UCF’s offense may have to make do without one of its most reliable pass-catching pieces on Saturday, with tight end Dylan Wade listed as questionable for the Knights’ road trip to face No. 20 Houston.
Wade picked up an upper body injury in last week’s Big 12 home opener against TCU, with the issue coming in the fourth quarter. He was able to walk off on his own.
That matters because Wade has been a major part of UCF’s passing game. Last season, he finished second on the team with 53 catches and 523 yards, trailing only wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr.
He also led the Knights with five touchdown receptions. Those numbers were all career highs for the Orlando native, and they stood as the best single-season marks by a UCF tight end since 1996.
His production drew attention nationally as well, with recognition from multiple media outlets as one of the Big 12’s top returning tight ends.
This year, though, the numbers have been quieter. Through four games, Wade has only eight receptions for 53 yards, a drop from the 155 yards and one touchdown he had on 15 catches over the same stretch a year ago. A reworked receiver room has spread the ball around, with seven Knights topping 50 yards and four finding the end zone.
If Wade can’t go, UCF also loses a key piece of what it wants to do with 12-personnel. Two tight end sets give the offense another blocker or another receiving option, and that can make the attack more efficient.
That’s where Caden Piening comes in. The redshirt freshman has started to make noise in what’s shaping up as a breakout season, with 60 yards and a touchdown on four catches so far. A strong spring and fall camp earned him the second tight end spot on Scott Frost’s depth chart, and he’ll be asked to take on a bigger role if Wade is unavailable.
Piening’s performance could also offer a preview of what this offense looks like if he grows into the No. 1 tight end job down the line.
Thomas and wide receiver Jonathan Bibbs are also on the injury report. Thomas, UCF’s top receiver from last season, has been out all year with a hamstring injury and adds value as a Swiss Army knife, including in the jet sweep game.
Bibbs is listed as probable after missing last week with an undisclosed injury. The Louisiana-Monroe transfer has four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown this season.
In Other News...
UCF Heads To Houston With A Lineup Problem Fans Know Too Well
UCF is headed to Houston still trying to patch together a lineup that has been missing key pieces for weeks, and the availability picture does not look much friendlier this time around. Scott Frost said in his weekly update that several players remain in the usual gray area of day-to-day and questionable, but the Knights will again have to plan without a few starters as they prepare for the Cougars.
The contrast across the sideline only sharpens the concern, with Houston dealing with a much smaller list of absences heading into Saturday. For UCF, the uncertainty is the more frustrating part, especially with multiple contributors still not cleared and a couple more players sitting in the questionable category after taking bumps in recent games. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Injury Pileup Puts Pressure On Keyone Jenkins Fast
UCFs offense has already had to adjust early, with starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III out and receiver Duane Thomas Jr. also sidelined, leaving the Knights to lean more heavily on backup Keyone Jenkins. Through the first two starts of his college career, Jenkins has given the staff a steady hand, even setting a program record for completion percentage in his second start as the Knights try to keep the passing game afloat.
Help is on the way at receiver with Jonathan Bibbs expected to return, a boost UCF could use as the schedule stiffens against ranked opponents. But the injury list is still a moving target, and the latest concern only adds to the pressure on an offense that has little margin for error while Jenkins continues to settle into the job. [Read more 🡒]
Antione Jackson Is Turning Into A Huge X Factor For UCF
UCFs defense has gotten its season off to a strong start through the first four weeks, and cornerback Antione Jackson has been right in the middle of it. The Knights have leaned on him in coverage and in run support, and his play has helped set the tone for a unit that has looked much steadier than it did a year ago.
Jacksons biggest moment so far came in the conference opener against TCU, when his interception helped swing a game UCF badly wanted. With a tougher stretch ahead and ranked opponents on the schedule, the Knights are going to need that kind of impact again, especially with Houston next and a quarterback-receiver combo that figures to test every layer of the secondary. [Read more 🡒]