UCF left no doubt about the script change in the second half Saturday night.
After Georgia State spent much of the first half pushing the Knights around, UCF answered with a dominant final two quarters and walked away with a 44-30 win in Orlando to close non-conference play. Duke Watson was the engine for the Black and Gold, piling up a career-best 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 12.6 yards per carry, the second-highest mark in program history. Keyone Jenkins added a touchdown through the air and two more on the ground.
The game opened with UCF setting the tone early. Georgia State’s first drive went nowhere, ending in a four-and-out on its own side of the field when Jayden Jennings stuffed a fourth-and-one quarterback sneak. UCF then moved quickly, with a fourth-down try producing pass interference in the end zone and setting up Watson’s 14-yard touchdown run for the first score of the night.
That was just the beginning of a fast start for the Knights. Jahleel Culbreath blocked a punt to help create another scoring chance, and UCF turned that into a field goal and a 10-0 lead.
The Knights had also blocked a punt last season against North Carolina A&T on Sept. 6, 2025.
Georgia State finally got on the board with 9:15 left in the first quarter, but UCF answered immediately. Jenkins found Waden Charles for a 30-yard touchdown, giving the Knights a 17-7 cushion. It was Charles’ second straight week with a touchdown catch and the first two scoring receptions of his career.
Then the Panthers flipped the game before halftime. Georgia State scored on all three of its second-quarter drives, including a six-yard touchdown pass and a 78-yard rushing score, to grab a 24-20 lead into the break.
UCF’s only points of the quarter came on a 40-yard field goal from Stone, a new career high, with 2:47 left. Georgia State closed the half with a 22-yard field goal as time expired.
The response after halftime came fast and loud. On the first play of the third quarter, Watson burst through the line and raced 63 yards for a touchdown, putting UCF back in front 27-24 and pushing him past 1,000 career rushing yards. Georgia State tied it again with a field goal, but the Knights were just getting started.
The turning point came late in the third quarter. Jenkins threw an interception over the middle, but UCF immediately took the ball back when Tackett Curtis grabbed his first career interception on the very next play. Curtis finished with a team-high 10 tackles, setting a career high for the second straight game.
UCF turned that stop into points with a nine-play, 44-yard drive capped by Jenkins’ four-yard touchdown run. Then the defense struck again, with Demari Henderson picking off a tipped ball by Lewis Carter for UCF’s second interception in as many drives. Stone converted that turnover into a 24-yard field goal, stretching the lead to 37-27.
Georgia State managed one more field goal, but the Knights put the game away after a failed onside kick and penalty handed them the ball at the 40-yard line with 1:52 left. UCF needed only four plays to score again, highlighted by a 35-yard run from Landen Chambers and finished by Jenkins’ three-yard scramble. Henderson then sealed it with his second interception of the game, his second two-pick outing as a Knight.
By the end of the night, Watson’s numbers stood out all on their own. His 177 yards on 14 carries made him the first Knight to reach at least 171 rushing yards since RJ Harvey did it on Nov.
2, 2024. It was Watson’s fourth 100-yard rushing game, good for the 27th-most rushing yards in a single game in UCF history and the 13th most in Acrisure Bounce House history.
UCF now turns to Big 12 play. The Knights host TCU on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Orlando for the first time in Big 12 conference action at the Bounce House.
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 🡒]