Baylor walked into Orlando and left with the kind of win that can reset a season. After back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas and the firing of Dave Aranda, the Bears needed something decisive, and they got it in a 41-9 rout of UCF at the Bounce House.
The tone was set early by a defense that never let the Knights settle in. Baylor piled up 7 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery, and UCF spent much of the night stuck in neutral. The Knights were held under 25 points for the entire season by every opponent Baylor has faced, and Friday night was no different.
Joe Klanderman had plenty on his plate this week, taking on the acting head coach role while also handling the defensive game plan on a short week. The Bears’ performance made the case for him pretty quickly. UCF managed only 9 points, and Baylor kept the pressure on from start to finish.
DJ Lagway looked far more comfortable than he has in most games this season, and that showed up right away. He went 12-of-15 for 202 yards and a touchdown in the first half while also running 10 times for 18 yards, helping Baylor build a 20-6 lead by halftime. He stayed sharp after the break, finishing 16-of-25 for 319 passing yards, 23 rushing yards on 11 carries, and 4 total touchdowns.
Caden Knighten added a key score midway through the second quarter after appearing to be stopped short of the goal line. He stretched the ball across the plane as he fell, and the touchdown stood after review. Knighten finished with 7 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Freeman turned in another big night, highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown catch and run that pushed Baylor’s lead to 34-6 in the second half. He ended with 5 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Tony Livingston found room for two touchdowns, and both times he was wide open. The 6-foot-6 tight end gave Baylor a clear size advantage, and UCF never solved it.
Jadon Porter also delivered a major chunk play, hauling in a 53-yard catch and run that set up a Rhett Armstrong field goal to make it 17-3. Porter finished with 2 catches for 74 yards.
The defensive numbers told the story just as clearly as the scoreboard. Baylor allowed only 12 rushing yards in the first half and forced four of UCF’s seven first-half drives into 3-and-outs, with another ending in two plays on a Devon Jordan interception.
In the second half, the intensity held. Outside of a 13-play drive that ended on downs, UCF’s only other sustained possessions were two five-play drives.
Everything else was shorter.
The one area that still needs cleaning up was the offensive line. Baylor had too many penalties, including false starts and holding calls, and while the protection held up for much of the game, the run game never really got rolling. It was better than what the Bears had shown in recent weeks, but not enough to erase the issues that have shown up before.
In Other News...
UCFs Space Game Collapse Exposed A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Scott Frost had little choice but to own the moment after UCFs Space Game turned into a lopsided 41-9 loss to Baylor, and the Knights coach did exactly that in apologizing to fans afterward. The night was supposed to be one of the programs showcase events, but instead it laid bare how much the offense struggled, especially on the ground and in protecting the quarterback, leaving the Knights chasing answers after a flat outing.
The bigger concern was the toll the game took on the offense, with the line unable to keep things clean long enough to settle in. Even in a rough night, there was one bright spot for UCF, as Will Stone provided a rare highlight by drilling a 57-yard field goal to set a program record, a reminder that not everything about the evening went sideways even if the final score said plenty. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Showed Fans Exactly Why This Team Feels Different
Dave Arandas first game as Baylors head coach gave fans an immediate look at why this team can feel different, and it started with a level of balance that had been missing too often in recent seasons. DJ Lagway was sharp from the opening stretch, completing 16 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, while the offense as a whole looked more coordinated across multiple position groups than UCF had seen from Baylor in a long time.
The defensive side matched it with the kind of disruption that changes a game before it ever settles in. Baylors front got into the backfield repeatedly, and UCF never found much room to breathe on the ground, a combination that made the Knights chase the game from early on. For a program trying to reset its identity under a new coach, this was the sort of complete performance that can make a first impression linger. [Read more 🡒]