UCF’s offense has a clear imbalance right now, and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper is looking to fix it before Big 12 play starts to squeeze the Knights.
Through three games, the passing game has not kept pace with a rushing attack that has carried the load. Alonza Barnett III and Keyone Jenkins have combined for 472 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, while UCF’s ground game has piled up 684 yards and 11 scores. Duke Watson has been the headliner on the ground, leading the way with 297 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of 60-yard runs in Weeks 1 and 3.
That lopsided split has left the offense leaning too heavily in one direction, and it was exposed in Week 2 against Pittsburgh. The Panthers, known for their run defense, held UCF to just 20 rushing yards, forcing the Knights to throw. Barnett couldn’t consistently connect on intermediate routes and missed high on several throws, and UCF came away with a season-low seven points.
Jenkins had his own rough outing against Georgia State last Saturday. In his first start, the FIU transfer finished with 86 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Barnett is sidelined for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, so Jenkins is still working through the adjustment period.
Cooper said Tuesday that the goal is to get UCF’s playmakers involved earlier and make the offense more balanced against TCU on Saturday.
"We now need to set up the personnel and the plays to get those guys touches," Cooper said during Tuesday's media availability. "And here we are in Big 12 play. So that's been a point of emphasis on the offense to make sure the guys that we're expecting to make plays try to get them involved a little bit earlier."
That urgency makes sense with a receiving group built for explosive plays. Josh Derry, a Monmouth transfer, brought a big-play reputation with him after posting 1,123 yards, 13 touchdowns and a 14.78 yards-per-catch average on 76 receptions in the FCS. He earned All-CAA First Team honors after his junior season and explained in spring camp how the nickname "Scary Derry" came from coaches worrying about his breakaway speed on deep balls and after the catch.
Freshman Tyren Hornes has also flashed as a vertical threat. After strong spring and fall camp showings, he has earned real snaps over the first three weeks, and that role could grow once conference play begins. At 6 feet, Hornes brings the kind of speed that can turn a routine target into a shot play.
In Other News...
UCF Opens Big 12 Play With A Chance To Expose TCU Concerns
TCU heads into its Big 12 opener at the Bounce House already dealing with a short injury list that has tested its depth early. The Horned Frogs are 2-1 and will be navigating the absence of Perry Cole Jr. and kicker Kyle Lemmermann, two more reminders that September rarely gives a team much time to settle in before conference play begins. Jordan Dwyer is expected back as the matchup shifts into a setting that should give UCF plenty of energy and make the opener feel even bigger.
For the Knights, the challenge is less about the stage and more about who is available to handle it. UCF will likely be without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III, which puts the spotlight on Keyone Jenkins as the expected starter in his place. That turns a conference opener into a useful early measuring stick for both sides, with TCUs depth issues and UCFs quarterback situation leaving plenty unresolved before the first Big 12 snap in Orlando. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Catches TCU In A Spot Big 12 Fans Will Notice
TCU heads into its matchup with UCF trying to steady itself after a disappointing season-opening loss to North Carolina, and the stakes are already easy enough for Big 12 fans to spot. The Horned Frogs need a response, not just for the standings, but for the broader sense of where this season can realistically go after opening weekend raised questions about the teams quarterback situation and overall strength.
UCF will present a tricky test even without its starting quarterback, which leaves TCU facing a game that should say a lot about the programs early direction. A win would help the Horned Frogs start rebuilding some confidence and momentum, but another loss would only deepen the pressure and make the path ahead look far more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs Big 12 Debut Could Hinge On One Offensive Battle
UCFs first Big 12 road test brings a familiar kind of tension into a new setting, with the Knights built around a run-first identity and TCU trying to decide how aggressively to attack it. The matchup shapes up as a chess match over tempo and control, because UCF is most comfortable leaning on the ground game and making defenses react to its pace rather than the other way around.
Keyone Jenkins is expected to be under center, which only adds to the importance of how the Horned Frogs handle the line of scrimmage and the early downs. If TCU can disrupt the running game and force UCF away from its preferred script, the Knights will have to show they can win in a different way than the one that has defined them so far. [Read more 🡒]