tone while the rest of the defense settles in.
Now comes a different kind of exam. UCF is heading into a matchup with TCU, and quarterback Jaden Craig is coming off a slow start that has turned into a much more productive stretch, with multiple touchdowns and plenty of yards in recent games. For a defense that has already shown it can capitalize on mistakes, this is the kind of passing game that will tell UCF how much of its fast start really holds up. [Read more 🡒]