Duke Watson didn’t just have a big night for UCF. He carried the whole thing.
The junior transfer ran for a career-best 177 yards and scored twice, and the Knights used that burst of production to hold off Georgia State 44-30 on Saturday night. UCF needed every bit of it, too, because the Panthers kept punching back and made the final minutes uncomfortable before the Knights finally shut the door.
Georgia State tried an onside kick with 1:52 left, but was hit with an illegal touch, handing the ball back to UCF. From there, quarterback Keyone Jenkins finished things off with a late touchdown run.
The result pushed UCF to 2-1 and gave the program at least two wins through its first three games for the 10th straight season. It also extended the Knights’ non-conference home winning streak to 10 and moved them to 17-5 at home under coach Scott Frost.
UCF set the tone early on defense, stopping Georgia State on fourth-and-1 at the GSU 34 and taking over on downs. Special teams then swung the game again when linebacker Jahleel Culbreath blocked Christian Teeter’s punt and recovered it at the GSU 17. It was UCF’s first blocked punt since Sept. 6, 2025, against North Carolina A&T.
The Knights didn’t fully cash in right away, settling for a 29-yard field goal from Will Stone to go up 10-0 after Jenkins had brought the crowd to its feet with a 31-yard scramble on third-and-7 that was wiped out by holding. Three plays later, Watson took the handoff and turned it into a 14-yard touchdown, his second score of the season and the 10th touchdown of his career.
Georgia State quarterback Cameran Brown settled in after that. He led a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Rodshaun Dorsey, trimming the lead to 10-7.
UCF answered with a strong drive of its own, highlighted by Watson’s 26-yard run, and Jenkins found Waden Charles for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 17-7. That was Jenkins’ second touchdown pass of the season and Charles’ second scoring catch.
The Panthers kept coming. Brown capped a long possession with a 6-yard touchdown to Dorsey, cutting it to 17-14 with 8:52 left in the second quarter.
Then Georgia State grabbed control for a stretch when Qwantavius Wiggins ripped off a 78-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers ahead 21-17. The stadium fell silent as the freshman crossed the goal line.
UCF had chances to answer before halftime but came away with field goals instead. Stone hit from 40 yards after a drive stalled at the GSU 25, and then Samer Layous drilled a 22-yard field goal at the buzzer to send Georgia State into the break with a 24-20 lead.
The Knights wasted no time reclaiming the momentum. Eight seconds into the third quarter, Watson burst through for a 64-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, and UCF was back in front 27-24. Layous tied it again with a 35-yard field goal later in the quarter.
Then came the turnover exchange. Jenkins threw his first interception of the season, but UCF linebacker Tackett Curtis answered one play later with his first career pick, intercepting Brown and returning it 38 yards. UCF turned that into another scoring drive, leaning on Watson, Landen Chambers and Jenkins before Jenkins finished it himself on a 4-yard keeper to put the Knights ahead 34-27 with 33 seconds left in the third.
UCF safety Demari Henderson delivered another key play when he intercepted a deflected Brown pass for his fifth career pick. Watson kept piling on yards after that, driving deep into Georgia State territory before Stone added a 24-yard field goal.
Jenkins, making his first regular-season start since facing Sam Houston State on Nov. 29, 2025, when he played at FIU, got the nod because Alonza Barnett III is out for an undisclosed amount of time with a hamstring injury. He did enough to help UCF survive, but Watson was the difference-maker from start to finish.
In Other News...
TCU Gets Timely Boost As UCF Enters Big 12 Opener Shorthanded
TCU is set to get a useful piece back just as Big 12 play begins, with wide receiver Jordan Dwyer expected to return from a foot injury when the Horned Frogs meet UCF. Dwyer missed the first three games of the season, so his availability gives TCU a timely lift as it looks to open conference play with some momentum.
UCF, meanwhile, enters the matchup dealing with a significant change under center. Starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III is sidelined by a hamstring injury, and the Knights are expected to turn to Keyone Jenkins in his place. For a team trying to settle in quickly against a conference opponent, the timing of those injury updates adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of early-season importance. [Read more 🡒]
UCF's Offense Just Created A Tough Big 12 Decision
UCFs offense looked a lot different in the win over Georgia State, and that was the point. With Alonza Barnett III sidelined, backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins stepped in and the Knights leaned hard into the run game, a formula that helped them control the day and leave with a 44-30 victory. Duke Watson was at the center of it, and the ground attack carried much of the load while UCF kept the ball in Jenkins hands enough to complement what was working.
The bigger question now shifts to the Big 12 opener against TCU, where the Knights will have to decide whether the same approach can travel against a tougher league opponent. Scott Frost has already settled the quarterback side of it, naming Jenkins the starter for next week, so the discussion is more about how much UCF can keep leaning on that rushing identity and whether the offense can keep finding answers with a limited passing volume. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Frost Got The UCF Response He Needed Before Big 12 Play
UCF left the field Saturday with more than a nonconference win, it left with a reminder of what a composed second half can look like. After falling behind at halftime, the Knights settled in and pulled away from Georgia State 44-30, a result Scott Frost pointed to as evidence the team handled adversity the right way before Big 12 play begins. He highlighted the defense and run game as the areas that steadied things after the break, which mattered as much as the final score for a team still looking to define itself early in the season.
Duke Watson gave that turnaround a real jolt with a career day on the ground, and Keyone Jenkins added three scores even if the passing game was uneven at times. The bigger picture for UCF is that the pieces looked more connected when the pressure tightened, which is exactly the kind of response Frost wanted to see before the schedule gets more demanding. There are still questions to sort through, but the Knights at least showed they can absorb a punch and finish with some force. [Read more 🡒]